A CUMNOCK couple spent last Sunday side-by-side as they hurtled round a race-track at great speed — before colliding with their daughter.

At one point Karl and Wendy Pring had been lagging behind 17-year-old Ruby who was leading the field at the Knockhill Circuit in Fife.

The venue was hosting its first bike race meeting of 2018, with a programme of 34 competitions attracting 150 of Scotland’s best bike racers.

They were going head-to-head for both Scottish Championship and Knockhill Motor Sports Club Championship points.

Among the 15 pairs taking part in the 600cc Formula 2 sidecar events were the Karl and Wendy of KCP, who are based at Benson Smithy in Cumnock. They had been unable to race on day one which meant they missed the Saturday qualifying.

This resulted in them starting their races from the back of the grid but they managed to work their way through the field to finish seventh in both their races.

Completing the family affair was Ruby, who was joining them on the track for her second season as a passenger for Hadleigh Amos from Northumberland.

But their close connections took on a different meaning during Sunday’s first sidecar race when Karl pushed a little too hard, to battle his way from the back of the field, and spun round.

In a split second their nearest opponents, who happened to be Ruby and Hadleigh and Ruby, had nowhere to go but run into the side of them, meaning the race was red flagged and had to be restarted.

Hadleigh and Ruby’s vehicle was stuck in the gravel, with some damage, which resulted in them being unable to return for the restart, but they managed to make a comeback for the last race of the day and finished in fifth place.

To crown Ruby’s weekend, she was awarded the Wullie Brown Trophy for determination and endeavour and whose performance improved over the weekend with them securing a sixth and seventh place in Saturday’s races.