Motorsport: New direction for Knockhill

KNOCKHILL has become the first racing circuit in the UK to be granted a licence to allow motorbikes and cars to race in an anti-clockwise direction.

After an investment in excess of £100,000, the 1.3-mile circuit near Dunfermline – which hosts rounds of the British Touring Car Championship, and the British Superbike Championship – is now one of only a handful in Europe which is allowed to hold events in both directions.

Track owner Derek Butcher said: “This is the biggest single change of use in the 28 years that I have owned Knockhill.

“Building a new track from scratch is no longer a viable option due to the financial implications, so we had to be creative with our existing resources.

Managing director Jillian Shedden added: “We fully anticipate it will account for about 25 per cent of circuit activity within the next two to three years.”