Round Four. Wind and Rain. Knockhill Scotland.

Annual trek to the picturesque location of Knockhill circuit. On a clear day,

there are specular views towards Edinburgh and the bridges over the Firth of Forth.

We’d already made the trip the previous week for a two-day test. Christian and Max had the perfect opportunity to try a range of chassis and suspension settings and generally get up to speed on the tricky 1.27miles track. We’ve had a race win and a number of podium finishes at Knockhill and our Kawasaki ZX-10RR holds the lap record in the hands of local hero Rory Skinner recording a time of 47.1 seconds.

By the time we returned, the weather had changed. We were confronted with the first race weekend of the season dominated by changeable conditions. Friday in particular was badly effected by high winds and horizonal rain which would influence the shape of the weekend for us.

Free practice and qualifying

Christian and Max are both confident riders in wet weather. That was certainly demonstrated in the early stages of FP1 as they were running comfortably in the top 12 positions. Towards the end of the 40-minute session a few riders who would usually be further back jumped up the leader board and pushed Max down to P14 but with Christian comfortable in P5. Qualifying runs are determined by the outcome of free practice with a top 12 position seeing the rider straight through to the final qualifying session. With the rain intensifying it was soon clear that lap times were unlikely to improve in FP2. Max, anxious to get back to the top 12, crashed at the chicane. We got the bike back and managed to fix the damage and get Max back out with 10 minutes left to run. Taking things a little more cautiously, Max failed to improve his time and would have to go in Q1 and hope to get a top three time and go through to Q2.

Max’s problems were made worse by the fact that 2024 champion Ryde along with Redding - standing in for Glenn Irwin - and Max’s Swindon mate Nesbitt had also failed to make it to Q2. The signs weren’t good in the dry 10-minute FP3 run as Max only managed P14, a second off the pace. So it turned out, Max only managed P6 in the Q1 session meaning he’d have to line up P18 for race one. Despite getting through to Q2, Christian didn’t have it his own way either as he only managed a time good enough for P12, although that was only 0.5 slower than Ray’s pole position time.

All very frustrating as in BSB races if you’re not starting from the first two rows of the grid it’s very difficult indeed to fight for strong result.

Race one

Dry but windy conditions for the first 30 lap feature race. But then a three-minute shower just before the pitlane opened caused a flurry of activity as some teams rushed to fit wet weather tyres. We didn’t and the rain passed making it dry enough for slicks as the grid set out for two warm up laps.

Sadly, Christian’s race only lasted a few seconds. Making up ground from a mid-pack start is always a risky business and this occasion was no different. Offline and trying to stay out of trouble, Christian got on the outside kerb in the dip at McIntyre’s which was wet from the short shower and both wheels let go at the same moment. The bike flipped on to its side - no damage – but it was race over. Max made a decent enough start, making up five places to P13, gaining another place a lap later but on lap six Haslam got through and for the remaining 24 laps Max was staring at the tail unit of the Ducati, unable to repass as Haslam slowed towards the end. That allowed Kent to close in and pass Max who ended the race a disappointed P14.

Race two

Damp 10-minute warm-up on Sunday morning. No dramas.

20-lap sprint. Very wet. As Christian hadn’t completed a lap in race one his grid position was determined by his original P12 plus six, so he was almost at the back of the grid – P18. Max hadn’t put up a strong lap time meaning he’d be just ahead, P15. Great start from Christian, alongside Max through the first series of bends. They completed the first lap P16 and 17. Not much ground made up but safe. Christian is known for his riding skills in difficult conditions, and he certainly set about his task. Making passes almost every lap, he moved up to the chasing pack and with a narrow drying line appearing he crossed the line in P9, just 0.1 behind Haslam. Decent result but still a way back from Ray who recorded another dominant win. Max soldiered on, his best pace only about 0.15 a second per lap slower than Christian’s but enough to make passing difficult for him. Four seconds behind Haslam’s P8 put him P15. It was definitely turning into a weekend to forget….

Race three

But while the weather didn’t change our luck did! Christian P9 and Max P12 on the grid for the final race of our weekend, the second 30 lap feature race.

Conditions were as poor as they had been all weekend. The wind had dropped but the rain was coming in waves. The race got under way with both riders making good starts and first laps – Christian up to P7 and Max P9. Lap three – red flag due to atmospheric conditions with turns one and nine, the hairpin, both flooded.

Restart over 25 laps – original grid positions as less than three laps completed. Still very wet. Good starts and first laps again. Christian up to P5 and Max P7 after six laps, but with a four second gap to the leaders. Lap seven – red flag to clear a hairpin crash.

Second restart, over 16 laps this time. But the good news was lap six positions formed the grid. We were edging forward and the restart closed the gap to the leaders. Good starts and first laps again – our luck really had changed. Christian came round P3 with Max not far behind in P6 and about to pass Stacey for P5. Skinner and Ray were already pulling away but with Rogers between the two Kawasakis a race long scrap begun. Max briefly got past Rogers at mid-race but it didn’t stick. A lap later at the hairpin Max was right on Rogers’ tail as he made a move on Christian at the hairpin. Rodgers got through and Max tried an opportunistic move on the inside of Christian. They briefly touched exiting the corner and spent the next three laps wheel to wheel and elbow to elbow. Great spectacle for the crowd but hard to watch from the pit wall. All the time Stacey had been recovering and with two laps to go he passed Max and was looking for a way past Christian. They crossed the line with P3 to P6 covered by just 1.2 seconds. Rogers, Iddon, Stacey, Cook.

Happy garage as we packed up in the pouring rain before our six-hour drive home.

Next time

We’d just missed out on our first podium of the year but we could leave Knockhill with a smile on our faces. All fired up for round five at the fantastic Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

Hope to see you there.

Regards. Nigel. Team Principal.