Photo credit to; Lee Fisher Motorsport Photography
The Scottish Motor Racing Club is due to round off another blockbuster season this weekend at Scotland’s only FIA graded circuit the famed Knockhill Racing Circuit! Four championships await many new champions this weekend with a chance for weather to throw a curveball at Knockhill as 47 SMRC cars will take to the track across several championships and series!
Who’s Already Champion?
There are only 2 confirmed champions heading into the weekend with those being in the Scottish C1 Cup Newcomers with Scott Charles taking the championship after the ever improving Peter Edie was eliminated from the 2 horse race after a roll during the September meeting at Knockhill, running in the reverse direction at Clarks. While the Scottish Fiesta ST Newcomers Cup was secured by Lachlan McLachlan in September, taking his first overall race win at the meeting and securing a anticipated championship after winning every single newcomers cup race apart from a single race in Kirkstown in July and the last race of the September meeting, with Oliver Rook taking the wins in both instance!.
Scottish Classic Sports & Saloon Championship Preview;
The Scottish Classic Sports & Saloon Championship has been described as a “title fight which wouldn’t look out of place in a cinema!” by the SMRC in a recent social media post as Alastair Baptie leads the championship, looking for back-to-back titles, a achievement which in itself is impressive enough. Except he’s also doing it in a different class and a different car! Baptie missed the first meeting in a spectacle event for the Scottish Classic Sports & Saloon Championship at Silverstone on the Grand Prix Circuit, however since that point Baptie has not lost a single race, taking a clean sweep from round 2 onwards, just catching Adam Kinmond and taking a 2 point lead into the decider! John Kinmond – Adam’s dad – is still in mathematical contention 15 points back, although it’ll be an up hill battle if he wishes to clinch the title this weekend!
Scottish Fiesta ST Cup;
The Scottish Fiesta ST Cup has been a blockbuster battle all season long, with Scottish motorsport legend Gerry Hendry looking for his third back-to-back title this weekend, but that is not the headline news regarding Hendry this weekend, but the headline being that Hendry – after completing a round in the JCW Mini Challenge at Knockhill in August will retire from motorsports at the end of this season, begging the question can Hendry get one last title before retirement? Or will Jamie Dickie make history and take the title from the retiring Hendry? Knockhill will wait for this finale with baited breath with only 11 points between the contenders as the fly towards the finale
Scottish C1 Cup;
The Scottish C1 Cup finale will be an absolute blockbuster waiting to be made into a Hollywood movie by Sunday evening, with a whopping four drivers in contention for the championship heading into the finale! Marc Nisbet leads the way after a 42 point turn on C1 Cup defending champion and icon Ayden Wilson gave him the championship lead in September with only 4 points between the pair heading into the finale, while Gregor McPhaden sits 25 points behind in a still possible, but unlikely late charge for the championship. However his situation is not as dire as Henry Gillespie’s as he sits 48 points behind the championship lead with 50 points available this weekend, requiring an intervention from the racing gods for even a chance to take the title home, although if we’ve learned anything this season, anything can happen in the Scottish C1 Cup!
Alongside the championship action, during Friday testing, there was reports of an incident involving Dean Ross in the #13 guest car, however what actually happened to Ross and how he ended up off track at the chicane is unknown as of yet.
Scottish Mini Cooper Cup;
3 Champions can be crowned in the Scottish Mini Cooper Cup this weekend at Knockhill, although the battle will be a tough one, unless your Jack Irvine. The overall championship due to drop rounds is not secured yet, but is still is theory up for contention, with Little in second. There is a scenario where Irvine loses his 70 point lead and the title, however it would require a DSQ for Irvine in at least 1 of the 3 races through-out the weekend while Little would require a perfect weekend to win the championship and secure it back-to-back for the first time! If Irvine finishes race 1, he will take home the championship, achieving the championship on his 5th attempt, and in spectacular fashion! A fair share of drama has taken place already this weekend however, with an unusual incident has already taken place in the Scottish Mini Cooper Cup this weekend, after Chris Cockburn and Martin Wijetunga came together during testing at Duffus Dip! With Wijetunga going into the back of Cockburn and sending him spinning round while Wijetunga went off the track to avoid any further contact – with no major damage between the pair. There have also been reports of Presley Barrett having car issues, although these issues are not clear.
In regards to the Scottish Mini Cooper Newcomers Cup,, Liam Kelso after taking seven newcomers wins in a row comes into the weekend 3 points behind Presley Barrett, however when drop rounds are factored in, Kelso has the advantage with a 13 point lead, which will be challenging for Barrett to overcome, as the lowest Kelso can finish in the Newcomers Cup is 2nd, after Campbell Scott pulled out of this weekends action.
The Scottish Mini Cooper Knockhill Cup is still up for grabs this weekend, with the cup being decided by whoever scores the most points at Knockhill across the season. As expected Jack Irvine is in the lead with a 38 point advantage to his teammate Michael Williams, with Martin Wijetunga in 3rd 63 points back leading the tightest group in the Knockhill Cup with 4 drivers split by 11 points, those being Wijetunga in 3rd, James Hitchen in 4th, Little – although 2nd overall – sits 5th, while Barry Holmes is in 6th, 74 points behind with 76 on offer this weekend!
(KMSC) Scottish Legends Championship / Scottish Modsports Championship;
While the Scottish Legends Championship is not run by the SMRC but the KMSC – Knockhill Motor Sports Club – it is impossible to ignore! With Michael Weddell – SMRC alumni and former Scottish Mini Cooper Cup champion in 2021 & 2022 – looks to secure his first ever Legends title in the famed Scottish Legends Championship from a struggling Matthew Pape. The pair are closer than ever and the battle will come down to the wire this weekend at Knockhill, with both drivers hunting for a first title! For those curious about the Scottish Modsports Championship – which is also run by the KMSC and not the SMRC – the same blue and white mini raced by Adam Kindness and Duncan Vincent has secured the title, although being driven by Adam Morrison, successfully defending his title from 2025!