Hislop denied Knockhill double after tangle with Rutter

Steve Hislop should have left Knockhill with a 29-point lead in the MCN British Superbike championship. He’d already won the first race from champion rival Sean Emmett in convincing fashion and was leading into the final hairpin of the second race when he was taken out by Michael Rutter.

Hislop managed to pick his MonsterMob Ducati out of the gravel trap and cross the line in seventh place but Emmett finished third on the IFC Ducati behind race winner Shane Byrne and Paul Brown. That meant Emmett has now closed the gap to 11 points behind Hislop going into the five-week break before the ninth round at Thruxton.

Hislop said: ” I kept it tight into the apex of the corner to stop Michael trying to get inside me but the next thing I know is I’m tapped from behind and sliding along into the gravel. ”

Rutter finished third in the first race after leading the early stages until his clutch started to rattle. He then backed off the pace to nurse the ailing bike home. He admitted to the mistake in race two, which caused both him and Hislop to crash out. He said: ” No one is more sorry then me about what happened. I thought I could out-brake Steve but obviously he was a lot better on the brakes than me today. ”

Emmett couldn’t believe his luck after Hislop had simply blown him off in the first race. Emmett said: ” There was no way I could keep with Hizzy’s Testatretta here. When I saw him in the gravel, I can’t deny I was pleased once I knew he wasn’t badly hurt. I just hope I’ve got the new bike by the time we get to Thruxton. ”