Bennetts BSB back north of the border: Knockhill next and watch live on Quest
The Bennetts British Superbike Championship returns to Knockhill for the second round with a two-day event, showcased with live coverage on Quest free-to-air during the weekend (10-11 July).
It will have been 741 days since the series’ last visit to the Scottish circuit when the action gets underway on Saturday. The opening day will feature two BSB SUPERPICKS free practice sessions and SUPERPICKS Qualifying, plus BikeSocial race one.
Championship leader Jason O’Halloran is relishing the compact format, as the McAMS Yamaha rider bids to turn his Knockhill fortunes around. The ‘O’Show’ has previously endured a torrid time at the Fife circuit, the only track where he is yet to stand on the podium. That’s something he intends to change this weekend after his treble victory at the season opener.
Christian Iddon came tantalisingly close to the top step of the podium at Oulton Park, claiming a trio of second place finishes for the VisionTrack Ducati team, after he was robbed of victory twice on the final lap by O’Halloran. He’ll want to make up for that this weekend.
On the opposite side of the garage, reigning champion Josh Brookes heads to Scotland determined to make amends for the opening round. The Australian is seventh in the overall standings, and aiming to climb the order rapidly in his quest for back-to-back titles.
Peter Hickman and the FHO Racing BMW team celebrated a podium finish on their Bennetts BSB debut last time out, claiming the first top three finish for the new BMW M 1000 RR. The team will be hoping to carry that momentum to Knockhill, boosted too by the return of Xavi Forés, who scored a pole position and a podium finish on his first visit in 2019.
Tarran Mackenzie will be hoping for a Scottish homecoming celebration; the McAMS Yamaha rider was on the podium on his last visit in 2019 and sits just ahead of Tommy Bridewell in the standings ahead of this weekend’s three races.
Danny Buchan meanwhile is the only rider on the current Bennetts BSB grid to have won a race at Knockhill. Currently sixth in the standings for SYNETIQ BMW, he will be hoping that history can repeat itself.
FS-3 Kawasaki’s Superbike rookie Rory Skinner will also be excited for the return to Knockhill; hailing from nearby Perth. The reigning Quattro Group British Supersport champion will be aiming to break into the top ten for the first time at his home circuit.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Round 1:
1. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 75
2. Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 60
3. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 40
4. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 34
5. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 32
6. Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) 25
7. Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) 25
8. Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) 25
This weekend’s coverage of the Knockhill round is live on free-to-air channel Quest. Fans can stream the live coverage free-of-charge via discovery+ with live uninterrupted ad-free coverage also available via the Eurosport app
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Jason O’Halloran – McAMS Yamaha
Championship leader
“I’ve never stood on the podium at Knockhill. It’s the only track that we race at that I’ve never had a podium, so I need to change that – I feel like we’re in a good position to do it this weekend.
“Knockhill is really important for me. I’ve had bad experiences there in the past and although I’ve been racing here for a while, I’ve not actually done that much riding at Knockhill.
“It’s a track where I really needed to test and I did a huge amount of laps there pre-season so I’m really thankful for that. I think we were pretty fast at the test. There were quite a few guys on a similar lap time, so I expect it to be a really competitive weekend, but I think we’ll be in a strong place.
“It’s nice going to Knockhill. Especially racing on day one – I’ve never had to race on the first day of an event so I think that’ll be a new experience, but I also I feel like we’ll be ready for it.
“It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. It’ll be busy, but I’m in good shape and so is the team. If I could win races at Knockhill that’d be absolutely amazing, but podiums for me would be equally as good!”
