Rouse eyes podium after crashing out

CHRISSY Rouse is hoping to get back on the podium today as he puts a big crash at Knockhill yesterday behind him.

The Burnopfield rider had been looking good for at the very least a second place at his ‘home’ track yesterday after qualifying second on the grid for the first of two 24-lap Pirelli National Superstock 1000 races.

Having just finished his second year of a maths degree at Newcastle University, the 2013 Triumph Triple Challenge champ was looking forward to the championship’s annual pilgrimage north of the border to the Dunfermline circuit.

The closest track to his County Durham home, Rouse regards it as his local circuit, and after a strong performance at a club race there in April where he won all five races and smashed the KMSC lap record, the 21-year-old was hoping to use the track knowledge he’d gained to his advantage.

This weekend, the Stock 1000 racers get two races, one last night and one today. Arriving in third place in the championship, he had been keen to pick up as many points as he could to consolidate his position.

As the race got under way, he bounced back from a slow start to stay second behind series leader Danny Buchan in the opening few laps.

With Buchan just a second ahead of him, he was sure he could bridge the gap and potentially topple the 2014 champion. But disaster struck on the eighth lap as crashed his Mission Racing BMW. He walked away unhurt, but clearly annoyed.

“I’m fine, physically anyway,” he said last night. “I’d taken my best qualifying position, so to throw it away as I did there is just frustrating.

“At least we get another go tomorrow. We have chartered a coach from Burnopfield so there’s a load of family and friends coming up, and I need to get a better result for them all to cheer about.”

Meanwhile, Cumbria’s James Ellison will start today’s first MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship race from third on the grid, despite a crash on his McAMS Yamaha in qualifying yesterday.

Reigning champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will start behind him in fourth spot as the only rider for the Penrithbased Be Wiser Ducati team this weekend following teammate Glenn Irwin’s big crash on Friday.

North Yorkshire’s Dan Linfoot will start from 10th aboard his new Honda Racing machine, as the team finally seems to be finding its feet.

County Durham’s Rishon Hickey is also in action this weekend, after securing a wildcard on a Cresswell Racing standard class bike in the HEL Performance Motostar British championship.