PURITON motorcycle ace TJ Toms made the long trip north to the Knockhill racing circuit in Scotland for Round 6 of the National Superstock 600 Championship over the weekend, writes Alan Heal

At only 1.2 miles long, Knockhill is the shortest circuit on the championship calendar and a fast lap takes less than one minute to complete, so close racing is always guaranteed. 

Toms finished fourth in the previous round and is chasing that elusive podium finish but, with this being his first time at Knockhill on a 600cc machine, this was to be a real test for him. 

In the first of two practice sessions, he finished fifth quickest, and after a few small adjustments to the geometry on his Kawasaki ZX-6R race bike he improved his lap time and ended the second session in sixth place. 

In qualifying, Toms had completed just six laps and was improving his speeds when he suffered a broken gearbox and was forced to retire, having to settle for 14th quickest and a start from the fifth row on the grid. 

Having replaced the gearbox overnight, Toms lined up on the grid in hot and sunny conditions ready for 22 laps of action. 

He said: “I didn’t get a very good start to the race and I was struggling with grip on the rear tyre, and when the engine started to overheat I decided to bring the bike home safe in 12th position and take the points.” 

Despite feeling frustrated, just one second separated the top 15 finishers and the championship now moves on to Brands Hatch on July 22.

That is a circuit he knows and he will be determined to continue his fine form there. 

You can follow his progress at tjtoms.com, on Twitter @TJSquidge or on Facebook with TJ Toms Racing.

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ALSO in action at Knockhill was Highbridge sidecar racer Dean Nicholls, for the latest round of the British Sidecar Championship. 

Bridgwater Mercury:

NEED FOR SPEED: Dean Nicholls in action

Nicholls, along with his Passenger Kenny Cole, has put in some impressive performances so far this season and is currently 10th in the championship table, but with three races scheduled over the weekend, Knockhill is notorious for being a difficult track to make passing manoeuvres. 

Although Nicholls had raced here before, this was the first time on an F1 machine, and using a Kawasaki ZX-10R engine powered unit capable of 0-60 mph in less than three seconds and with a top speed in excess of 170 mph this would be a tough challenge for him. 

Nicholls used the Friday practice session to try different suspension and gearing settings, and he improved his lap times by almost two seconds to finish 14th quickest in qualifying. 

At the end of 15 gruelling laps they crossed the finish line in 10th place. 
Grid positions for Race 2 are determined by lap times and the Race 1 result, but in reverse order, which put him on pole. 

Nicholls led the race for the first three laps before slipping back to a seventh place finish. 

On Sunday morning, another great start from seventh on the grid saw them immediately involved in a fierce battle, swapping places time and again to finish sixth. 

Nicholls said: “Three races and three point-scoring finishes has moved us up to eighth in the championship table, and the next round is at one of my favourite circuits – Brands Hatch – on July 22.” 

Follow his progress on Twitter @TeamLickRacing or on Facebook with Team Lick Racing.