Biker Stuart moves up world championship rankings
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Stuart Voskamp, whose mother Joyce Mackay comes from Swordly near Bettyhill, was born at Dingwall in 1983 and lived at Inver, near Tain, until he was eight, when the family moved to the Netherlands.
He took up motorbike racing at an early age, becoming Dutch Champion in the 50cc class at 16. Aged 19, he was runner-up in the highly competitive 250cc class.
Last year he became Dutch Champion in the Supersport 600 class and, as a result, gained a wildcard for the World Champion Supersport race at Assen.
Preparations for the event began on the Friday morning with a training session on the racetrack followed by qualifying heats in the afternoon which left him in 12th.
Saturday, a day of miserable weather, was also set aside for practice and started badly for Stuart when he slid off the track in to the gravel-pits, leaving his bike damaged but still functional.
Worse was to come in the afternoon when, going into the fastest corner on the circuit, he came off once again, badly damaging his bike and destroying his Damen motorsuit.
With the bike rebuilt overnight, he found himself on the grid at number 17 for the real thing on Sunday afternoon.
Conditions were horrendous with rain, hail and wind and riders were skidding off the course in all directions but Stuart kept his nerve. Twenty-one arduous laps later, he came in with 10th place, gaining six World Championship points in the process.
The next step in Stuart’s career will be to carry on working his way up in the Dutch Supersport Championship, unless a wealthy sponsor comes forward to enable him to ride a full season in the World Championship.
