CHALLENGING weather conditions failed to stop Lewis Rollo from mixing it with the best in British Superbikes.
The racing star enjoyed a memorable weekend at Knockhill as he picked up points in two of the three races and narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish.
Those impressive showings saw him finish ahead of former race winners and Bennetts British Superbikes champions round Scotland’s national circuit.
Torrential rain on Sunday meant very tricky conditions for the riders on the Fife grid but Rollo, who lives in Gifford, adapted well.
He said: “It was horrible.
“I started the second race in 23rd position and you are right in the middle of the pack, through the spray.
“The weather is really bad, you cannot see from the water splashing up as well.
“There were crashes and that means dirt gets washed onto the track and sprays up at your visor and the front screen on your bike.
“I got a good start, especially in race two, and got straight up to ninth position after the first lap.
“I got a really good first lap and managed to run round in eighth place for a good few laps.
“It was brilliant to be running inside the top 10 and in front of a lot of the big guns.”
A 17th-place finish in race one was followed by 11th spot in race two.
Rollo then brought his IN Competition/SENCAT Aprilia home in 14th place in the final race of the weekend.
The former Knox Academy pupil was also cheered on by a bumper home crowd.
He added: “A lot of people braved the weather and came out.
“It was brilliant, especially on the Saturday when there was a two-hour delay.
“A lot of people stayed at the track and waited for the race.
“It was mega having supporters there.
“During the pit walk on the Sunday morning, they were handing out wee Scottish flags and riding round seeing the flags waving was brilliant.”
The impressive results mean that Rollo tops the standings in the Pathway Riders Classification – taking maximum points in nine of the 11 races to give him a 26-point advantage over Jaimie van Sikkelerus.
Rollo also leads the way in the R&G Newcomers Classification, with a 22-point lead over second-placed Brayden Elliott.
Now, attention turns to Snetterton in Norfolk, and another three hard-fought races.
Twenty-five-year-old Rollo was hoping to keep up his impressive form and told Courier Sport: “It is a track I have maybe struggled with in the past but managed to pull results out of it now and again.
“It is not a track I dislike but it is a harder track, especially in the Superbike classes with two big, huge straights and really tight corners.
“We might struggle a bit but, until we get there and get going, we will not know.
“The team is consistently improving.”
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