• Richard Cooper takes first two victories for the Triumph Daytona 660 in Scotland
• The #47 PHR Performance rider now just 0.5 points off championship lead
• Podium return for Aaron Silvester

Richard Cooper celebrated the first wins for the new Triumph Daytona 660 as he won both races at the third round of the inaugural National Sportbike championship at Knockhill this past weekend (June 15-16).

Having finished second in the previous four races to series leader Edoardo Colombi, the experienced Cooper, riding for the PHR Performance team, took full advantage of the wet conditions. Scoring maximum points from both races, he has reduced the championship lead to just 0.5 points.

For the MIH Macadam Triumph Racing team, it was mixed fortunes for its three riders as Aaron Silvester enjoyed the best results with a fifth in Race One and returned to the podium with third in Race Two. For Katie Hand, the conditions were far from favourable and she struggled to feel comfortable, finishing 21st in Race One and retiring in Race Two. For the Australian Jayden Martin, he finished 11th in Saturday’s race, up from 15th on the grid. In Race Two he had a big highside that saw him crash out unhurt.

Qualifying - With Cooper and Silvester demonstrating in practice that the Daytona 660 had strong pace and was manageable in wet conditions, the riders would get some reprieve from the rain for qualifying. Leading the charge for Triumph in qualifying was Cooper in second place - just 0.327 seconds from pole position - with Silvester in fifth, another 0.6 seconds back. Jayden Martin and Katie Hand qualified in 15th and 22nd respectively.

Race One - Lights out for the first race and Colombi made the best start from pole position. Triumph-riding Thomas Strudwick pounced into second with Cooper slotted in behind. By the end of the first lap, Cooper was into second with Silvester up to fifth.

Light rain started to fall but Cooper didn’t back off and made his move at the end of lap five to take the lead and for the first time this season the Triumph rider had clear track ahead of him. The two title contenders swapped positions until the red flags came out due to fluid and debris on track following a crash.

During the clean-up operation rain fell incredibly hard and caused further delay. With the restart based on race positions the lap prior to the red flag, Cooper started on pole position. Riding smooth on the Daytona 660, the #47 soon gapped the chasing pack all the way to the chequered flag for his and Triumph’s first win in this exciting new championship.

Silvester enjoyed a great scrap with Colombi but would ultimately finish behind him in fifth. Martin just missed out on a top ten finish in 11th and Hand was in 21st.

Race Two - With the rain returning, Cooper was keen to use his experience and make the best of the conditions to eat into Colombi’s points lead. The #47 got straight into the lead but any progress made was soon curtailed when the safety car was brought out on lap three and would remain on circuit for as many laps.

With the car pulling in, Cooper was untouched for a lights to flag victory. Silvester had a stunning ride, working his way back up the order into third but too far back to challenge for a Triumph 1-2. Unfortunately for Martin, he would crash out of the battle for sixth but walked away unhurt while Hand pulled out of the race.

The results bring Cooper 0.5 points from the championship lead while Aaron jumps up four places to sixth overall. Martin slips back a place to ninth while Hand sits in 22nd.

Richard Cooper #47 - “Yesterday was a two-part race with dry and wet. I did want a dry battle with Colombi, but we took advantage of the wet conditions and got our first win for the Triumph Daytona 660. The grip difference was quite a lot when comparing the two races, so I had to bide my time today and keep the temperature in the tyres. We are still playing a little bit of catch-up in dry conditions, but overall what a great gift for me and my dad on Father’s Day.”

Aaron Silvester #34 - “I was quite happy to finish in fifth in Race One after having to avoid two possible incidents following the restart. I found Race Two more slippery than the rest of the weekend, which meant for an exciting first few laps! Once the race settled a little, I made up a couple of places and brought it home on the podium in third! I’m chuffed to get two solid finishes under my belt at Knockhill and can't wait for Snetterton.”

Jayden Martin #85 - “Race One was very difficult with the first six laps in the dry where I didn’t have the pace to stay with the group. In the restart, I got a great start but lost a few places and ended up in p12, happy with the result. Race Two was quite different. I started in p11 with an average start and didn’t make any progress. After the safety car, I stayed with the group this time and was making my way through. Unfortunately the back end stepped out coming out of turn six and highsided me which led to me smashing my foot on the ground. Luckily I am ok and ready to go to Snetterton.”

Katie Hand #66 - >"A difficult weekend at Knockhill with the weather not playing ball the whole time. I struggled to find a good set up making it harder for me in the races. The positive I can take from the weekend was getting a lot more experience on the Daytona 660 in those conditions. I’m excited for Snetterton in three weeks time and to get some more laps on the bike before then.”

National Sportbike Championship Round 3 - Knockhill

Race One

• 1st Richard Cooper (PHR Performance Triumph)
• 2nd Harrison Dessoy (Yamaha)
• 3rd Ash Barnes (Yamaha)
• 5th Aaron Silvester (MIH Macadam Triumph Racing)
• 11th Jayden Martin (MIH Macadam Triumph Racing)
• 21st Katie Hand (MIH Macadam Triumph Racing)

Race Two

• 1st Richard Cooper (PHR Performance Triumph)
• 2nd Edoardo Colombi (Aprilia)
• 3rd Aaron Silvester (MIH Macadam Triumph Racing)
• DNF Jayden Martin (MIH Macadam Triumph Racing)
• DNF Katie Hand (MIH Macadam Triumph Racing)

National Sportbike Championship after Round 3 of 10

• 1st Edoardo Colombi - 127.5
• 2nd Richard Cooper (Triumph) - 127
• 3rd Ash Barnes (Yamaha) - 102
• 6th Aaron Silvester (Triumph) - 60
• 9th Jayden Martin (Triumph) - 33
• 22nd Katie Hand (Triumph) - 6

The 2024 National Sportbike Championships return to action at Snetterton on July 5-7.