Round four of the hotly contested MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship takes place at Knockhill circuit on June 14/16th and in addition to the world class riders in action, a unique tribute will take place to one of Scotland's best riders.

The Steve Hislop Knockhill Round will feature two 30 lap races around the twisty 1.27-mile Fife circuit and sees Samsung Honda's Alex Lowes lead defending champion Shane 'Shakey' Byrne aboard the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki by a single point with former World Championship stars Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) and James Ellison (Milwaukee Yamaha) also vowing to take a victory in front of the passionate Scottish fans.

One rider who always received a warm welcome at his local track was Hawick star Steve Hislop who managed a couple of victories in his career around Knockhill before sadly losing his life in a helicopter crash back in 2003 so to mark the tenth anniversary of his tragic passing, Knockhill have decided to pay homage to the 11-times TT winner and triple British champion with a special tribute over the weekend.


Fittingly, Steve's achievements are to be honoured by two other Flying Scots, Niall Mackenzie and Stuart Easton, who will be central to the celebrations in a special lap on race day.

Mackenzie had Hislop as his team-mate and title rival during the 1998 season, the year in which he completed a hat-trick of MCE BSB championships, and he will be taking to the track aboard one of the Cadbury's Boost Yamahas they raced back then as Hislop took third place in the overall rankings.

Team-mate to him at the time, Easton will be riding a replica of the 2002 season MonsterMob Ducati which took Hislop to eight victories and his second crown after the first one back in 1995 had also been achieved riding a Ducati.

James Whitham, another team-mate to Mackenzie in that title winning era as well as one of Hizzy's great friends and rivals, and who is now a commentator with Eurosport, will also take to the track on a Cadbury's Boost Yamaha.

The three bikes together with the actual championship winning MonsterMob Ducati, owned and kindly loaned by Steve's former team boss Paul Bird, will be on static display and courtesy of the Hizzy Museum there will be a selection of leathers, helmets, photos and other memorabilia on show in the Tribute room which is attached to the Clubhouse in the main paddock.


On track, the riders battling for victories in the MCE BSB races will also be chasing an additional piece of silverware as 'The Flying Haggis' Trophy, inaugurated in 2004 by Steve's mother Margaret, will be presented to the rider setting the fastest lap out of the two races.

Sadly, there is very little Scottish representation in the MCE BSB class this year, the nearest being Quattro Plant Kawasaki rider Danny Buchan who has Scottish heritage in his family but local fans can relish the battle in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship which sees Stuart Easton trailing series leader Alastair Seeley by just two points having taken his MarTrain Yamaha to victory on four occasions so far this season.

The 29-year-old from Hawick has never won at Knockhill and will be hoping a victory on local soil will hoist him back to the head of the championship so he can count on plenty of local support.


Indeed, Scottish riders are prevalent in most categories with Niall Mackenzie's two sons, Tarran and Taylor, riding in the Motostar and Supersport races respectively. Younger sibling Taz leads the Monster Energy Motostar series on his 250cc Redline KTM whilst former GP ace Taylor rides for Tyco Suzuki in Motorpoint British Supersport. Both riders now live in England but can count themselves very much local at the track their father had so much success at.

Perth's Jimmy Storrar is one to watch in the Pirelli Superstock 1000 Championship race and expect a plethora of Scotsmen to feature in the Pirelli Superstock 600 Championship race including Michael Robertson (Danderhall), Greg Gilfillan (Crossgates), Matt Paulo (East Kilbride), Adam Lyon (Helensburgh), Dan Kinloch (Newton Mearns) and Niall Campbell (Cambuslang). But the man that may clinch a popular Scottish victory is Timmy Hastings from Bonnybridge who holds third place in the standings on his E-Lites Kawasaki.

In the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship, expect Motherwell's Deane Brown to be well to the fore as will Loanhead rider David Paton and Lanark's Adam Blacklock whereas in the Motostar class, Glasgow rider Peter Sutherland is a regular podium finisher on his Kinpac Aprilia.

Two giant screens will relay all the action and as well as the main race programme, also on track will be the Eastern Airways British Sidecar Championship and Knockhill Motor Sports Club 600 races which will give local riders the chance to shine on the MCE BSB platform.

Advance tickets are available as well as offers for VIP hospitality, camping and NEW for 2013, kids up to 16 years of age go free if a family ticket is purchased in advance. Additionally, you can secure your Steve Hislop Knockhill Round limited edition souvenir programme in advance.

Finally, just to get fans in the mood, TT legend John McGuinness, who will be racing at Knockhill over the weekend, features in a chat show at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline on Wednesday 12th June and tickets are available from the Knockhill website.



.