From a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

HAWK KAWASAKI

THINK! BSB Championship, Round 8
National Superstock Cup, Round 6
Knockhill, Scotland
July 1-3

PREVIEW

HAWK LOOK FOR HIGH SCORE IN HIGHLANDS

The THINK! British Superbike Championship heads north of the border this weekend for the eighth round of the 2004 series. The tight and twisty 1.3 mile Knockhill circuit, in Fife, is the only Scottish track on the BSB calendar, but never fails to deliver excitement and high drama.

Hawk Kawasaki’s Scott Smart is looking to muscle his way back to third in the championship – which he held going into the last round at Brands Hatch – but is aware that Knockhill’s notoriously changeable weather may have as much say in the race results as the riders.

“Knockhill’s a handling circuit so the Hawk ZX-10s should work well for us because we’ve focused really hard on getting our chassis right,” he said. “But being where the track is, on the side of a mountain, you can never predict what’s going to happen with the weather. Last year qualifying was nothing short of a gamble due to the rain. The good thing for us is that we proved the ZX works in the rain, at Brands Hatch, so if the weather does turn nasty I’m confident we’ll still be up there.”

Smart’s team-mate, John McGuinness, who is standing-in for injured Glen Richards, is all fired-up to ride the Hawk Kawasaki ZX-10R at Knockhill after his superb performance at Brands two weeks ago, where the Lancastrian took to the podium first time out on the bike.

“Brands was brilliant,” explained McGuinness. “To get on the podium was awesome. A result like that is great for my confidence, obviously, so I’m looking forward to riding for the team in BSB again this weekend. I raced a superbike at Knockhill last year, so I know what’s required, and to be honest I just can’t wait to get out there again. My main aim is to bring the bike home in both races and if I can get near the front again that’ll be a bonus.”

Hawk Kawasaki National Superstock rider Peter Hickman is also relishing the challenge of the tight highland track. After stepping onto the podium last time out, at Thruxton, the 17 year-old wants to prove his second place was no fluke.

“I’m definitely looking forward to Knockhill because I haven’t raced for four weeks,” said Hickman. “The last round, at Brands, was cancelled, so it’s been a while for us Cup guys. I’m feeling more confident with the ZX-10 all the time so I’m aiming for a top three this weekend and some decent points.”

BSB CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 7 ROUNDS
1) John Reynolds, Suzuki, 261. 2) Michael Rutter, Honda, 232. 3) Sean Emmett, Ducati, 186. 4) Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, 181. 5) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki, 164. 6) Dean Thomas, Ducati, 101. 7) Tommy Hill, Yamaha, 88. 8) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 87. 9) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki, 78. 10) Gary Mason, Yamaha, 64. 11) Craig Coxhell, Honda, 59. 12) James Ellison, Yamaha, 56. 13) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki, 45. 14) Leon Haslam, Ducati, 43. 15) Kieran Clarke, Yamaha, 42. 21) John McGuinness, Hawk Kawasaki, 26

NATIONAL SUPERSTOCK CUP AFTER 5 ROUNDS
1) Simon Wright, 51. 2) John Fisher, 44. 3) Simon Pomeroy, 41. 3) Graham Seward, 41. 5) Donald MacFadyen, 38. 6) Paul Shoesmith, 37. 7) Rory Rock, 34. 8) Rob Barber, 33. 8=) Derek Sheils, 33. 10) Jamie Hitter, 32. 11) Alan Moreton, 31. 12) Dan Stewart, 30. 13) Sean Baker, 25. 13=) Dean Johnson, 25. 15) Mark Turner, 24. 15=) Peter Hickman, Hawk Kawasaki, 24. 17) John Nisill, 23. 18) James Dawson, 16. 18=) Stan Watt, 16. 20) James McBride, 14