Keith received his first bike, a Yamaha TY80 motocross bike, as a seven year-old but it wasn’t until 2000 that he first slung his leg over a road bike. A year later he entered his first race at Knockhill and the bug bit almost immediately as he managed to claim 7th and 8th in the two Scottish Championship races. At the second round he claimed a pair of thirds and by the time the series made its way to East Fortune, the rapidly improving Amor was able to take his first win. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for the novice jacket to be discarded!
A full season of racing was taken in during 2001 and Keith was able to claim the ACU Club Championship, held at New Era meetings at the likes of Cadwell Park and Croft and was ready to move to the next level in 2002. However, although the season started well, it wouldn’t be for another 3 years before the racing world got to see much more of him as financial restraints saw him move to South Africa to work.
By the time 2005 came around he was ready to race again and despite it being only his second full year of racing, he clinched the Scottish Sports Production Championship. He also entered the North West 200, for his first taste of real road racing, and he immediately impressed as he took 9th in the Superstock race.
It was at the 2006 North West 200 meeting though when Keith really announced his arrival on the real road racing scene and a blistering lap on Thursday evening placed him third overall in practice and a front row position made him the talk of the paddock. Sixth in the race followed although 10th in the second Superbike race was more pleasing as Keith rode his Superstock bike against all the factory Superbike machines.
Having skipped the Ulster GP in 2005, in order to concentrate on the aforementioned Scottish Championship, Keith finally made his much anticipated debut at the 2006 meeting. After taking a win in Thursday’s Dundrod 150 Challenge race (and 10th in the Superbike race), he went on to finish fifth in the UGP Superstock race, also finishing in the top ten in the feature Superbike race. Perhaps more tellingly, his fastest race lap of 126.272mph made him the fastest newcomer ever to have lapped the 7.4-mile Dundrod circuit and also made him the 18th fastest rider in the history of the event. No mean feat for a rider only in his third full season of competition!
His results hadn’t gone unnoticed and he joined Uel Duncan’s Honda Racing team for 2007 to contest all three Internationals as well as the National scene in Northern and Southern Ireland. Podiums soon followed on the short circuits at and, at the season opening road race, the Cookstown 100, he opened his Irish National account with a brilliant debut win in the Open race. The rest of the day saw him take a close second in the Supersport 600cc race and an identical result in the Grand Final.
At the longer, more technical and demanding Tandragee 100 race, he again showcased his talents as a real road racer and took third in both the Open and Supersport 600cc races.
This would prove to be Keith’s final outing on the National scene but he headed off to the North West 200 in fine form and the day started steadily with ninth in the first Superbike race. Fifth in the opening Supersport race was undoubtedly the highlight of the day and whilst he was out of luck in the Superstock race, retiring at the end of the opening lap, he was back to his best in the feature Superbike race with an excellent sixth place.
This led him on to his Isle of Man TT debut and, it’s fair to say, a lot was expected of him coming into the event. The Mountain Course was always going to be a tough proposition but right from the off he had a big smile on his face. Breakdowns on two successive evenings leaft him stranded out on the course but by the end of practice week he had lapped at a shade under 122mph.
The breakdowns had dented his confidence slightly but he opened his TT account with an excellent 14th in the Superbike race, despite his high start number of 45 and he followed this up with 18th and another bronze replica in the Superstock race before having, arguably, his finest ride of the week in the Supersport race.
Starting at number 28, he got quicker as the race progressed and he was rewarded with a brilliant 12th place and his first silver replica. Perhaps even more impressive was his final lap speed of 122.871mph, which was amazingly the fifth fastest lap of the race. For the Senior race, he was moved up the starting order to number 12 and an awesome lap of 124.856mph made him the second fastest newcomer ever. Sadly, it ended in disappointment when the clutch gave way as he exited the pits, whilst holding on to 9th place.
This proved to be the end of his relationship with the Uel Duncan Racing team and they went their separate ways a couple of weeks later. He managed to get the funds together to rent a 600cc Honda off Padgett’s for a couple of the British Supersport rounds but he was also looking ahead to the Ulster GP and in mid-July he linked up with the AIM Racing team.
