‘I like a rider who falls off now and again…’ - Whitham

If ever the performance of a rider gave a clear indication that he was destined for greater things it was the one given by Tarran Mackenzie at Brands Hatch.

In a season that began with a serious injury while testing in Spain, followed by another high-speed prang while testing at Silverstone resulted in a lot of hard work to put body and mind back in shape.

And not forgetting the backing of his father, Niall Mackenzie, three time British Superbike Champion, world championship contender and recognised as one of Scotland’s greats.

But does it always help to be the son of someone whose name and reputation sits alongside Steve Hislop or Bob McIntyre. Or is it a handicap?

James Whitham, who competed against Mackenzie and remains a good friend, has this to say: “Having a famous dad and going into the same sport can be a little bit of a double-edged sword.

“Initially it will be a help because he will know all the people who matter, the bikes, the circuits and, of course, it’s a talking point for commentators like me. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to produce the goods on the track which I think Taz is doing.

“He has stalled a little bit in his career. He got into a world championship with Moto2 but didn’t have enough time, I think, to get to grips with the bike. I think he would have been good enough but these days unless you have the cash to put in it’s probably not going to happen for you.

“He has since done really well in British Superbikes but he took his time. He didn’t burst on to the scene like a Rory Skinner, it was a case of nearly getting there and then having a bad season and dropping off which was sometimes his fault and sometimes not.

“One of the things he had was a determination to be very quick on track,