BSS: Race bosses explain Farmer penalty

British Superbike race director Stuart Higgs has defended a decision to hand Keith Farmer a 60 second penalty after yesteday’s Dickies British Supersport feature race.

Farmer finished second in the race, a position good enough to secure him 2017 championship victory but was later stripped of his points after a coming together with Gearlink Kawaski’s Ben Currie.

With Currie wiped out of the race, Farmer, who did later apologise for his mistake, was handed a 60 second time penalty for causing the incident.

Since the news, BSB bosses have faced backlash on social media for the decision but series boss and race director Stuart Higgs has defended the call, pointing out that Farmer had already been given a warning for aggressive riding at Silverstone and that Farmer nor his Appleyard Macadam team protested the penalty 

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“If there’s one thing that pisses me off it’s the regurgitated phrase ‘racing incident’, a ridiculous industry cop out phrase wheeled out time and time again,” said Higgs.

“Lines have to be drawn to regulate incidents or people get hurt or worse.

“Keith was on a very specific notice after Silverstone and again he found himself majority responsible for causing a collision, this time resulting in a crash and DNF for the other party.

“He and the team had the right of appeal. Supersport racing in particular is close proximity racing and contact is a part of that sometimes, but contact causing a crash is then about apportioning responsibility and getting a balanced outcome.

“You can’t simply be majority responsible for causing a collision and crash and then get a result out of it.”  

Farmer now leads the British Supersport standings by 43 points from second-placed Andrew Irwin. 

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