Thompson rides to 12th

Qualifying didn’t go smoothly for him and he was left in 21st place to start the first race from the seventh row with a lot of work to do to get up into the points.

He said: “Unfortunately, I had an absolute shocker of a qualifying session, brake back to the bar after the first lap gave me no confidence and therefore I was seven seconds off my personal best lap here.

“Starting 21st on the grid tomorrow should make for an interesting first lap.”

True to his word, Thompson had an interesting few laps making it up into 16th place on lap seven of 10.

But the red flag halted the race and as the riders had completed two thirds distance a result was declared. Thompson was awarded 16th place, just outside the points.

Thompson began the second race from the seventh row once again but this time he made it through to 11th place on the opening lap.

He was fighting for position with Craig Currie for much of the early laps but overhauled him at the half way stage of the race and went on to chase Daniel Shaw who was some way ahead.

He got nearer and nearer with every lap and on the final lap was right in his tyre tracks. As the pair approached the finish line they were side by side with Shaw taking 11th place by the smallest of margins, just ninety two thousands of a second separating the pair.

Thompson had to be satisfied with 12th place at the end of a very exciting and close battle.

The four points gained at Oulton added to the four he won at Silverstone give Thompson eight points and take him to 16th place in the rider standings.

The next round is at Donington Park on the National circuit over the Whit Bank Holiday weekend of May 24-26