There was more disappointment for Kirton’s Ben Wilson at Knockhill over the weekend as he emerged pointless from two MCE superbike races.
Throughout free practice and qualifying the Lincolnshire rider struggled to find a set up that was suitable for his riding style and compatible with the short and technical Scottish.
Consequently, he was only able to qualify the Gearlink Kawasaki Superbike in 22nd place to start the first race from a lowly eighth row grid position.
The team worked hard through Saturday evening and made some major changes to the bike, which proved to be the right way to go as Wilson was the sixth fastest rider in morning warm-up.
He got away to a fantastic start in the first race on Sunday moving through the field to take up 11th place on lap 11 of 30. Wilson was lining up John Hopkins to move into the top 10 but the bike developed a clutch problem – causing him to slow and drop back.
Wilson struggled on through the remainder of the race but began to fade as the problem worsened. He crossed the finish line in 16th place, just outside the points, which was disappointing after such a good start.
It got worse in the second race, too. As the lights went out to herald the start he struggled to get away and was dead last into the first corner. Wilson battled on for a few laps before pulling into the pits to retire at the end of lap four.
The next round is at Brands Hatch on July 20 – with a downbeat Wilson hoping for a better performance on the GP circuit.
“To say I am disappointed is an understatement,” bemoaned the 32-year-old. “The team worked so hard between races to solve the problem but even on the start line I struggled to get the bike into gear.
“I managed to get third gear and set off but it was obvious there was still a big problem and I pulled into the pits after just four laps.
“It is so frustrating, we solve one problem and then another develops. I will put this behind me and focus my attention on the next round.
“I finished fourth at Brands in the first round but of course that was on the short Indy circuit – this time we are on the full GP circuit.
“But we will approach the meeting with a positive attitude and I will do my best to bring some points back to the team.”
