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Fife driver Declan ‘Deco’ Connell had an eventful weekend at his home Bennetts British Superbike meeting at Knockhill Racing Circuit at the weekend as his vision was impaired mid-race after scorching temperatures loosened tape holding his spectacles in place.

Riding the 636cc B and D Roofing and Building Kawasaki in the Pirelli Junior Superstock class, the 18-year-old initially stormed through practice to put himself on second place on the grid for the races proper after some very consistent lap times around the twisty 1.27-mile undulating circuit.

In the first race, Connell stalked his opposition to take the lead early on but things then took a dramatic turn for the worse for the Dunfermline scaffolder as he slipped down the field.

He said: “The race was going really well for me, and after I had made the break for the front, the bike and myself were making good progress.

Declan Connell, who recovered from vision problems caused by Knockhill heat, with girlfriend Elli-Lou Latham

“I started noticing that my vison was not feeling quite right and felt something flapping about inside my visor. Vision was now really bad, but I still kept pushing on.”

Connell is one of the few top riders to wear glasses and it turned out the tape he uses to stick them in place had come unstuck due to the heat, but the flying Fifer was determined to bring the bike home regardless.

“I was slipping down the field (10th in the end) but this is a long series and picking up points is the name of the game.

“I was happy enough to keep the bike at the sharp end until the end of the race.”

Declan Connell on his way to sixth place finish at Knockhill

There was drama at the start of the second Pirelli Junior Superstock race on the very first lap with a multiple pile-up exiting the hairpin, bringing out the red flags and a restart for the remaining riders.

There was no issue with vision or mechanicals in leg two for Connell and he put in a very solid ride, battling with the leaders throughout to claim fifth place and another haul of series points.

He said: “It was great to get really good points this weekend. I had hoped for a top five and we ended up achieving that.

“It was definitely one of the more eventful race weekends I’ve had. I just need to build on this at the next round.”

The series continues at Snetterton in Norfolk from July 7 to 9 and it can be seen on Discovery Plus and via www.britishsuperbike.com

Fife ace Declan Connell recovers from melted spec tape at Knockhill