Knockhill will play host to yet another curtain raiser this weekend (23/24 April) as we sample our first KMSC and Scottish Championship Bike Racing event of 2016. A massive, 144 riders have signed up to the action this weekend that will see capacity girds across the three main Championships – Superbike/Clubman, Superstock 600 and Lightweight.
As with the beginning of each year, there’s a few changes in and around the paddock, with some old faces returning for another crack at Scottish Championship glory; ably joined by a crock of new faces looking to steal the limelight from their established counterparts.
We’re also delighted to welcome back a number of former Champions to grid this year. Here’s a quick run down of who’s competing and who to watch out for in 2016.
In Superbike and Clubman races – sponsored by Scotwaste – both 2015 Champions will once again lock horns at the head of the field. Andrew Tasker (Scottish) and Bruce Birnie (KMSC) return for another season aboard their championship-winning Kawasaki and BMW machinery respectively.
Donald MacFadyen once again lines up on the grid behind the wheel of his trusty BMW S1000 RR. Elsewhere in class, Matthew Paulo (Yamaha), Paul Wishart (Kawasaki) and John Dean (Suzuki) will be hoping to utilise their British Championship experience to out-fox some of the mainstays of this series in Birnie, Tasker and MacFadyen. Joining the fray this weekend is Matt and Harry Truelove, joining us all the way from Lincoln. The Clubman series will see a new champion crowned in 2016, with Kris Duncan (last year’s champ) now campaigning the Shirlaw’s Kawasaki in the Superbike class.
Bitwise now assume title sponsorship of the Superstock 600 races at Knockhill which will likely see last year’s double champion, Lewis Rollo drop in and out of the Championship, with his main focus this year being a BSB Superstock 600 assault. Liam Shellcock falls into the same bracket as he too is dovetailing a Scottish campaign with appearances in BSB. Multiple Scottish Champion, Torquil Paterson joins the grid this year, moving up from the Lightweight class which will see Lewis Paterson presumably riding the Lightweight machine Torquil used last year. Callum Grigor will be looking to consistently challenge at the front of the field aboard the Kirkcaldy Kawasaki after a strong showing last year. Lincolnshire duo Matt and Harry Truelove face a hectic weekend as they also compete in this class – that’s a massive 10 races each spread across the weekend. Newcomers to the class for 2016 include Pre-Injection 600 Champion Kyle Harper and his main championship rival Patrick Forman – hopefully fully recovered from his broken finger space-hopper incident at the annual KMSC awards night.
Paul McClung returns to the Lightweight class – sponsored by Shirlaw’s Motorcycles – after a mixed couple of years. Paul’s a former Champion in this class and will undoubtedly be eyeing another Championship title. And, with run-away Lightweight Champion Adrian Clark now stepping up to the Superbike class the coast is clear for a new Champion to emerge in 2016. However, McClung won’t have it all his own way with Kris Duncan riding the Shirlaw’s Kawasaki ER6 and Keith Dickie looking to improve on his 2nd placed finish last season. Elsewhere in class, three-time Scottish Mini Cooper Cup Champion, Kenny Thrilwall makes his bike racing debut aboard his own Kawasaki ER6. Kenny definitely knows his way around Knockhill and we’re all very eager to see how he fares on two wheels.
Despite losing the top two racers from last year, the Cupar Motorcycles Pre-Injection 600 Championship will be as competitive as ever; with Michael Burke, Steven Haddow, David McCafferty and Russell Will all set to re-new rivalries that should last the entire season and provide plenty of close action on track for race fans.
Our Skinner Motorcycles Formula 125 class see’s a healthy line up of ten youngsters, mostly riding Aprilla 125 machinery, no-doubt looking to follow in the footsteps of Moto3 Junior World Championship racer Rory Skinner who raced in this class not so many years ago. This weekend we also welcome Ultratape Post Classic and MT125 racing to the programme.
A massive 35-race programme will take place over Saturday (15) races and Sunday (25) races (23/24 April). Racing action will start around 1pm on Saturday and way earlier on Sunday. Advanced tickets for the event can be purchased online – all the way up to midnight on Friday (for Sat) and midnight on Saturday (for Sun) – all subject to pre-booking discounts.
Alternatively, tickets will be available on the day throughout the event, subject to the following gate charges:
Sat: Adult £8, Conc. £5, Family £21 with kids under 12 going FREE.
Sun: Adult £13, Conc. £8, Family £34 with kids under 12 going FREE.
Weekend: Adult £18, Conc. £10 and Family £46.
Additional Links: Timetable | Entry List
