We sat down with Duncan recently to learn a little more… “I actually got into motorcycling and motorcycle sport when I was very young. It was through my father, and although he never raced himself, he was always really interested in it and had a lot of friends who did, particularly in the sidecar paddock. During the 80s and 90s, he was also the breakdown service at Knockhill, helping riders get back.”
As every race fan knows, once you start following bikes, it’s impossible to get away, and that bug stayed with Duncan as he grew up. “I started racing on four wheels when I was in my early teens, and raced various kart and car events, but I always had a burning desire to get on two wheels, so I did so in my twenties and had a lot of fun – I even ended up racing a ZX-6R in the Supersport class in Scotland, which was an awesome bike”
It is his commentary that Duncan is most famous for, a career move that was never in his original plans. “I actually stumbled into commentating by pure accident. I was at Knockhill, and the original pitlane reporter was called away about midday, and as I knew a lot of the team there, they asked me if I could help out for the afternoon, and I absolutely loved it! It definitely helped that I had some racing knowledge, and while I never claim to be an expert it does mean I can bring a bit of a racers point of view to what we’re seeing the BSB guys do on track.”
“I’m also lucky enough to do some hosting, which I do for Kawasaki at Motorcycle Live. It’s a fantastic thing to be involved in, and I really enjoy getting to meet so many members of the public. From Club Kawasaki members through to complete newcomers to biking, it’s a packed week that’s a lot of fun.”
And finally, does he have a favourite racer in the paddock? “I always support my fellow Scots like John McPhee, Rory Skinner, Lewis Rollo, etc., but I am also a fan of Scott Redding as he has that X-Factor, Christian Iddon, and of course the living legend John McGuinness!”