Cycle News Staff | July 13, 2021
For the first time since 2019, the Bennetts British Superbike Championship headed north of the border to Knockhill.
Photos Courtesy of BSB / MotorSport Vision Racing
In the Superbike class, Tommy Bridewell enjoyed three top 10 finishes to further secure his position in the all-important top eight Showdown contenders. In the Pirelli National Superstock class, GR Motosport’s Chrissy Rouse made a welcome return to the podium with a pair of third place finishes aboard the Ninja ZX-10RR.
In the first Superbike race, Christian Iddon returned to the top step of the podium, getting revenge for missing out at the season opener. The VisionTrack Ducati rider held off Jason O’Halloran and Danny Buchan to win the opening race at Knockhill.
Danny Buchan celebrated a double victory in race two and three, while rookie Rory Skinner celebrated a stunning second place in the second race.
Buchan made a crucial move on Skinner just a lap before the final Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend was red flagged. Tarran Mackenzie led the pack off the line at the start, but it wasn’t long before Skinner was on the attack and he instantly grabbed the lead at the Hairpin. Skinner was heading the field as Christian Iddon moved into second, pushing Makenzie into third by the end of the second lap.
Peter Hickman was also getting stuck in the battle for third, firing the FHO Racing BMW ahead of Mackenzie on lap four. Buchan was holding fourth position by lap ten, but ahead of him Hickman had dived up the inside of Iddon at the Hairpin to claim second.
The VisionTrack Ducati rider was targeting his counterattack and as they reached the Hairpin the next time around, he dived up the inside on Hickman. Buchan also saw his opportunity when Hickman was forced to sit up, and he stuck the SYNETIQ BMW ahead, but the pair touched and they subsequently lost ground. Buchan was determined to fight back for the podium and after hunting Mackenzie, he was able to edge ahead on lap 15, but the McAMS Yamaha rider instantly reclaimed the position. Buchan eventually made a move that stuck and he then had Skinner and Iddon ahead of him. A lunge into the Hairpin put the SYNETIQ BMW rider back into second as Iddon was nudged back into third and then he was dueling with Skinner for the victory.
Skinner was fighting hard to hold the lead and as Buchan moved ahead the Scot was desperately trying to retaliate, but the race was red flagged when Glenn Irwin crashed a lap later, leaving his stricken Honda in the track. Mackenzie held on to claim his second podium finish of the day for McAMS Yamaha with Iddon in fourth place and to remain on top of the standings by six points ahead of the next round at Brands Hatch.
Bradley Ray was back in the top five for Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW ahead of Jason O’Halloran, who bounced back from a race two crash to finish in sixth place. Tommy Bridewell was seventh, holding off Hickman with Ryan Vickers and Lee Jackson completing the top 10.
Supersport
Bradley Perie made it two from two in the Quattro British Supersport class, taking a dominant victory in the second race at Knockhill. Perrie took a dramatic win in the opening Quattro Group British Supersport race at Knockhill as long-time leader Kyle Smith crashed out on the final lap. It was Smith who scorched away from pole, extending his lead over the opening laps to a dominant 1.7s, with Perie and Jack Kennedy maintaining positions behind him.
As the race reached the half way stage, Perie, Kennedy and a fast-charging Lee Johnston had closed the lead down to just 0.5s. A tense game of cat and mouse followed, with the gap holding at a steady few tenths. Responding over the final laps, Smith was able to extend his lead up to 0.6s but disaster struck on the final lap when he crashed out of the lead.
This left Perie to take the win, and the Championship lead, ahead of Kennedy and Johnston. Ben Currie was fourth, with Charlie Nesbitt the first GP2 machine in fifth ahead of Perrin and Scott.
In the final Supersport race, it was Kyle Smith who grabbed the holeshot, but the Dynavolt Triumph rider was unable to pull away this time and Perie had soon found a way into the lead.
From there, the Appleyard Macadam Yamaha rider edged away from the rest of the field, taking the win by over five seconds. It was an intense battle behind him however, with Lee Johnston holding second place for much of the race before coming under heavy pressure from Jack Kennedy. The two traded places over the final two laps, with Johnston re-taking second place on the final lap.
- Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 111
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 105
- Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) 91
- Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 76
- Rory Skinner (FS-3 Kawasaki) 61
- Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 60
- Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 57
- Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) 46