From a press release issued by Monstermob Ducati:

MONSTERMOB DUCATI BRITISH SUPERBIKE TEAM

Round 8 – 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship, Knockhill
Saturday 6th/Sunday 7th July 2002
Race Report

High Drama for Hizzy at Knockhill

MonsterMob Ducati rider Steve Hislop left his native Knockhill with his 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship lead still intact despite another dose of high drama at round eight of the thirteen round series.

The Hawick born rider won a thrilling race one ahead of the Ducatis of Michael Rutter and Sean Emmett to increase his lead to 18 points at the head of the series but it was in the second race that the drama unfolded.

Leading going into the final hairpin Hislop turned into the corner only to be upended as title rival Michael Rutter cannoned into the rear of Hizzy depositing them both in the gravel.

Hislop managed to extract himself and claimed seventh at the flag but with Emmett finishing third, the Isle of Man based rider’s lead was reduced to 11 points.

“I lost some time on the final lap with the backmarkers but I knew if I held a tight line at the hairpin, I had the win. The next I knew, Michael hit me from the rear and I was rolling through the gravel” said Hislop who, in a show of true sportsmanship, gave Rutter a lift back to the paddock. Hislop was then checked over by the medics who revealed he had a suspected crack in his right collarbone but the championship leader has vowed to be back in the next round at Thruxton in five weeks time.

Supersport team mate Stuart Easton suffered a weekend of frustration after a crash in qualifying saw him start from row seven on his Monstermob 748.

The 17-year-old from Hawick was up inside the points when he slid off on lap seven and with title rival Scott Smart winning, Easton’s lead has been reduced to 29 points.

“I’m still leading the series and that’s the important thing but I need to get back to winning ways at Thruxton. This weekend’s been a disaster.”

Team owner Paul Bird was left ruing what might have been:

“We should have been leaving here with a 32 point increased lead in the Superbikes but as it is, we’ve had it reduced to just 11. People say it’s a racing incident but I’m not feeling that charitable at the moment” said the Penrith businessman.

Race One Result
1. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 26m59.545s, 2. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 27m01.955s, 3. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 27m03.054s, 4. Paul Brown (Ducati) 27m04.225s, 5. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 27m06.187s, 6. Simon Crafar (Yamaha) 27m07.152s, 7. David Jefferies (Suzuki) 27m13.043s, 8. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 27m13.134s, 9. Paul Jones (Yamaha) 27m19.888s, 10. Dean Ellison (Ducati) 27m21.353s.

Race Two Result
1. Shane Byrne (Ducati) 25m21.236s, 2. Paul Brown (Ducati) 25m28.997s, 3. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 25m29.560s, 4. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 25m29.845s, 5. Steve Plater (Yamaha) 25m30.112s, 6. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 25m35.455s, 7. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 25m37.771s, 8. Dean Thomas (Ducati) 25m41.375s, 9. Simon Crafar (Yamaha) 25m44.662s, 10. Dean Ellison (Ducati) 25m55.926s.

Supersport Result
1. Scott Smart (Honda) 23m10.528s, 2. Michael Laverty (Honda) 23m12.079s, 3. Craig McLelland (Suzuki) 23m12.929s, 4. Callum Ramsay (Suzuki) 23m15.766s, 5. Ben Wilson (Honda) 23m34.202s, 6. Torquil Paterson (Suzuki) 23m36.572s, 7. Les Shand (Honda) 23m36.706s, 8. Douglas Cowie (Kawasaki) 23m37.162s, 9. Mark Davies (Kawasaki) 23m39.700s, 10. Chris Bishop (Honda) 23m41.174s.

MCN British Superbike Championship Standings
1. Steve Hislop (280pts), 2. Sean Emmett (269pts), 3. Michael Rutter (228.5pts), 4. John Reynolds (177.5pts), 5. Shane Byrne (166.5pts), 6. Paul Brown (159.5pts), 7. Steve Plater (158pts), 8. Simon Crafar (111pts), 9. Glen Richards (102.5pts), 10. Dean Ellison (90.5pts)

MB4U.com Supersport Championship Standings
1. Stuart Easton (170pts), 2. Scott Smart (141pts), 3. Tom Tunstall (80pts), 4. Pete Jennings (77pts), 5. Jeremy Goodall (73pts), 6. Ben Wilson (62pts), 7. Simon Andrews (60pts), 8. Michael Laverty (54pts), 9. Chris Bishop (52pts), 10. Jim Moodie (45pts)



From a press release issued by Scott Smart:

KENT-based national supersport racer Scott Smart has taken his second win of the year at Knockhill this afternoon despite starting from 12th place on the grid and has moved to within 29 points of series leader Stuart Easton.

The 26-year-old, from Wateringbury, had an average time during qualifying as conditions were either wet or damp across Friday and Saturday, and there were a lot of Knockhill “specialists” in the field. However, Smart managed to get his Norwood Adam-backed Honda into the midfield and was looking forward to a good race.

“I got quite a good start and managed to make up about eight places on the first lap,” said Smart. “After that, it was a case of plugging away, putting in good lap times to catch the guys in front. I had quite a good battle with Callum (Ramsay) for a couple of laps. I managed to get by him, and then it was a case of chasing down Laverty for the lead.

“It wasn’t easy though, as I thought at one point I had oil on my tyre as it was getting a bit squirrely, but the Pirellis held up well and I was able to get by Michael after I ran into one turn too hot, he went wide and I didn’t look back.

“After that I just took it steady, kept to a good lap pace and pulled away.”

Team manager “Tiny” Tony Weaver was heard to say: “Yesssssss” just for a change.

Smart is now looking forward to mixing it with the big boys at Brands Hatch on July 28. He has a wildcard entry and is looking forward to dicing with the best in the world.

“I think we can do well at Brands, it’s my home circuit, we’ve got some good settings and some good tyres so I’m really looking forward to a good dust up.”


Race result:
1. Scott SMART, Honda, Norwood Adam Honda, 23:10.50

2. Michael LAVERTY, Honda, Millar Racing, 23:12.079

3. Craig McLELLAND, Suzuki, Swona/McLelland Racing 23:12.929

4. Callum RAMSAY, Suzuki, Team Vitrans/CR Racing, 23:15.766

5. Ben WILSON, Honda, Dave Seidel Racing, 23:34.202

6. Torquil PATERSON, Suzuki, Alvins.com/YPE Powered, 23:36.572

7. Les SHAND, Honda, M & S Motorcycles, 23:36.706

8. Douglas COWIE, Kawasaki, SBT Racing, 23:37.162

9. Mark DAVIES, Kawasaki, AMD Racing, 23:39.700

10. Chris BISHOP, Honda, BikeShop Faversham/Equia, 23:41.174