Young Motorpoint Yamaha rider James Westmoreland has spent the time between Thruxton and Knockhill recharging his batteries by watching the furious excitement of the Isle of Man TT.
The young Brit had been impressing in the qualifiers at Thruxton, even managing the fastest lap in one of the Free Practice sessions but was affected by the downpour on race day. By the 2nd race of the day he had been restricted to 26th place thanks to poor visibility and a soaking track. Westmoreland and his team know he is capable of much higher finishes than this so the chance to take a break was welcomed.
The following weekend Westmoreland went along to the Isle of Man TT. He has always admired the famous TT but never had the chance to watch it live. This year he took the time out to go with friends from the team and stay for a few days to really soak up the atmosphere and even a little sunshine.
Between watching the racing he made time to get some training done for the race at Knockhill. He still holds the British Supersport lap record for Knockhill so he was able to help team mate Loris Baz adjust to the track in pre-season testing. With the confidence he should get from his lap record and his success in the qualifying rounds at Thruxton he will be in high spirits for Knockhill. However, Knockhill is notorious for its wet weather and it is highly likely it will rain on the Dunfermline track this weekend to pose a problem in Westmoreland’s race.
Says Westmoreland: “I managed to keep my training up and also had a nice time too. I cycled around the Isle of Man a couple of times and saw the sights while I got in a couple of miles. It’s a gorgeous place to be. I feel totally refreshed and I’m really looking forward to Knockhill. I had a mega weekend watching in the Isle of Man TT and it was great to see what it’s about after so many years hearing about it! I spent lots of time just sitting on a hedge bank in the sun and watching the race. The island rules!”
