In the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship, Tom Ward banked his best result of the year so far as he crossed the line seventh in Sunday’s dramatic race.

The Canterbury-based rider bounced back from a tough race on Saturday where he scored a DNF after a coming-together with another rider, to enjoy his best race since stepping up to the 1000cc machine this year.

Despite not scoring any points on Saturday, his best lap time was enough to secure him 13th on the grid, and this time he was determined to make the most of it. Getting a good start, he was lucky to avoid a huge crash involving five riders on the opening lap which brought out a red flag.

“We made a change for the race and it turned out to be the right way to go,” he said. “Luckily I didn’t get caught up in the big crash; I was just on the outside of it. When we restarted I just concentrated on getting away well and trying to keep up with the front runners.

“The bike felt really good and I made a few moves to pick off a few people and then I got as high up as sixth. I was able to see the lead group and I was trying to keep up with them but my pace just dropped a little bit towards the end.

“I had a bit of a tussle with Leon Jeacock in the closing laps and he got me at the end, but I’m certainly not disappointed with seventh. I feel I’ve really turned a big corner with the bike and it’s been my best race so far. I’m buzzing for the rest of the season now.”