The McAMS Yamaha team is raring to go as the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship resumes north of the Scottish border at Knockhill this weekend.

The fourth round of the 2022 season takes place at the 1.3-mile quirky circuit just outside Dunfermline, and the team head to the track fully prepared having undergone a fruitful two-day test at the venue earlier this month.

After his stunning double victory at Donington Park in May, Jason O’Halloran sits second in the championship standings ahead of the weekend. The Aussie completed more laps than any other rider in the two day Knockhill test, on track until the very last minute of the very last session.

Both quick and happy, O’Halloran heads into the weekend feeling confident about the R1’s potential at the only circuit the McAMS Yamaha team did not take a victory in 2021.

Knockhill marks a special weekend for reigning champion Tarran Mackenzie as he returns to his homeland. Returning from the ankle injury that ruled him out of the opening two rounds, Mackenzie had a strong but tough weekend at Donington Park taking a best result of sixth, but now, four weeks on, the 26-year-old is in a much stronger place physically. Even at the test, Mackenzie felt much more comfortable on his R1 and there was no sign of the arm pump that had plagued him in Round 3. Now a further two weeks on, his ankle is feeling strong and he’s confident of pushing towards the front.

The Edwards 1902 Yamaha Pirelli National Superstock effort will sit out the Knockhill round as rider Tim Neave continues to recover from the pelvic injuries he sustained in fall during the two-day test.

The Superstock championship leader underwent surgery at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee to pin his broken pelvis and returned home to Lincolnshire earlier this week to begin his recovery and rehabilitation.

Jason O’Halloran 
Championship: 2nd
“It’s been nice to have a few weeks off since Donington! Last year it was straight from a race to a race so when you had a good weekend you didn’t get too long to enjoy it, so that’s been nice. It also meant we were able to head to the test in a good position and we had a really good two days on track. Knockhill has never been the simplest of circuits for me, but the test was very positive and the bike felt great so I’m really looking forward to getting back up there this weekend and putting that into practice.”

Tarran Mackenzie
Championship: 15th
“For my first round back, we were pretty pleased with how Donington went but it was definitely a challenge! Having had pretty much the best part of a month off since then has been good for me, even at at the test at the start of this month I was a lot better physically than I had been at Donington and we’re another couple of weeks on from that now. The test went well, I felt good on the bike and importantly didn’t have the arm pump that held me back at bit at Donington, so I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in this weekend. Knockhill is a special track for me with it being a home round, I was on the podium twice last year so I’m looking forward to getting back with the team and hopefully pushing towards the front.”

Tim Neave
Edwards 1902 Yamaha Pirelli National Superstock
“It’s been a rough few weeks since the crash, but I’m feeling a lot better now I’m finally back home. I’m taking things steady and it’s very early days, but I’ll be working as hard as I can on my recovery and rehab to get back to winning ways with the team. I’m a bit gutted to be missing Knockhill as it’s one of my favourite tracks, but I’ll be as back as soon as I can. I need to say a massive thanks to the Knockhill medics and brilliant staff at Ninewells Hospital for fixing me up and helping me get back on my feet. Thanks for all the kind messages and support from everyone over the past few weeks. I’d like to wish Jason, Tarran and the whole team the best of luck for the weekend, I’ll be watching!”

Steve Rodgers
Team Principal
“We had a really great two-day test at Knockhill a couple of weeks ago so we are really looking forward to getting up there this weekend. Jason was very quick throughout the test and is brimming with confidence after his Donington double, so we’re hoping he can hit the ground running and pick up where he left off at Round 3. Donington was obviously a challenge for Tarran, but even at the test it was clear he had taken a big step forward with his fitness and now we are a few weeks further on so hopefully, we’ll see him back up the sharp end this weekend. We’ll miss Tim on the Superstock bike, he’s fit into our team really well this year and is a pleasure to work with so we hope to see him back as soon as possible.”