Scots descend on Knockhill

AFTER three weekends of hosting the cream of British motorsport at Knockhill, the 1.3-mile circuit near Dunfermline returns to domestic duty over the next two days when Scotland’s fastest drivers crank up the action.

This weekend’s Scottish Motor Racing Club meetings sees the return of the inaugural Scottish Mini Cooper Challenge.

Glasgow’s Alastair McKever heads to Fife determined to close the gap on championship leader Alan Keith from St Cyrus, but the pair also face stiff competition from the Ecurie Ecosse duo of 23-year-old Andrew Smith from Edinburgh and Penicuik’s Alasdair McCaig, 19.

"We’ll be doing everything we can to beat both of them," McCaig explained.

"The series is very tight and in every race there are six or seven guys who realistically can win any race. But with things being so tight, the racing is very close on track. Things though are likely to change in a fortnight when we head to Doune to do the classic hillclimb. I think we might see a completely different result then."

One unknown quantity in the race, certainly from the other competitor’s perspective, is the inclusion of Jillian Butcher, daughter of Knockhill owner Derek Butcher, in the celebrity car. Jillian, a proven race winner in Ford Fiestas and single-seaters, will expect to impress on her Mini debut.

There are also a host of single-seater and saloon races including the Scottish Formula Ford Zetec with Stuart Thorburn (Duns), Alan Kirkaldy (St Andrews) and Julian Taylor (Edinburgh) in top billing.

In the Scottish Ford Fiesta XR2 Championship, father and son Ian and Sandy Forrest (Kirkliston) will again lock horns with dad Ian, chief instructor at Knockhill.