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17 December 2020 Iain Macpherson - Six by Six #4

To celebrate 25 years of Ninja ZX-6R, we asked six racers who played an important role in the life of the ZX-6R, six questions about their Ninja story. Six days, six people, six questions. Let's celebrate 25 years of track success for the iconic Ninja ZX-6R !
What do you think was your best WSS600 race ever and why?
My best WSS race would need to be Kyalami in 1999, on the Kawasaki ZX-6R. It was my first race at world championship level and also it was the first race where WorldSSP became a full FIM World Championship. Winning by 12 seconds, against some great riders, was an added bonus.
 
Were you good at qualifying or did you come alive only when on the grid for a race?
My qualifying was always pretty good but I would be happy with anything on the first two rows. I managed three poles in WorldSSP on the Kawasaki, at Assen, Misano and Albacete.
What have you done since you hung up your leathers as a professional racer?
Since retiring as a professional racer I've been a fire-fighter in the Scottish Fire and Rescue service and I've had my own company instructing people around racetracks and teaching them how to go faster. I've been a paddock tour guide at WorldSBK, BSB and MotoGP and for the last 12 years I've been driving trains for ScotRail.
 
For you on track what do you think was your best attribute? Corner speed, braking, consistent lap times or the ability to dig deep and produce a stand out lap when required?
I didn't really have any single stand out attribute. The plan was to be fast and smooth at every corner of every racetrack with consistent corner speed and braking. That means your lap times should only vary slightly.
 
What was the single most impressive thing about the ZX-6R as a race bike?
My memory about what was the most impressive thing about my Kawasaki would probably be the overall handling and the stability of the bike.
At one time in WSS600 you rode as team mate to Fabien Foret – what was he like off-track as a team mate?
Yes, Fabien and I were teammates at Ten Kate Honda in WorldSSP. He was fine off the track and easy enough to get on with as a person.