Born and bred in the Isle of Man, David Knight has always been a demon on two wheels, using the beautiful Manx hills to hone his bike handling skills from an early age. As a schoolboy he would often tell his friends that he would be World Champion one day, his drive and passion for the sport helped him live that dream!
Winning the 2005 World Championship marked his rise to the very top of his sport. Defending that title with a 100% record in 2006 ensured David's name a place in the Enduro hall of fame. Anyone who has seen the fantastic biking movie, ' On Any Sunday ' must see a likeness with David and the great Malcom Smith, both amazing riders in all disciplines, always with smiles on their faces, riding for the love of the sport.
Taking on the USA for 2007, David left the WEC behind in search of a new challenge. After a year of multiple trans-atlantic flights and bad luck with both injury and mechanical problems, David still battled through to win the GNCC series, the AMA Endurocross series and the FIM Indoor Enduro World Cup! As if he hadn't done enough travelling for one year, a trip to Australia in July gave him the Aussie Four Day title as well.
2008 saw Knighter retain his GNCC title, taking the championship with 2 rounds to spare.
In 2009, David made one of the biggest changes of his career. Switching to BMW and a relatively new team meant David had a lot of work ahead of him. Unfortunately the big Manxman and the BMW did not work together well. Knighters 'large' agressive style didnt suit the BMW frame and handliing. On the 19th June it was officially announced David would be leaving BMW. The BMW project did not last another full season!
Switching to a privately run Kawasaki for the remainder of the season, David won the British Enduro Championship, silencing his doubters and reaffirming his status as one of the World's best off road riders.
2010 brought David back to the KTM team for the World Enduro Championship. Riding again in the E3 class, David won his third World Championship for the Austrian manufacturer.
2011 for David was a year of injury and surgery. Having injured his hips in round 1 of the EWC, David went on to win the second round with the help of pain killers. Surgery, however, was always going to be needed. Two seperate operations on either hip put David out for most of the season, he came back after the summer to win the last 2 rounds of the BEC and the super-tough Weston Beach Race. More operations during the winter, this time on his recurring hernias, were made slightly easier by his meeting with the Queen, where he received a well deserved MBE for his services to sport.
In 2012, David returned to the E3 class of the World Enduro Championship where he again rode the big KTM 530 EXC for the factory team. David also rode as many other events as he could throughout the season, including selected BEC, BSEC and Extreme events. The season was not the best for Knighter, injury and illness caused many non-starts and his season never got going properly.
One of the highlights of David's year was carrying the Olympic torch when it visited the Isle of Man on it's way to London.
Despite a year of disruption, Knighter won his 10th British Enduro Championship title, cementing his place as one of the best riders of all time.
2013 was a huge year for Knighter, starting the year by becoming a father! The decision to run his own team in 2013 was a brave one, but with backing from Honda, David showed he still had the pace to win! Logistically it was very difficult managing a team and being able to concentrate on his riding, all the time enjoying being a father for the first time. David put in some excellent results in the EWC, X-Games, and British Championships. The year was a tough one, but gave David some of the confidence he needed to look forward.
At the end of 2013, David signed for Sherco. Being disillusioned with the way the EWC was going, Knighter decided to concentrate on his major strength, the extreme enduros.
2014 went really well with David clinching runner up in the FIM Superenduro World Championship. This and the British Extreme Championship title showed his rivals that Knighter was still as competitive as ever.
2015 and Knighter is back on orange. Riding for KTM UK and sponsored to ride the British Championships, the Superenduro and selected extreme races, David is still as hungry as ever for those wins. Keep up to date with all the news and results at Knighter.net
