Knockhill BSB: Kennedy dominates in Scotland

Jack Kennedy extended his lead in the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship to 73 points on Sunday after dominating the Feature race at Knockhill.

The Mar-Train Racing Yamaha rider was never troubled and came home 1.8s clear of Luke Stapleford (Gearlink Kawasaki) with Eugene McManus (Completely Motorbikes/Affinity Kawasaki) taking his first podium in third. Harry Truelove (Appleyard Macadam Yamaha) took the holeshot only for Kennedy to nose ahead two corners later and the Dubliner led his Yamaha rival at the end of the first lap, the duo followed by Stapleford, Truelove’s teammate Bradley Perie, McManus and Luke Jones (Highsparks Ducati). Kennedy began to edge away as early as the second lap and Stapleford moved up to second and set about closing the gap as Truelove and Perie attempted to go with him. McManus remained in fifth but it was now Rhys Irwin who was running in sixth on the Astro-JJR Triumph. By lap six, Kennedy had stretched the gap to 0.8s with Stapleford 1.2s clear of Truelove and Perie who were running nose to tail in third and fourth. McManus was doing his best to stick with the Yamaha teammates. Back at the front and at the end of lap ten, Kennedy’s lead was up to an ominous looking 1.7s and although Stapleford was having a lonely ride in second, the same couldn’t be said behind him with Perie nipping up the inside of Truelove at the hairpin. Lapping consistently three tenths of a second quicker than his closest rival, Kennedy continued to stretch his lead over Stapleford and, with ten of the 26 laps to go, it went above two seconds for the first time. The same lap saw McManus push Truelove back to fifth and the Irishman then took over third on lap 18 after overtaking Perie at the hairpin. With