THE roar of tens of thousands of people cheering him on will fuel Lewis Rollo this weekend at Knockhill.
A crowd of up to 70,000 people is expected over the weekend when the British Superbikes championship makes its annual trip north of the Border.
Racers will reach speeds of up to 170mph on the Fife track as Rollo looks to extend his good start to the campaign.
He said: “It is just a brilliant round to look forward to.
“Also, for me, it is a brilliant wee track and I have raced there since I was 12 years old. I have been going there since I was a baby and it is nice to have a short drive up there for us rather than a five-hour-long journey south!
“It is a busy round, especially for the size of Knockhill to fit everybody in there, but the place is just absolutely amazing.
“I have been lucky enough for the last three years in a row to take the lead in each race at Knockhill.
“I did it on the Aprilia, the Honda and Kawasaki, and the place just went mad.
“You are going out on your warm-up lap, seeing the Scottish flags, everybody cheering and clapping and, as you go into the hairpin, you can see and hear everybody going mad.”
Rollo, who races with a Saltire on his helmet, will be competing in three races over the weekend.
The 25-year-old has made the step up to the British Superbikes from National Superstock this season and also leads the way in the Bennetts British Superbikes Pathway competition, which is aimed at riders making their way up the ladder.
After a disappointing start at the Circuito de Navarra in Spain, Rollo has taken the chequered flag in all six of the Bennetts British Superbikes Pathway races.
At the same time, he has been mixing it with the best in the main national competition.
That included taking his first-ever British Superbikes points at Donington Park, finishing 13th in the second race last month.
He said: “One of our big goals this year was to get in the points and to do that at the third round was really pleasing.
“I knew it was going to be hard, to be fair, but it is nice.
“I have not got any pressure on me, except for what I put on myself.
“Then, it is kind of me working and the team learning lots of new things and learning different race strategies, longer races, more races in the weekend – three rather than just one or two – and then longer sessions, but I think the extra bike time has helped a lot.”
Rollo, who lives in Gifford, is now hoping to take that impressive form into his home round.
And he told Courier Sport what the home support meant to him.
He said: “It is just amazing.
“It is nice to have all my sponsors and everybody there but, when strangers are coming up and kids, anybody, just come and looking up to you, it’s amazing.
“I go to work every day and I am just a normal guy – a lad getting to live his dream. You turn up and for these people to pay money to come and watch and support you, to cheer you on, it is an incredible feeling. I cannot thank everybody enough for the support they give me, especially during the hard times!”
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