Daniel Richard Kneen (26 June 1987 – 30 May 2018) was a professional motorcycle racer from Douglas, Isle of Man.
Kneen was a race winner at the Manx Grand Prix (three times) and the Ulster Grand Prix, and finished on the podium at the 2017 Isle of Man TT, in the Superstock race. Kneen died of multiple injuries after an accident during qualifying for the 2018 Isle of Man TT, the 147th competitor to be killed at the Mountain Course during a TT meeting.
Racing history
Marks Bloom Racing
In 2008, Kneen became the first rider to win a hat-trick at the Manx Grand Prix. He was fourth in the 2009 Metzeler National Superstock 600 cc Championship, winning a race at Oulton Park. Also in 2009, Kneen made his bow at the Isle of Man TT with the Marks Bloom Racing team, taking a top-ten finish in the Superstock TT. The following year, Kneen acquired financial support from Manx Gas ahead of the 2010 Isle of Man TT, continuing with the Marks Bloom Racing outfit. At the event, Kneen took three top-ten finishes, including his first top-five result with a fifth-place finish in the first Supersport Junior TT race, 48 seconds down on race winner Ian Hutchinson. Kneen was also the fastest newcomer at August's Ulster Grand Prix, lapping at during the first Superbike race. On the short-circuits, Kneen finished second in the 2010 British Supersport Championship's privateers' championship, winning at Thruxton and Croft. After the championship had ended, Kneen then made his début at the Macau Grand Prix in November, where he finished 14th.
Alongside his road racing commitments, for the 2011 season, Kneen moved into the Evolution Cup class of the British Superbike Championship, riding a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R for Marks Bloom Racing. Kneen missed much of the early BSB campaign due to injuries sustained from an accident at RAF Jurby, returning at the North West 200 road races; racing at that event was ultimately cut short due to bad weather. Kneen scored class points in eight races with a best finish of fourth at Brands Hatch, as he finished twelfth in the final Evolution Cup standings. Kneen's fourth place class finish – thirteenth place overall – also allowed him to score three points towards the overall British Superbike Championship. At the Isle of Man TT, Kneen took top-ten placings in the first Supersport race (sixth) and the Superstock race (seventh). On his way to finishing 12th in the Senior TT, Kneen had a high-speed tank-slapper on the exit of the Rhencullen section of the circuit.
For the 2012 season, Kneen committed to a fourth campaign for Marks Bloom Racing – with the team now using Suzuki machinery with technical assistance from the main Suzuki road racing team, TAS Racing. Kneen endured a tough season on the short circuits in the Superstock 1000 class, recording a single points-scoring finish of 12th place at Oulton Park in May. On the roads in Northern Ireland, Kneen achieved a pair of eighth-place finishes in the Supersport races at May's North West 200, and four top-ten finishes at the Ulster Grand Prix in August. For the first time since he started competing at the Isle of Man TT, Kneen was unable to record a top-ten finish, with a best result of eleventh in the Superbike TT. He crashed out of the first Supersport race, after he was highsided off the bike on the exit from Governor's Dip onto the Glencrutchery Road; he suffered a back injury in the crash, which ruled him out of racing until the Ulster Grand Prix. At the end of the season, Kneen returned to the Macau Grand Prix, recording a ninth-place finish.
Kneen remained with Marks Bloom Racing into 2013, with the team continuing to use Suzukis for the road racing campaign. Just like in 2011, Kneen missed the early portion of his British championship campaign – remaining in Superstock 1000 – and the North West 200, due to injuries sustained from an accident at RAF Jurby. He returned to competition at the Isle of Man TT, finishing five out of the six races he started, with a best result of eleventh place in the first Supersport race. While competing at July's Southern 100, Kneen crashed out on the final corner of the Supersport race, suffering a broken elbow. Following recovery, Kneen returned to the roads at November's Macau Grand Prix; he qualified in tenth position but failed to start the race, after a mechanical issue on the formation lap.