Rory Skinner helps secure TAS Racing's first ever British Superbike victory at Knockhill
The race was red-flagged twice because of poor conditions and track contamination before finally taking place over a reduced distance of 16 laps.
Skinner took the lead on the opening lap from Ray (Raceways Yamaha) and never looked back, gradually easing away to win by four seconds on the Cheshire Mouldings Ducati, denying former champion Ray a third consecutive BSB treble following hat-tricks at Donington Park and Snetterton.
It was an emotional win for Skinner, who started the weekend strongly with third in Saturday's race before securing the runner-up spot in the second race.
'To do that for the boys, Cheshire Mouldings Ducati, they've been with me through thick and thin – last year breaking my leg, and I had a really tough end to the year as well,' Skinner said.
'They stuck by me and believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself.
'To have a triple podium weekend and be on the top step of the podium in the last race, I'm honestly quite emotional about it all.'
Fraser Rogers held on for third to claim his maiden BSB podium on the TAG Honda ahead of Christian Iddon, Storm Stacey and Max Cook.
Honda Racing's Andrew Irwin finished eighth in the finale, improving from 11th in the earlier race.
However, there was disappointment for Scott Swann, who failed to finish on the Send My Bag/IWR Honda. Swann was 17th in the opening race yesterday.
Scott Redding, riding the Hager PBM Ducati as a replacement for injury victim Glenn Irwin, was ninth.
Redding made his return to the championship on Saturday, claiming fourth in the dry.
Ray holds an advantage of 52 points in the standings after the first four rounds.
In the Supersport race, five-time champion Jack Kennedy won his second race of the season for Honda Racing UK in the rain, fending off Joe Talbot (Binch Pro Ducati) by just under one second.
The Dubliner is third in the championship, 15 points behind fellow southern Irishman Rhys Irwin, who won Saturday's race on the Performance 15 Suzuki from Kennedy.
'It was a really difficult race in those conditions, Joe kept me honest through the whole thing,' Kennedy said.
'I never got a minute's breathing space and he kept me honest to the end.
'The Honda CBR600 was amazing in that race, so I'm absolutely delighted, especially after the DNF at Snetterton; that puts us right back on the map now in the championship, so I couldn't have had a better weekend.'
Randalstown's Eugene McManus was seventh on the MMB Ducati with Fermanagh man Lee Johnston rounding out the top-10 on the Sencat by Swan Racing Triumph.
David Allingham was seventh in the Superstock 1000 race after sealing fourth on Saturday.
Brands Hatch in Kent hosts the fifth round from July 25-27.
Meanwhile, practice for the Southern 100 is due to take place on Monday evening on the Billown course, where Michael Dunlop, Davey Todd and Dean Harrison are in action on the Isle of Man.
Racing is scheduled to get underway on Tuesday at the four-day event, concluding on Thursday when the Solo Championship race takes top billing.
England's Todd won the blue riband race last year from Dunlop, who was last crowned Solo Champion in 2016.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
I'll be back to defend my crown, vows new Northern Ireland Stages Rally king Aaron McLaughlin
The County Donegal man opted to miss a family wedding in the hope of securing the title with a round of the national series to spare — and he delivered with a top-three points-scoring finish. McLaughlin becomes only the second person from south of the border to add his name to the Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs (ANICC) trophy; Monaghan's Stephen Wright was the first Irishman to achieve the feat back in 2019 after winning a tie-break from Derek McGarrity. McLaughlin was forced to do it the hard way, however, having to recover from a disastrous start at the Loughgall Stages that involved a costly off-road moment in his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. Fastest times on the next five short, sharp tests through Loughgall Country Park quickly pushed him up the leaderboard, yet despite his speed he was unable to usurp the naturally aspirated Proton Satria Neo of Marty Toner, with the pair separated by less than two seconds at the finish. 'I have never had Championship and Aaron McLaughlin in the one sentence, so the feeling is pretty good — we have never won a title or anything like that before. We are absolutely over the moon,' said McLaughlin, who made a quick exit from Loughgall so he could attend the wedding after party. 'We had a bit of a disaster on the opening stage but we managed to claw our way back up the leaderboard and found ourselves in a huge battle with Marty right until the day's very last stage. 'We gave it everything to try and get back in front of him but we just couldn't make up any more than three seconds a stage each time. Losing 15 on the first one left us pretty far back and making that up here was always going to be a really big ask, but at least we can say we tried. 'It was small margins at the end but I could not have lost to a better man. Marty and the entire team are sound men, so I have no complaints about who the overall win went to,' he continued. 'It would have been nice to win the rally and the Championship on the same day but we have no complaints — we achieved what we set out to do and already the plan is to return next year and defend our title. It is a great competition and, logistically, one-day rallies just work for me.' Armagh's Jason Black was once again in mesmerising form at the controls of his 2.5-litre, rear-wheel-drive Toyota Starlet as he delighted his local supporters by coming home in third place.
