A CASH boost of £330,000 will allow Knockhill Racing Circuit to "safeguard" their employees' jobs after the "devastating impact" of COVID-19.

Scotland's national motorsport centre, north of Dunfermline, has received its share of a Scottish Government funding package to help spectator sports through the pandemic, distributed by sportscotland, the national agency for sport.

Driftland, in Lochgelly, and Fife Flyers ice hockey club have also benefited by £20,000 and £50,000 respectively, as part of a £55 million emergency sports funding package to help sport survive the impact of lost ticket revenue.

In normal circumstances, Knockhill run an action-packed calendar of fan events between April and November, including rounds of the hugely-popular Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) and Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

The scheduled 2020 BSB event at the track was cancelled completely as a revised competition calendar was created and, while the BTCC went ahead, it did so behind closed doors.

Both of those events attract tens of thousands of motorsport fans to West Fife annually, and their loss, combined with a large number of other race days, made a big impact on the circuit's revenue.

The funding received has therefore been welcomed and Jillian Shedden, Knockhill Racing Circuit's managing director, explained: "Knockhill Racing Circuit is deeply indebted to the Scottish Government and sportscotland for this grant in recognition of the devastating impact the pandemic has had on our business; in particular the loss of all spectator attendance at 46 event days throughout 2020.

"Last year's lockdown came into effect just seven days before the start of our motor racing season. The majority of our events were cancelled or postponed, any events that did run took place behind closed doors.

"The grant will allow us to safeguard the livelihoods of our employees and allow us to continue to plan ahead for the resumption of motorsport events in Scotland, that fans can hopefully attend in the not-too-distant future."

The Scottish Government's sport minister, Mairi Gougeon, said: "I’m pleased to be able to provide this additional funding for spectator sports.

"It will ensure that motorsport, basketball, ice hockey and netball clubs are protected from the loss in ticket revenue during the pandemic, until spectators can safely return to sports events in larger numbers.

"Restrictions on supporters at events have been vital and necessary in stopping the spread of the virus and saving lives, however, it has been a very challenging time for many sports clubs. Without this urgent financial support, the survival of some could be in question and I am delighted that we are able to provide this funding as part of the £55 million emergency sports funding package from the Scottish Government."

Chief executive of sportscotland, Stewart Harris, added: "This additional investment is very welcome and will help to protect the long-term futures of these clubs. It has been an incredibly challenging period for Scottish sport but the sporting system has shown real resilience in its response.

"There are still plenty of challenges ahead and we will continue to work with a range of Scottish governing bodies of sport and the Scottish Government to ensure the survival of the sports at the heart of our communities."