Knox Contour is a 'life saver' at the World's fastest road race

Whether you ride on road or track you need the best protection available, but when racing on the roads the stakes are really high. Dave Hewson was competing in the Superstock class (1000cc superbikes on road tyres) at the Ulster GP, which is the fastest road race in the World. He was wearing a Knox Contour when he fell off at the superstock race. While he sustained injury he is now well on the way to a full recovery and Dave is in no doubt that his Knox Contour saved his life;

"As the A+E nurse said, and I fully agree 'if it wasn't for your back protector you'd probably be dead.' With that in mind I'd like to thank you for making such brilliant products and I'll be buying another knox contour before I get back on my bike. Thank you."

Everyone at Knox wishes Dave a speedy recovery.

Lougher re-writes the Ulster GP history book

Handroid-protected Ian Lougher became the second most successful rider in the history of the Ulster Grand Prix when he romped to victory in the 250cc race in Saturday's event. The win takes the popular Welshman to 15 wins, one more than Philip McCallen with only the great Joey Dunlop having secured more victories. Ian also moves into joint second with 18 wins in the all-time list of most victories round the Dundrod circuit, ahead of such notables as Ray McCullough, Brian Reid and Robert Dunlop, with Joey Dunlop topping the list again.

Ian's win on Norman Rank's, Pirate/Berwick Racing 250 was a brilliant display of speed racing, taking the race by the scruff of the neck from the lights he was simply unstoppable as he extended his lead on virtually every lap. An opening lap of 116.87mph gave him a lead of nearly four seconds and by the second lap the lead was up to around five seconds from William Dunlop. A blistering third lap of 120.12mph, just under Darren Lindsay's 2006 lap record, effectively broke any resistance from Dunlop and gave Ian a lead of almost ten seconds at the halfway stage. Ian was able to ease up for the remainder of the race and crossed the line at the finish just over ten seconds in front of Dunlop with Paul Robinson in third.

The Lisburn City Council Superstock Race was the first race on the programme, and from fifth on the second row of the grid Ian was soon in the mix and at the end of the opening lap he was up to fourth behind Amor, Hutchinson and Farquhar. By lap three Amor and Hutchinson had broken clear, with Farquhar on his own in third, and behind them Gary Johnson was fourth with Ian right behind. On the next lap however Lougher and Johnson were very much on the move and were right on Farquhar's case and as they crossed the line together at the end of the lap Ian was back up to to fourth. On the fifth lap the trio were locked together, however Ian overhauled Ryan Farquhar, moving into 3rd place and having eeked out a comfortable margin on the Ninja ZX-10R, a podium looked secure. But an incident further down the order forced the race to be red flagged, bringing the race to a premature conclusion and with the result being taken from the end of the previous lap, the Blackhorse Kawasaki team boss had to concede his 3rd place finish to finish just off the podium in 4th.

Having decided to give the second Supersport race a miss later in the day, Ian and the team pinned their Supersport hopes on the Strong Construction Supersport Race. However there was to be disappointment as Ian came off the ZX-6R at the Hairpin when Manxman Dan Kneen accidently hit the pit lane speed limiter button on his handlebar causing his bike to virtually stop; with Lougher poised for an over taking manouvre, a collision was unavoidable. Luckily Ian was unscathed and the damage to the machine was minimal.

In the Stoneyford Concrete/The Peoples UGP Superbike Race 1 Ian opted to ride the Ninja ZX-10R Superstock bike and from the off a small group made a break for it. Behind them Ian was leading a seven man express train out of Leathemstown Corner. As they completed the first circuit Ian was eighth just over a second behind Gary Johnson. Cameron Donald dropped back on the next lap as Ian battled on with James McBride, Dan Kneen and Michael Pearson for company. McBride got ahead of Lougher on the third lap with Kneen following suit on the next lap but there was nothing between the three and Ian doggedly fought back to overhaul Kneen once again. The battle between the two had allowed McBride to open up a small cushion and at the chequered flag he was able to secure seventh with Ian fending off the challenge of Kneen to finish a battling eighth.

The final race of the day, the second Superbike race, got off to a hectic start with Ian right in the mix as they arrived at Leathemstown. As with the first superbike race a small group was attempting to go clear whilst right behind them was Guy Martin, Lougher and Bruce Anstey. At the conclusion of the lap Martin and Anstey had opened up a small gap on Ian with Gary Johnson joining them. A lap later and Ian was in a relatively safe eighth place but the next lap saw him come under pressure from a three man group which included William Dunlop, James McBride and Michael Pearson. The next two laps to the finish would see Ian draw upon every ounce of his experience and skill to fend off his rivals and secure another eighth place superbike finish on his Superstock bike.


In conclusion, a satisfying Ulster Grand Prix for Ian Loughe, with a lap of 130.2mph on the Superstock Ninja ZX-10R proving what a great effort was made.

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

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