Despite poor starts in both race sat Croft, Ian Lowry took his Relentless Suzuki to fifth and seventh in the two races, moving the rookie from sixth to fourth in the overall MCE British Superbike standings.

“Race one went really well for me after a bad start. I had to force my way through the field and I was happy enough with the end result,” said Lowry. “In the second race my start was actually a lot better but Kiyonari hit me going into turn one, leaving me all the work to do over again.

“My GSX–R1000 came through them like a 'wee train', closing a 2.5 second gap to Tommy Hill and Simon Andrews in just five laps. Unfortunately my efforts ended in vain as I just couldn't get past them, but finishing the day fourth in the championship is positive enough.

“I'm now looking forward to Silverstone, as our bike will suit the track. Big thanks to all the boys in the team as they had a lot of hard work to do after I wrecked my bike in morning warm up.”

“Ian's crash in morning warm-up may have affected his confidence and he made both races more difficult for himself with average starts,” stated team principal Philip Neill. “Croft is not the place to struggle off the line, but after that, his rides were very good, matching the podium pace times.

“Unfortunately a race includes the starts, and we must now work even harder to find a way to improve them for Ian. When we do that, he will fulfil the superb potential we all know he possesses.”