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Rory Skinner gives Scottish fans something to cheer as he becomes aBSB winner at Knockhill
INSIGHT
Reporting direct from the heart of the BSB paddock
Rory Skinner made his nation proud at Knockhill when he became a Bennetts British Superbike Championship race winner for the very first time.
It’s what the fans came to see and, for those who also enjoy football, very much needed after the national side’s hammering by Germany on Friday evening.
Skinner, buoyed by a podium in race one, put in a truly dominant display in treacherous conditions as he bolted away at the front after taking the lead on the opening lap. Put simply, nobody was stopping the local hero.
It’s Skinner’s first visit to the top step of a British Championship podium since the final race of his title-winning British Supersport campaign in 2020. The result is the next step in Skinner’s comeback mission after a rough 18 months. At the end of 2022 it seemed all his dreams had come true when he bagged a Moto2 ride for 2023 with American Racing.
However, that dream turned into a nightmare when he was informed that his two-year contract would be cut short after just one season. Skinner returned home as a result but it hasn’t been plain sailing due to a concussion sustained in a terrifying incident at Oulton which saw his helmet come off.
“This is something I’ve worked hard on for many years now and I’ve been close on many occasions, but I finally got the job done today,” Skinner told MCN. “It was nice even getting on back on the podium on Saturday. I brought Stuart Shenton [crew chief] with me from Moto2 and I knew we worked well together, I knew there was something there, so to give him these results after 18 months of working together is nice.”
All eyes were on Skinner, as they are each year come race week at Knockhill. He is very much the fan favourite and, given his years of experience at the circuit, expectations are always high.
And while Skinner looked at home, and much stronger in certain areas of the circuit compared to his rivals, around the short circuit on his BMW M1000RR, he’s keen to stray away from this theory of track knowledge playing a big part.
“Sure, I know which way the track goes and where the cambers are, but we’re racing at top level British Championship. I didn’t race here last year, and I actually think I’ve ridden here more times in the reverse direction.
“It’s a home track and I’ve been coming here for many years, but that doesn’t mean I know the best way to do it. Sometimes it’s better coming in with an open and fresh mind when you’re racing against these guys who, some of them at least, have been riding superbikes for 10-15 years.”
In his victory race Skinner w
