Kneen joins BE Racing for 2014
Dan Kneen has made the move to BE Racing for the 2014 season with the talented Manxman making a concerted attack on the three International road races – the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix.
Riding for the team owned and run by former racer John Burrows, Kneen will have a full assembly of machinery at his disposal including the ex-TAS Suzuki Superbike and a brand new 600cc Honda built to World Supersport specification. Kneen will also have selected outings on Burrows’ Kawasaki Supertwin whilst also retaining the use of the Marks Bloom Charted Accountants/Wemoto 1000cc Suzuki Superstock machine.
The Braddan rider has been hampered in recent times by injury, which affected all of the last three seasons, but he remains one of the brightest young talents in road racing and the triple Manx Grand Prix winner will be looking to get back to the form that saw him challenge for the podium at the TT in both 2011 and 2012. Having lapped at over 127mph in the Superbike category, and over 125mph in the Supersport division, as well as taking six top ten finishes and picking up 13 silver replicas, the move to the new team should see Dan right at the forefront of the results at all three of the UK Internationals.
Marks Bloom, long time sponsors of Kneen, will continue to support him during 2014 and, as well as the aforementioned race meetings, the 26-year old will also contest the Southern 100, Macau Grand Prix and selected Irish National road race and short circuit meetings.
Speaking about the year ahead, a happy Kneen said; “I’m delighted to be joining John Burrows’ team. I feel John and his crew will provide me with everything I need to challenge for international podium finishes and his bikes will be as good as anything around. In previous years I’ve had to take care of all the machine preparation myself but this year I will be able to concentrate solely on the racing, I’m going to have a great opportunity to show what I can do and I’m really looking forward to mixing it up at the front.”
“Top three finishes at the TT are the main aim but I’ll be looking for top results too when I come to Ireland. I don’t know any of the national circuits but John’s experience will be a great help at all the places that are new to me and I’m confident I can put on a good show everywhere, starting at Cookstown. A big thanks to John for putting his faith in me and also to Marks Bloom for their continued support.”
More, from a press release issued by the Isle of Man TT Press Office:
Dan Kneen links up with John Burrows for 2014 Isle of Man TT Races Campaign
Dan Kneen has made the move to BE Racing for the 2014 season with the talented Manxman looking to make a concerted attack on the 2014 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy as well as the other International road races – the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix. He’ll also appear in selected Irish national races, beginning his season with the Cookstown 100.
Riding for the team owned and run by former racer John Burrows, Kneen will have a full assembly of machinery at his disposal including the ex-TAS Suzuki Superbike and a brand new 600cc Honda built to World Supersport specification. Kneen will also have selected outings on Burrows’ Kawasaki Supertwin whilst also retaining the use of the Marks Bloom Charted Accountants/Wemoto 1000cc Suzuki Superstock machine.
The Dungannon businessman explained: “I wanted an exciting young rider that could take the team forward and Dan is the man in my opinion. He’s already a proven top ten international finisher and with our quality machinery I believe he will be even closer to the top step of the podiums this year. I have no doubt that it’s a combination that will work well.”
26-year-old Kneen from Braddan on the Isle of Man has been hampered in recent times by injury, which affected all of the last three seasons, but he remains one of the brightest young talents in road racing. He shot to prominence in 2008 when he scored a unique Manx Grand Prix treble, winning the newcomers, Junior and Ultra-Lightweight races. Since then he has matured into a top class international competitor with six top ten TT finishes to his credit and a best placed fifth in the 2010 Supersport 2 Race.
Kneen, who has a fastest TT lap of over 127mph, has also made his mark in Ireland, taking top ten finishes in the North West 200. He achieved two wins at the Dundrod ‘150’ meeting and took sixth and seventh in the two Ulster GP Supersport races in the same year. Kneen has made three visits to the Macau Grand Prix with a best finish of ninth in 2012.
Speaking about the year ahead, Kneen commented: “I’m delighted to be joining John Burrows’ team. I feel that John and his crew will provide me with everything that I need to challenge for international podium finishes. His bikes will be as good as anything around. In previous years, I’ve had to take care of all of the machine preparation myself but this year I will be able to concentrate solely on the racing. I’m going to have a great opportunity to show what I can do and I’m really looking forward to mixing it up at the front.”
He continued: “My main aim is podium finishes at the TT but I’ll also be looking to go well in Ireland. I don’t know any of the national circuits but John’s experience will be a great help at all the places that are new to me and I’m confident that I can put on a good show everywhere, starting at Cookstown. I’d like to thank John for putting his faith in me and thanks to Marks Bloom for their continued support.”
Tickets are now on sale and selling fast for the 2014 TT Races. Glencrutchery Road Grandstand race day tickets are sold out but there are still TT Fan Zone Grandstand tickets available at Ballacrye, Creg Ny Baa and Nobles Park during practice and race days. Grandstand tickets are also available by purchasing VIP or Platinum Hospitality tickets. All tickets are available from www.iomtt.com or by phoning 00 44 (0)1624 640000.