BSB 2016: A knock-out round at Knockhill

BSB 2016: A knock-out round at Knockhill

Were you watching the BSB 2016 this weekend? If you weren’t don’t worry we have a lowdown on the latest round at Knockhill, with the excitement still flowing from Brands Hatch Indy last month.

The riders battled it out on the soggy Scottish track as they’d spent nearly a month off. Shakey Byrne had his debut win of the season at Brands Hatch but did Knockhill set the backdrop for another victory? Will Laverty have better luck this time round? Will the inconsistent pattern of winning riders continue?

Any word on the warm-up?

JG Speedfit Kawasaki were speedy in their warm-up as Ellison held onto the lead with a tough pack riding up behind him. Mossey proved how tough they were when he claimed the top spot after two laps. Mossey wasn’t up front for long though as Hopkins raced up ahead once more.

Everyone was racing and everyone was racing fast, with all riders on track until the final ten minutes when Iddon and Mainwaring crashed – thankfully uninjured.

Haslam, a new contender for first place, pushed to the top to stay ahead of Hopkins by 0.111 seconds. Byrne improved in the final moments until a crash at turn three held him back. This gave way for other riders; Laverty, Linfoot, Mossey and Hickman at the top.

Once they were warmed up, race one commenced

O’Halloran lead the race at a confident pace until ‘Pocket Rocket’ Haslam shot into the lead on the third lap hairpin. The same hairpin was the point at which Byrne crashed himself out of the race in lap four. Shakey’s first opportunity for a Knockhill win was over in the roadside dust. The ‘pocket rocket’ lead Hopkins, Linfoot and Laverty, O’Halloran trailing in fifth.

Linfoot broke through the pack and in the fifteenth lap accelerated forward to move into third. Hopkins and Laverty fought it out for the following spots until they hit the old trusty hair pin and Laverty came wide and fell back. Disappointing for the Tyco BMW BSB rider.

Linfoot was looking for a win and proved it by overtaking Haslam into turn one on lap nineteen. In the lead he fought to stay there, until a few laps later when Haslam passed down the inside. Some uncertainty later, Haslam slid across the line ahead of his Honda rival.

Mossey claimed third with his first podium of the season, the tenth new rider to claim a top-three victory in the BSB 2016, so far. Ellison was further back than the warm-up and secured a solid seventh. Danny Buchan, racing for Ducati, secured his tenth place. Do you have anymore dark horses you think might surprise the championship in the coming races?

Tensions were high for the finale

Following his warm-up fall Shakey Byrne claimed a race two victory. Linfoot and Hickman were strong contenders and constantly pushed each other for a chance at the front. Shortly after, riding on his race one win, Haslam moved past Hickman with Byrne closely following. The two followed the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider around the tracks until they were able to sneak ahead. Lap 25 Linfoot crept back in the lead, for a total of one lap, before Byrne became in the front once again.

As the riders rode the final laps everyone seemed to push even harder for the win. Shakey came from the back to claim first, Ellison – a non-contender for most of the ride – passed Haslam and swept a second away from Linfoot. Hickman, O’Halloran and Haslam dropped to fourth, fifth and sixth.

Iddon and Mainwaring completed the track this time, both finishing in the top ten. Unfortunately two others did crash out; Hopkins and Irwin – thankfully, as with Iddon and Mainwaring, injury-free.

So the season continues…

Please check back here next month – not long to go until July now – for a post-race round-up following the racers taking to Snetterton 300 for the fifth race of the BSB 2016 season.

A big thank you to BSB for letting us make use of their images for this post.