Eccleshall ace Storm Stacey returns to form on Knockhill Circuit

After two tough outings, Stacey returned to form in spectacular style, showing clear intent to re-establish himself in the title fight.

The Bathams Racing rider made an immediate impact by topping the timesheets in Friday’s opening free practice session, mastering the wet conditions to edge ahead of Danny Kent in the closing minutes. The session proved incredibly tight, with less than a second covering the top 13 riders—Stacey finishing 0.960s ahead of reigning champion Kyle Ryde, who was down in 13th.

In the second free practice, also run in wet weather, Stacey completed nine laps and placed 16th, but his earlier pace ensured he ended the day fastest overall. His time stood just 0.100 seconds clear of Kent, with the top 15 riders separated by a mere 0.598 seconds—evidence of the championship’s razor-thin margins.

Qualifying on Saturday morning saw the rain finally relent, allowing the field to run in dry conditions. Stacey continued to build momentum, improving with every lap in the short 15-minute session to secure a strong fifth place on the grid with a best time of 47.618 seconds.

Later that day, in the 30-lap Feature Race, Stacey made a blistering start—vaulting into fourth place by the end of the opening lap. He traded positions with former World Superbike rider Scott Redding in a hard-fought mid-race duel before eventually being overtaken. In the final laps, Tommy Bridewell and Josh Brookes also slipped through, but Stacey held firm to bring home a hard-earned seventh place and valuable championship points.

The drama continued on Sunday in the 20-lap Sprint Race, run once again in soaking conditions. Undeterred by the weather, Stacey launched superbly off the line and climbed to third by the end of the opening lap. Though two rivals eventually forced their way through, he maintained a strong pace and composed ride to secure an impressive fifth-place finish—capping off one of his most consistent weekends of the season so far.

The final race of the weekend—a 30-lap showdown—began in intense wet conditions. Stacey quickly climbed to third by the end of the opening lap, but the race was red-flagged due to worsening weather. A restart over a shortened 25-lap distance saw Stacey again get away cleanly, only for another red flag to interrupt proceedings following an on-track incident.

On the third and final restart, now over a reduced 16-lap distance, Stacey continued his relentless form, charging up to fourth by the end of lap one. He slipped to sixth on lap five but battled back with trademark determination to finish fifth—crossing the line just 0.556 seconds behind third-placed Fraser Rogers, narrowly missing out on a podium in a chaotic, stop-start affair.

Now sitting ninth in the championship standings after five rounds, Stacey turns his focus to the next challenge at the legendary Brands Hatch circuit in Kent on 26–27 July.

Before then, he’ll be back in action this coming weekend as he joins the grid for the ROKiT OFF BMW F 900 R Cup— a support class to Round 7 of the World Superbike Championship at Donington Park. Riding for Bathams AJN Racing BMW, Stacey announced his participation following the recent news that reigning BSB champion Kyle Ryde will also feature in the one-off event, setting the stage for another exciting head-to-head.