Niall McKenzie congratulates winners
January 10 2008
Peter O'Malley with Niall McKenzie and Chief Inspector Sandy Allan
David Liddle, Niall McKenzie and Sgt Kenny Brown
Last week, Super bike champion Niall McKenzie met and congratulated the winners of the Around the Corner prize draw.
Peter O’Malley, winner of a £500 helmet and David Liddle, winner of the track day at Knockhill were presented with their prizes at Knockhill Racing Circuit.
Around the Corner is the Lothian and Borders Police motorcycle education campaign, which ran from March until the end of September, focussing on bikers who ride in the Scottish Borders. The aim of the campaign was to reduce crashes by informing bikers of any dangers.
Police motorcyclists patrolled two publicised routes in the Borders and would stop and talk to fellow bikers about the routes, riding tips, bike maintenance and any other bike issues.
The campaign was supplemented by a website, a credit sized leaflet that folded out to give the two routes and a handy puck.
Niall McKenzie, three times British super bike champ said:
“Road, and in particular bike safety campaigns such as Around the Corner is something I am passionate about promoting as far too many bikers are killed or seriously injured on the UK’s roads.
Lothian and Borders Police are actively trying to reduce the accident statistics on their roads whilst not wishing to deprive enthusiasts of the enjoyment of riding their machines on some of Scotland’s most scenic routes.
It was good to meet several senior police officers, at Knockhill, who happen to be bike enthusiasts and who understand people’s passion for motorcycles. I also met winner, David Liddle, who had a fabulous time at my track day riding his Honda and I look forward to assisting with any future safety initiatives”.
Knockhill, who are sponsorship partners in Around the Corner, said why they were keen to be involved with the campaign:
“As Scotland’s National Motorsport Centre, we obviously want people to enjoy watching spectacular racing here, such as the British Superbikes and other exciting events, but what we don’t want to see are bike enthusiasts being killed or seriously injured on the roads.
The Circuit was delighted to support Around the Corner in conjunction with Lothian and Borders Police and we look forward to linking up again in 2008”.
Chief Inspector Sandy Allan of Road Policing said the need for the campaign was as strong as ever:
“This year, as in previous, there are a disproportionate number of motorcyclists being killed or seriously injured on our roads. We recognise that a lot of these involve a degree of rider error. Around the Corner has been really well received on line as an opportunity to learn more about biking and about the roads in the Scottish Borders. Our bikers have been out and about all summer, taking the chance to speak directly to bikers about routes, conditions and biking in general. Our mission this year was to improve skills and keep everybody safe. We want to encourage bikers to visit the Scottish Borders, enjoy our roads and return home safely.”
