July 10, 2021

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Iddon strikes back to claim opening victory at Knockhill

Iddon strikes back to claim opening victory at Knockhill Christian Iddon returned to the top step of the podium in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship to get revenge for missing out at the season opener. The VisionTrack Ducati rider held off Jason O’Halloran and Danny Buchan to win the opening BikeSocial race at Knockhill.

At the start of the race O’Halloran had launched off the pole position to grab the lead ahead of Iddon and Buchan, but the order shifted as the SYNETIQ BMW rider moved into second on the third lap with a decisive overtake.

Meanwhile Iddon had grasped the lead, but the VisionTrack Ducati rider soon was relegated to second as Buchan hit the front of the pack on lap six.

As Buchan tried to make a break on his chasing rivals he saved a huge moment, when he tucked the front at the hairpin, and his incredible reactions meant he may have lost the lead but he was able to regroup from fourth place.

Iddon had taken command at the front of the pack, but O’Halloran was stalking him all the way to the chequered flag as the pair continue their duel from Oulton Park.

Peter Hickman had taken advantage of Buchan’s mistake to move up a place into a potential podium position, but a problem on the final lap meant he was forced to retire the FHO Racing BMW, handing the final top three place back to his BMW rival.

Bradley Ray had a strong performance in fourth to score his best result of the season so far for the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW ahead of rookie Rory Skinner, who delivered a stellar performance to claim fifth place in only his fourth Bennetts BSB race with FS-3 Kawasaki.

Tarran Mackenzie bounced back from a crash in qualifying to score sixth after a battle with Ryan Vickers on the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki in the closing stages, as Tommy Bridewell, Lee Jackson and defending champion Josh Brookes completed the top ten.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, BikeSocial Race 1:

1.   Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati)
2.   Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.348s
3.   Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) +0.445s
4.   Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) +4.185s
5.   Rory Skinner (FS-3 Kawasaki) +4.634s
6.   Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +6.021s
7.   Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) +6.181s
8.   Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +7.504s
9.   Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) +9.565s
10.   Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) +10.709s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Knockhill Race 1:

1.   Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 95
2.   Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 85
3.   Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 44
4.   Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) 41
5.   Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 40
6.   Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 40
7.   Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) 32
8.   Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) 31

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

Christian Iddon – VisionTrack Ducati
Knockhill BikeSocial Race 1 winner
“Honestly I was just so pumped to win. I feel like I have led so many laps so far this year, when I passed for the lead I was like ‘hmm, not sure if I want to lead yet’ but I got a good run.

“I thought I’d do it and just ruffle a few feathers and then Danny came through and setting an insanely fast pace, but he lost the front, so there I was back with a clear track again.

“I just sort of raced my lap timer and it was coming up with good times so I was happy. I tried to keep constant and work on myself a little bit, I learnt a little bit out the back section when Danny was in front and then later in the race I just found a little bit of something in myself at turn seven.

“That made everything a little bit quicker and made it easier to ride, so that made the second half of the race good and then my pit board was coming down just ever so slightly. I was coming into that last corner with just visions of a bike getting parked up the inside of me like at Oulton, so thankfully no bike came through!

“I was that concentrated on holding a tight line I forgot to change gear fully! I think I was still in third gear in the middle of the corner, so I had to quickly shift a few gears and obviously, I’d parked the bike so we were good.

“I’ve not felt particularly comfortable on the bike all day, there’s not been a lap where I feel like it’s really doing what I want, but having said that it’s doing the lap times that I need, so it obviously is doing what I want! I still think we need to refine the feeling with it but I’m super pumped.”

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Iddon Strikes Back To Claim Opening Victory At Knockhill