Stunning Ulster GP Bike Week for Amor

Knox-armour protected Keith Amor enjoyed one of his best ever week's road racing, climbing the podium in all six of his races at the Ulster GP Bike Week. The KBMG Racing rider was in imperious form and he was able to take his second ever International Road Race win (his first at the Ulster GP), a win in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race and a brace of seconds and thirds in his remaining four races at the high-speed Dundrod circuit.

Thursday’s Dundrod 150 Superbike race set the trend for the week when Keith was embroiled in a terrific tussle with Ian Hutchinson. When the Honda rider retired on the third lap, Keith was able to take his Superstock BMW, simply fitted with slick tyres, to a commanding 4.75s win, setting the fastest lap of the race.

With fine weather on Saturday for the Ulster GP proper, Keith led the first four laps of the Superstock race only for Hutchinson to take over a lap later. The duo were 8 seconds clear of the rest of the pack when Keith re-took the lead on the penultimate lap. However, the red flag came out and with the result going back a lap, Keith had to settle for second place.

The first Supersport 600cc race saw the duo joined by Michael Dunlop and again Keith led the first four laps before Hutchinson pushed him back to second and he ended the race just 0.176s adrift on the Kojak Racing Honda. Next up was the feature Superbike race where the same pattern emerged. Lapping at over 133mph, Keith led early on once more before being pushed back to second by nemesis Hutchinson and at the chequered flag, the Suzuki of Bruce Anstey had relegated him to third as they encountered some backmarkers.

The second Supersport race saw a four-way battle between Keith, Hutchinson and Michael and William Dunlop with positions changing throughout. The race was held in two 3-lap legs due to an incident and, lying second after the first 3 laps, Keith had to get the better of Hutchinson by half a second to get the win on aggregate. It was nip and tuck all the way between the quartet but Keith wasn’t to be denied and after hitting the front on the final lap, he got the overall verdict over Hutchinson by 0.210s for his first ever Ulster GP win.

The final race of the day was the second Superbike race and it was nothing short of sensational as Keith battled it out with Hutchinson, Anstey, Cameron Donald and Guy Martin. Second on each of the first four laps, there was literally inches between the riders as they lapped at record-breaking speeds but, after a last lap sort-out, Keith had to settle for third place on the BMW behind race winner Anstey and Hutchinson with just 0.335s separating them at the end of the five laps. Keith also posted a personal best lap of 133.435mph to round out a truly memorable day.

Pictures by Alan Armstrong Photography

Success for Amor at Armoy

Keith Amor was back on the winner's podium with the KBMG Racing rider putting in a trio of fine rides at the Armoy Road Races. His first outing since Kells in mid-July, the Scotsman took the top step of the rostrum with his now, almost customary, Supersport 600cc victory and he backed this up with a brace of runner-up spots in the two Superbike races.

It was Keith's first appearance at the 3-mile road circuit and his task of learning the course wasn't helped with most of Friday's practice sessions wiped out by rain but he was soon up to speed and running at the head of the field. First up was the Open race and although he was unable to match the pace of regular sparring partner Ryan Farquhar, he finished the 6-lap race only 2 seconds adrift on his S1000RR BMW.

The Supersport 600cc race was next up for Keith and he allowed Farquhar to set the pace, sitting right in the slipstream of his rival throughout. Hhappy once more with the performance of the Kojak Racing Honda, Keith waited until the last lap before making his move and overtook Ryan to take over at the front for the first time - he duly held on to the win, taking the chequered flag just under two tenths of a second.

The final race of the day was the 'Race of Legends' Grand Final and Keith hit the front immediately on the BMW with Farquhar again right with him. Keith held on to the lead for almost the entire race and looked like he'd take his second win of the day but coming in to the final corner of the final lap the duo encountered backmarkers. All of the riders collided and in the ensuing melee, Farquhar was able to get on the power first and Keith had to settle for second albeit just 0.153s behind.

Keith now heads straight to Belfast for the Dundrod 150 and Ulster GP races which take place on Thursday and Saturday respectively.

Pictures by Alan Armstrong

Amor back in the saddle and back to winning ways

Planet-Knox protected Keith Amor made a successful return to racing on Saturday when he took victory in the Supersport 600cc race at the Skerries 100cc road races near Dublin. The Falkirk rider had had a three-week break since the Isle of Man TT races but it didn't take long for him to resume his rivalry with Ryan Farquhar. The duo had a race-long dice in the 600cc race where Keith ultimately come out on top.

It was the Open race that kickstarted the day for Keith and although he managed to hold off Farquhar initially, he was struggling slightly with the handling of the KBMG Racing BMW and had to give second best to the Ulsterman. With a bit of arm pump also creeping in, Keith focused his attentions on keeping Michael Dunlop at bay which he duly did for a solid runner's up spot. He then switched to the Kojak Racing Honda for the Supersport 600cc race where he was involved in a terrific dice with Farquhar, Dunlop and William Dunlop.

The lead changed hands in the early laps but Keith fought his way to the front of the group and opened up a slight gap before backmarkers in the closing stages allowed the foursome to close right back up again. However, aided by a new lap record of 107.263mph, Keith got the verdict and crossed the line at the end of the 8 laps 0.349s ahead of Farquhar. He then led the opening lap of the Grand Final before the race was stopped due to a serious accident that claimed the life of a rider and injured a spectator, a sad end to the day for all concerned.

