Filip Backlund finished fifth and his team-mate Victor Cox claimed the last top 15 place in the latest round of the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship at Knockhill on Sunday.

Once again, due to the large number of riders battling for a place on the grid, free practice and qualifying saw the riders split into two groups with Victor the first to take to the track. Settling back in after the three week break, Cox finished third in his group and riding strongly in all three sectors.
Paying his first visit to the Fife circuit, Filip also rode well to finish fifth in his group, just 0.31s quicker than his team-mate, and good enough for 7th overall.

First qualifying saw Cox go slightly quicker to finish sixth in his group as Backlund again challenged for top spot in his group. Quickest through the finish line speed trap and fastest in the third sector, he also posted a slightly improved time to finish second in the group and was now fourth quickest in the combined standings. Victor meanwhile was 16th but less than a second off the pace.

Hopes of a further improvement for both riders and a chance for the team to try some different settings in the second qualifying session were dashed however when the infamous Knockhill weather intervened. Spots of rain were reported around the circuit during the preceding Superstock 600 session and by the time the larger bikes were due on track the rain had become more persistent. The organisers announced that the Method B system of qualifying would come into effect with alternate positions from each group in the first session determining the final grid placings. This meant that Filip would start on the front row in third whilst Victor moved up four places to the fourth row in 12th. With little to be achieved on the wet circuit, Victor and Filip took no part in the session.


The early morning dampness that blighted the warm-up session thankfully gave way to drier conditions for the race and it was Backlund, who got a great start as he slotted into second behind race leader Tristan Palmer at the end of the opening lap, just ahead of championship pace-setters Adam Jenkinson and Joe Burns with Cox up one place to eleventh just behind Simon Andrews.

On the second lap it was still Palmer from Backlund, Jenkinson and Burns with Hudson Kennaugh also in the hunt. On the next circuit Jenkinson got ahead of Filip but there was nothing in it as Victor moved up to 10th and a lap later Filip found himself in fifth as Burns and Kennaugh moved up the placings. These five were starting to gradually move clear as further back Victor was now embroiled in a five rider scrap on the tight twisty circuit.

With six laps completed Backlund was now on his own in fifth and well clear of sixth place man Peter Ward, as Cox battled on in what was fast becoming a congested race for a place in the top ten. At half distance the race pattern had been firmly established as Palmer still led by a now reduced margin from Burns, Jenkinson and Kennaugh with Backlund still well clear in fifth, just under a second off fourth. Cox was now 12th and starting to drop back, hampered by suspected bent fork yolks, a legacy of his big crash at Donington Park in the previous round which had involved an overnight rebuild.

With seven laps to go the race was red flagged due to a bike being in a dangerous place on the track at the hairpin and, with over two-thirds of the race completed, a result was declared leaving Filip in fifth and Victor taking the last championship point in 15th.

The result keeps Filip third in the championship, (level on points with Hudson Kennaugh) with Victor in fifth.


pic of Filip by John Jessop

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