“Although I’m going to miss the irreplaceable buzz of winning, I’m really happy with my decision to stop racing and I’m sure it is the right thing to do. Recently the edge has gone off the enjoyment of riding and I have always promised myself that I would stop when this happened.  My year with GSE Racing has been very enjoyable. They are the most organised, professional team in the paddock. Darrell Healey has been very supportive and I even like Colin Wright’s military precision! They are a complete team in every way.”

Although the 38-year-old Scot will no longer be thrilling fans with his exciting performances on track, expect to see more of Mackenzie behind the scenes. Like many racers, he will find it difficult, if not impossible to walk away from a life spent in the paddock and already has several interests that will retain his involvement in motorcycling.

“It’s been great travelling the world being paid to race motorbikes, standing on the 500cc rostrum and then coming back to the UK to win three British Championships,” he said. “My plans for the future will probably be to increase my involvement with the Red Bull Yamaha 500GP team, launch the Niall Mackenzie Superbike School and possibly make my 250 team bigger and better.  I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the fans who’ve cheered me on throughout the years. I hope they enjoyed the good times and thanks for the support during the bad times. I’ll have even more time for them when all the stress of racing has finally gone.”