Keith now has a two-week break before his next, the Kells Road Races taking place on July 17-18.

Pictures by Alan Armstrong Photography

New lap record and two top six finishes for Amor at TT

Knox protected Keith Amor enjoyed a strong day of racing on the Isle of Man when he set a new lap record and finished 4th in the Supersport race on the Kojak Racing Honda, despite hitting his left shoulder on the railings at Braddan Bridge on the opening lap. To round out a good day on the Island, he also finished sixth on the WA Corless/Jackson Racing BMW in the Superstock race, recording a hugely impressive 189mph through the speed trap.

Conditions around the Mountain Course were perfect for some high speed racing and the day got off to a record breaking start in the 4-lap Supersport race although it was almost over before it had begun for Keith due to the aforementioned collision with the railings. As a result he found himself down in seventh place at the end of the opening lap but, despite an extremely painful shoulder, he increased his speed on lap two to 124.608mph to close in on the riders in front of him. A good pit stop saw him make up even further time and by the end of lap 3 he was up to fifth. Now firmly in his stride, Keith and the Honda were really flying on the final lap and with a new lap record of 126.909mph he was able to claim fourth at the chequered flag.

There was little rest for Keith and, after a quick trip to the medical centre to get his shoulder checked over, he was back out in the 4-lap Superstock race. An opening lap of 128.179mph saw Keith slot in to fifth place, with the times incredibly close between the top ten riders and with a near identical lap time second time around, 128.194mph, he was able to maintain his position. On the third lap, Keith and the BMW were pushed back to sixth by Guy Martin and although he lapped quicker than his Honda rival on the final lap, he missed out on fifth by just 0.21s after over 150 miles of racing!

Pictures by Mark 'Wally Walters

Double top for Knox racers at NW200

Knox-protected Relentless by TAS Suzuki rider Alastair Seeley made history at the International North West 200 road races by becoming the first Irishman in 13 years to win the feature Superbike event. The 30-year-old reigning British Superstock champion also took the opening Supersport race victory, a Superbike race one podium and two other fourth-placed finishes - on a day when Relentless by TAS Suzuki posted four podiums from five races.

When the feature NW200 Superbike event was cut from six laps to four, the odds were stacked against all three Relentless by TAS Suzuki riders, positioned on rows three, four and five. Teammate Bruce Anstey got the better start of the trio but Seeley, holding the expectations of a 100,000-strong local crowd, forced his way through and onto the back of Honda duo Easton and McGuinness at mid distance, guaranteeing a grandstand finish. Seeley led onto the final nine-mile lap but Easton took up the initiative on the brakes into Metropole with only the two-mile Coast Road section to conquer. Seeley, however, wasn't prepared to settle for second place, putting the nose of his GSX-R1000 Suzuki under the Scotsman at the very next turn before demonstrating his pure road racing prowess to take a very famous victory. In pursuit of the Honda pair, the Relentless by TAS Suzuki rider also upped the lap record to a staggering 121.875mph.

Seeley was not the only Knox protected rider to enjoy the laurels at the NW200. Scotland's Keith Amor put in a stunning display of riding, capped off with his first ever International road race win. The Scots ace was at the forefront of the action in all five of his races but he saved the best for the 5-lap Superstock race which he clinched on the final lap to give the WA Corless/Jackson Racing team a dream win, also giving the BMW S1000R it's first ever win on the roads. He also finished second in the second Supersport race and finished in the top six in all five of his races on the KBMG Racing machines.

Road racers have a two-week break before the premier event of the year, the Isle of Man TT races, with opening practice getting underway on Saturday May 29th.

Knox - the technology behind racers

Keith Amor is one of many leading UK racers with good reason to be grateful for recent advances in impact protection. Amor crashed out of the Ulster Grand Prix as he tried to seize the lead on the final lap of the Supersport 600cc race. This had been a frantic contest, with up to 9 riders fighting it out for the lead in one of Ireland’s most famous road races. Fortunately, Keith escaped relatively unscathed, apart from mild concussion, thanks to modern body armour.
“Wearing the Planet-Knox back protector gives me the confidence that if I do crash I have the best protection available,” comments Keith. “The protector is lightweight and very comfortable. I had never been one to wear a back protector for my racing as I always found them too bulky and uncomfortable - that was before I tried Knox”.
The Knox Contour used by Keith is one of the latest generation of Level 2 back protectors, made to the toughest current European standard. Not only does it absorb 33% more energy from an impact than is required by the CE standard, it also covers far more of the back than is specified, including the vulnerable coccyx at the base of the spine, providing valuable extra protection. Another reason for the Contour’s popularity with racers is that it is incredibly light, at just 600 grams, thanks to extensive use of inclined wall honeycomb cell technology. Unlike traditional foam rubber materials used by many manufacturers, honeycomb cells act like mini ‘crumple zones’ absorbing massive amounts of energy as they deform. This honeycomb is engineered and formed in a 5-layer mould to follow the contours of the spine for a precise figure-hugging fit beneath race leathers.
“I now won't get on a bike without my Knox back protector; I’m really happy with its performance and how comfortable the product is, you just don't know you are wearing it” adds Keith.
This race specification technology is not expensive; the top-of-the-range Contour race sells in the shops for less than £100 and models are also produced to suit road riders.
Call 01900 825825 or visit http://www.planet-knox.com/
Racing images by Alan Armstrong Photography