SEVERAL lap records were broken as a local racing star got his hands on the Steve Hislop Memorial Trophy at East Fortune at the weekend.
The season’s finale was the annual Steve Hislop Memorial Trophy race, won for the first time by Haddington’s Paul McClung; who followed Gifford ace Lewis Rollo – last year’s winner – in picking up the coveted trophy.
Like Hislop, former Knox Academy pupil McClung also started his racing career at the East Lothian circuit.
The trophy was presented by Steve Hislop’s mum Margaret, who had travelled from Denholm in the Scottish Borders to make the presentation.
Resident trackside commentator Ian ‘Mose’ Hutchinson paid tribute to Hislop during the presentation of the trophy and accompanying prize money and reminded the gathered spectators that ‘Hizzy’ was an 11-time Isle of Man TT race winner, as well as a Scottish and British champion.
Hawick racer, John Dean, is the 2018 Scottish Superbike champion but Saturday’s two Superbike races were won by Greg Gilfillan.
In the first race, Gilfillan snatched the lead from McClung after the local ace ran out of fuel with three laps to go.
And McClung was leading Saturday’s second Superbike race until he was passed on the last lap by Gilfillan.
Sunday was a better day for McClung when he won both races and set a new lap record of 58.001 seconds, bettering the time previously set by Gilfillan.
In the Steve Hislop Trophy race, McClung had a good start from sixth on the grid and was leading after the second turn.
He held this position for all 17 laps, pulling a gap of 6.2 seconds on Gilfillan to be first past the chequered flag.
McClung beat his own lap record, set earlier in the day, with a time of 57.616 seconds.
Fife’s Jodie Chalk is the new Scottish National CB500 champion; Lewis Paterson won the Formula 600 Championship; and the Scottish Lightweights’ championship went to Otterburn’s Scott Campbell.
The final race meeting at East Fortune for this season will be held on October 6-7, when the NEMCRC club from the north-east of England will host their final Championship races.
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