An eventful start to British Superbikes racing for Rollo
LEWIS Rollo is enjoying life in the fast lane – despite a disappointing start to his career in the premier class of British motorcycle racing.
The racer lined up on the grid at the Circuito de Navarra in northern Spain over the weekend alongside the very best in the British Superbikes.
However, a crash in the first race followed by a clutch problem in the second meant he returned home empty-handed.
He told Courier Sport: “The sponsors came out, my family had come out, and it is like they said, there are not many people get this opportunity.
“It is still an amazing experience to get to do it and it gets my first race out of the bag.
“Obviously, the next time, we know what to expect.
“I have still done a start and got away with the guys.
“I have had sessions with everybody, seen them on the track and followed Josh Brookes, a double British champion, round.
“I am still riding round with the best guys.”
The trip to the 2.44-mile circuit was a first for Rollo, who lives in Gifford.
Prior to free practice, the closest he had come to flying round the track, north-west of Zaragoza, at speeds averaging nearly 90mph was watching races on Youtube and then walking and cycling round the 15-corner circuit.
Rollo said: “It was not a very good weekend, to be honest, but it is done now and we move on.
“We knew it was going to be hard going to a new track that we had never been to before.
“Then, on our first proper run out and test on the new bike, unfortunately I crashed on the Thursday morning so the bike was too badly damaged for the weekend.
“We had to use another bike, a stock bike from last year, to run.
“To be honest, we were not far away.”
Now, attention turns to next weekend and a trip to the more familiar Oulton Park.
The track, near the English and Welsh border, holds fond memories for 24-year-old Rollo.
He took the chequered flag there in 2020 in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship and was hoping to show signs of improvement at the
second round of the championship.
The former Knox Academy pupil said: “I know what to expect now as well.
“We have got the same goals as we had before.
“We are aiming for the points and working our way forward.
“Oulton Park should be a lot easier with knowing the track, a rough set-up for the bike and going forward from there.”