Pemberton Tyres-backed rider Christian Iddon became the third Oxford Tag Triumph rider to taste the rostrum champagne at the most recent round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Knockhill last weekend.
Having shown great promise over the last few rounds of this fiercely-contested championship but having been plagued by bad luck due to minor technical issues and being taken out while running near the front of the pack in previous races, Christian’s patience and determination finally paid off with a superb third-placed finish in difficult, changeable conditions.
Throughout Friday and Saturday, heavy rain and blustery winds made the undulating Scottish track a real challenge, with Christian qualifying 15th.
While qualifying was disappointing, Saturday’s rain-lashed race showed that Christian had taken a step forward, finishing in tenth place.
Having posted the fifth fastest time in race one, Christian made full use of his elevated grid position for race two with a flawless start to slot straight into the leading pack and he ended the race with a well-earned third place finish.
“The weekend started off with a real challenge to find a set-up and to find gearing that works,” he said. “I really struggled through practice and qualifying but everyone worked so hard and pulled together. The bike was great for the first race, in fact it was incredible. It took a while to get used to it but by mid-race we were on the pace so that got me a top ten but up to fifth on the grid for race two so that was good.
“Morning warm-up showed that we were way off with the gearing so we changed that and got it absolutely spot-on for the race. I was a bit wary of the conditions early on which maybe cost me the chance to get away with Wilson and Seeley but once I’d settled into a rhythm it was a case of racing my pit board and making sure I stayed on the podium. I’ve just got to thank everyone in the team – no one let their head get down when we were struggling and in the end it really paid off. I know I can run at the front now and I’m sure there’s more to come.”