Daily Record
9 hours ago
- Daily Record
Justin de Haas in mix for Celtic £3m transfer as Nicolas Kuhn tees up double winger blockbuster
The Premiership champions are reportedly keen on the 25-year-old who plays for Portuguese top flight side Famalicão Celtic are considering a move for towering Dutch defender Justin de Haas. The Premiership champions are reportedly keen on the 25-year-old who plays for Portuguese top flight side Famalicão and has been scouted extensively with Celtic keen on defensive reinforcements. Celtic have watched Maik Nawrocki exit on loan with Stephen Welsh and Gustaf Lagerbielke likely to follow with the latter already pictured in Braga's training gear. De Haas - who plays on the left side of central defence – has been watched by a series of sides across Europe and could cost around £3million. Liam Scales regained his starting berth next to Cameron Carter-Vickers from Auston Trusty but the American is aiming to build on a strong start to pre-season and regain his place as Carter-Vickers' partner. Meanwhile, Celtic are getting set to splash the Nicolas Kuhn cash with the Hoops bang in the hunt to land TWO new wingers. The Parkhead club are still in talks with Royal Antwerp over attacker Michel-Ange Balikwisha and also interested in Rapid Vienna's Isak Jansson. Celts will pocket the lions' share of £17m when Kuhn completes his move to Serie A Como in the next 24 hours. And more cash could be on the way with Gustaf Lagerbielke in advanced talks with Braga over a move. Fellow centre back Nawrocki completed his loan switch to Hannover at the weekend – with an option to make the move permanent at the end of next season. Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers has already snapped up Kieran Tierney, Benjamin Nygren and Callum Osmand as first team reinforcements, with keeper Ross Doohan arriving as back up and Hayato Inamura landing as one for the future. But the Irishman is now looking to push for major new arrivals – with a couple of wide men, a striker and another centre back the key positions to fill. Balikwisha has been a long-term target and Antwerp have been forced to lower their initial £5m plus asking fee as they look to get a deal done early to free up funds for a replacement. The 24-year-old Belgian is understood to be keen on the move after battling back from the injury which scuppered his chances of a Parkhead switch last summer. Rapid ace Jansson – who was Kuhn's replacement for the Austrian giants – is believed to be available for around £3m after an impressive campaign. Serie A big hitters Lazio and Fiorentina are circling, along with French outfit Paris FC and some clubs in England. Celtic have several other targets but will be cranking up their shopping spree as they prepare to head to Ireland and Portugal this week. The Hoops are in Ireland tomorrow to take on Cork City and then will depart for Lisbon where they face Portuguese second tier outfit Estrela da Amadora behind closed doors on Saturday and Sporting Lisbon in Faro the following midweek.
Belfast Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Rory Skinner helps secure TAS Racing's first ever British Superbike victory at Knockhill
Skinner halted championship leader Bradley Ray's run of eight successive victories with a steely ride in challenging wet conditions to delight the home crowd. The race was red-flagged twice because of poor conditions and track contamination before finally taking place over a reduced distance of 16 laps. Skinner took the lead on the opening lap from Ray (Raceways Yamaha) and never looked back, gradually easing away to win by four seconds on the Cheshire Mouldings Ducati, denying former champion Ray a third consecutive BSB treble following hat-tricks at Donington Park and Snetterton. It was an emotional win for Skinner, who started the weekend strongly with third in Saturday's race before securing the runner-up spot in the second race. 'To do that for the boys, Cheshire Mouldings Ducati, they've been with me through thick and thin – last year breaking my leg, and I had a really tough end to the year as well,' Skinner said. 'They stuck by me and believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. 'To have a triple podium weekend and be on the top step of the podium in the last race, I'm honestly quite emotional about it all.' Fraser Rogers held on for third to claim his maiden BSB podium on the TAG Honda ahead of Christian Iddon, Storm Stacey and Max Cook. Honda Racing's Andrew Irwin finished eighth in the finale, improving from 11th in the earlier race. However, there was disappointment for Scott Swann, who failed to finish on the Send My Bag/IWR Honda. Swann was 17th in the opening race yesterday. Scott Redding, riding the Hager PBM Ducati as a replacement for injury victim Glenn Irwin, was ninth. Redding made his return to the championship on Saturday, claiming fourth in the dry. Ray holds an advantage of 52 points in the standings after the first four rounds. In the Supersport race, five-time champion Jack Kennedy won his second race of the season for Honda Racing UK in the rain, fending off Joe Talbot (Binch Pro Ducati) by just under one second. The Dubliner is third in the championship, 15 points behind fellow southern Irishman Rhys Irwin, who won Saturday's race on the Performance 15 Suzuki from Kennedy. 'It was a really difficult race in those conditions, Joe kept me honest through the whole thing,' Kennedy said. 'I never got a minute's breathing space and he kept me honest to the end. 'The Honda CBR600 was amazing in that race, so I'm absolutely delighted, especially after the DNF at Snetterton; that puts us right back on the map now in the championship, so I couldn't have had a better weekend.' Randalstown's Eugene McManus was seventh on the MMB Ducati with Fermanagh man Lee Johnston rounding out the top-10 on the Sencat by Swan Racing Triumph. David Allingham was seventh in the Superstock 1000 race after sealing fourth on Saturday. Brands Hatch in Kent hosts the fifth round from July 25-27. Meanwhile, practice for the Southern 100 is due to take place on Monday evening on the Billown course, where Michael Dunlop, Davey Todd and Dean Harrison are in action on the Isle of Man. Racing is scheduled to get underway on Tuesday at the four-day event, concluding on Thursday when the Solo Championship race takes top billing. England's Todd won the blue riband race last year from Dunlop, who was last crowned Solo Champion in 2016.