With a couple of shakedown races at Mallory Park and Croft in the British Superbike Championship, he arrived at Dundrod eager to get back to the front of the pack and show everyone what he could do on the roads. Qualifying couldn’t have gone any better and he lined up on the front row for all of his races so was well placed going into the races. The week started strongly with a solid seventh place in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race, also improving his speeds around the 7.4-mile course to a new personal best of 127.562mph.
The wet weather on Saturday meant a whole new ball game but Keith proved he was equally adept in the rain as he finished a fine fifth in the Supersport race. With the rain getting heavier and the conditions worsening, the day came to a premature end when the Superbike race was red flagged but not before Keith had brought the AIM Yamaha home in eighth place. Given his speed during qualifying, Keith was a little bit disappointed with his results but he had acquitted himself well and fully justified his opportunity with the team.
This was Keith’s last outing of the year as he began to turn his attentions to the 2008 season where he would race under the newly formed Wilson Craig Racing team. With additional support from, amongst others, Phoenix Motorcycles and Dunlop, Keith campaigned 600cc and 1000cc Hondas at all three Internationals, along with a full season of Irish National road race events, in the Superbike, Supersport and Superstock classes.
At the season opener at Cookstown he swept to a record breaking win in the 600cc race, which included a new class lap record, and even more remarkably, he also bettered the outright lap record for the circuit! He backed this up with a brace of thirds in the two Superbike races and a week later a fourth place was achieved at the Tandragee 100 once more on board his Superstock machine.
On to the North West 200, the first International road race of the year, and Keith overcame a spill in practice at the Ballysally Roundabout to claim pole in the Superstock class. Using the same machine in the Superbike class, Keith placed 7th and 10th in the two big bike races, but went better still in the two Supersport 600cc races with fifth and sixth place finishes, also setting the fastest lap of the 2nd race. In the Superstock race Keith took 5th place at the chequered flag although he was only 1.4 seconds adrift of first place!
This led him on to his return to the Isle of Man TT and he opened his account with 7th in the Superbike race, which included a new personal best lap of 125.760mph, but there was disappointment though in the Superstock race when he ran out of fuel. He bounced back in style in the afternoon’s Supersport race where, lapping at close to 124mph, he led the race in the early stages before ending up fourth. However, this soon became third with the disqualification of Bruce Anstey and his first TT podium finish had been achieved. Sadly, he was forced to retire from the two remaining races, the second Supersport race and the Senior, electrical problems on both occasions forcing him out.
The rest of the season would see him make his debut at the majority of the Irish road races but it certainly didn’t show as he rarely out of the top two. At Athea he took another win in the 600cc race and two close seconds in the two Superbike races whilst a week later at Skerries 2nd in the Superbike and 4th in the 600cc race was the outcome. Having been forced to miss the Walderstown meeting due to illness, Keith got back to winning ways at Kells with victory in both of the Supersport 600cc races after hard fought battles with Ryan Farquhar. He also took second place in the two Open races.
On to Faugheen and, for the second weekend in a row, Keith was awarded the Man of the Meeting award as he took both of the Open races, claiming a new lap record in the process, whilst he backed this up with a brace of third place finishes in the Supersport events. With the Ulster GP being cancelled due to torrential rain, his final meeting in Ireland was the Killalane meeting and the Falkirk ace ensured his season ended on a high note when he took victory in both of the Supersport 600cc races and backed this up with runner up spot in both the Open and Grand Final races. The results also meant he finished second in both the Superbike and Supersport Irish Road Race Championships.
Keith’s final outing of the year saw him head east for his second visit to the Macau Grand Prix and, having done a deal with AIM Racing to ride their Yamaha R6, Keith rode brilliantly to claim the 600cc victory and also take 11th place overall.
For 2009, it’s very much ‘same again’ as Keith will again continue under the Wilson Craig Racing banner, with a similar racing calendar to last year on the agenda. With new machinery to assist him in his quest, he can be expected to be challenging at the front at the International road races on a more regular basis and it is here where his main focus will be, determined to build on the success of last season. He more than proved his talents at the National road races as well and, with a year’s experience now under his belt, it’s a given certainty that more wins will be heading his way.
By Phil Wain
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