SCOTTISH motorsport fans can look forward to plenty of thrills at Fife’s famous Knockhill circuit on Sunday.
It is hosting the opening meeting of the Scottish Motor Racing Club 2022 season, with a busy schedule of qualifying sessions and 11 races.
The packed programme includes everything from single-seater Scottish and National Formula Fords and MINI Coopers contests to classic sports cars and saloons, Ford Fiesta ST and Citroen C1 clashes.
There’s also the chance for spectators to enjoy a free grid walk during the lunch break, so that they can get up close and personal with some of the racers and their machines.
Knockhill events director Stuart Gray said: “The various SMRC championships provide short, action-packed races that give spectators very little time to catch their breath. It’s a great family event.”
And looking further ahead, World Rally Championship star Elfyn Evans has confirmed he will be at the venue’s McRae Rally Challenge – driving some classic Toyotas – on July 3.
Elfyn said: “It’s a shame there is no WRC round in Great Britain this year, so instead I’m really excited to attend the McRae Challenge weekend which will be a great festival for all the fans.”
And his dad, Gwyndaf, will also be there taking part in the event in his Ford Escort Mk2.
Meanwhile, Ross Wylie is set to return to the GT4 category of the British GT Championship eight years after he claimed the title.
The Scot will share a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport with Valluga Concierge team-owner Benji Hetherington in the opening one-hour race on Easter Monday – April 18 – at Oulton Park, Cheshire.
The Dumfriesshire 30-year-old said: “I love the British GT series and the GT4 category is very competitive this year. Benji and I will give it our best shot – it will be interesting to see how we fare in what is a very rare car.”
Wylie faces a busy couple of weeks as he begins the defence of his GT Cup GTO Championship title at Donington Park, near Derby, this weekend.
He and SB Race Engineering team-mate Paul Bailey will compete in the latter’s McLaren MP4-12C Can Am that the duo successfully raced at the circuit last year.
Other Scots due to compete include Motherwell’s Ian Loggie in his familiar RAM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Jodie Sloss, from Taynuilt, Argyll, in a Formula Woman McLaren 570S GT4.
Loggie should be buoyed by his result last weekend as he and his SPS Automotive Performance team-mates finished 32nd and topped the Pro-Am table in a similar Merc at the GT World Challenge Europe opener at Imola, Italy.
Team WRT Scots Finlay Hutchison and Lewis Proctor, along with Mexican Diego Menchaca, crossed the line 24th overall but came eighth in the Silver class with their Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2 after a late time penalty.
And Sandy Mitchell was forced into a damage-limitation exercise – finishing 40th – after the Gold-class Barwell Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo crew had been shunted off the track earlier.
But there was success for Lockerbie’s Gordie Mutch and his partner Jimmy Broadbent at Oulton in the Praga Cup as they finished a fine second.
On two wheels, Stirlingshire’s Tarran Mackenzie, the reigning British Superbike Champion, has suffered a setback to the defence of his title after crashing and breaking his left ankle.
It happened during a pre-season test with his McAMS Yamaha team at Silverstone in challenging weather conditions ahead of the first round being held at the circuit over Easter.
