Knockhill race report – M&M make life sweet for MSS
Every cloud – even the grey, ominous, rain filled ones hanging over Knockhill, has a silver lining….. although it was difficult to believe for MSS pit crew and team principle, Nick Morgan, as they surveyed the wreckage of Billy McConnell’s number one bike after a huge practice spill. Add to that Stuart Easton’s late yet wise decision not to race and the omens were dark indeed.
“Steve Mercer’s face was a picture when I went up to him on the pit wall during practice”, mused Morgan. “He must have thought I was going to ask him to run off and get me a cup of tea. Instead I told him to get his leathers on as he was going to sub for Easton”.
A risk possibly, but the decision turned out to be just the start of another weekend when MSS ventured once more into the top ten in the results sheets with “M&M” – McConnell and Mercer.
With a damp track for race one most riders chose a combination of slick tyres preferring to concentrate on the narrow strip of dry tarmac around the Scottish circuit.
“That helped loads”, confided Mercer. “Until then I was making too many guesses as to where the Superbike lines were. After that it was a bit more like follow the leader which left me to concentrate on other things, like not getting passed!”.
Billy’s unfortunate first race coming together with Watanabe characterised a poor run of luck for the Hinckley based Australian.
“You’d better believe I was desperate not to tip off again” said McConnell after the race. “The guys had spent ages changing the settings on my spare bike I hardly had the heart to take another broken machine back to the pit box”.
Mercer, in his first Superbike race for the Essex based team, acquitted himself well with a solid twelfth place and some Championship points to his name.
“That was awesome”, said the resident MSS Superstock rider after the race. “Just to be out there with those guys was a privilege, to bring her home in the points was the icing on the cake”.
Race two witnessed improvements for both MSS Discovery Kawasaki riders with Billy pushing his nose once more into the top ten. A gear selection problem from the first race was dialled out and McConnell spent a large part of the race shadowing Ducati rider, Leon Camier.
With a tyre choice of slick rear and intermediate front that suited his riding style and circuit knowledge, Mercer made even more progress in his second race.
“I was racing proper in that outing”, said the 26 year old Maidstone rider. “I lapped quicker than Camier at some points and felt part of the race rather than a stand in rider. Sure my experience has been accelerated, but the majority of my success today has been down to the team and Nick, they were there for me the whole time and easily worth over a second a lap!”
Nick Morgan concluded and summed the weekend up in his own unique way.
“I am sure there are some off-shore F1 powerboat teams that would wince at how much it costs us to race in BSB! I keep ticking the box that says luck but, so far - apart from buying the fairing supplier a new holiday home - fate has not smiled on us.”
“Riders try hard and crash bikes that’s a fact. I would rather they gave 110% than 90. With Billy hounding a factory Ducati in race two, and our “Super Sub”, Steve Mercer exceeding both the team’s and his expectations, the weekend ended well. If only we could find a diesel well at the bottom of the garden, it would make the long and expensive drive home in the trucks that little bit easier to contemplate”.
