Lee Johnston’s search for a win in the British Supersport Championship is set to continue as he narrowly missed out at the latest round at Thruxton. The Maguiresbridge rider was at the front of the pack in race one only to slip up on the last lap, and in race two he was again challenging for a podium when he slid off the track and into retirement.

Keith Farmer continued to show a strong pace in the British Superstock race but again struggled to maintain it throughout the weekend, notching up an 11th and sixth placed finish, while 16 year old Jamie Lyons followed up his pole position in the British Talent Cup series with a second placed finish in the race.

Lee Johnston secured his second runners-up position of the season in the opening race at Thruxton losing out to Bradley Perie, but he was frustrated that he couldn’t go one better onboard his Ashcourt Racing Yamaha.

“The result was good but I should have won really,” he admitted. “I came from ninth on the grid and I was leading with a couple of laps to go when he passed me. I made a mistake on the last lap and high sided a little bit which cost me some time, so I messed up really.”

Lee’s second outing of the weekend was another dramatic race, but it resulted in Lee’s first non-finish of the season when he came off the bike late in the race.

“On the second race I had trouble early on with my visor and I ended up fifth,” he explained. “When I got a bit of clear air and was able to see where I was going I was catching third and I high sided. I have a couple of bumps and bruises and scrapes, but nothing major and the bike is not that bad either. It’s nearly more frustrating now because it feels like that win is right there, but it just hasn’t happened yet.”

In a repeat of the previous round at Brands Hatch, Keith Farmer topped the timesheets in practice but struggled to replicate that pace in race conditions. After qualifying in tenth for the opening race Keith moved through the pack and was embroiled in a six way battle for third place. He thought he had secured seventh, but a clash with Fraser Rogers was penalised and he was demoted to 11th after the race.

Starting outside the top ten for race two, Keith was immediately on the front foot as he made his way through the pack, eventually securing a sixth place finish.

Enniskillen and District Motorcycle Club’s only competing member in the British Talent Cup (BTC) series has been building on his race results week after week. Jamie Lyons, just 16, is now in his third year competing in the championship which is run alongside BSB.

The BTC is a series designed to identify and showcase talented young riders, and it’s open to entrants between 12 and 17 years old who want to become the next generation of MotoGP contenders.

Last week’s racing at Brands Hatch gave Jamie a seventh and eighth place finish. Lyons, who is the only competitor in the series to consistently collect points in every round of the championship, was off to a strong start at Thruxton, quickly finding his pace.

Lyons was the fastest lap holder in the free practice sessions and went on to qualify in pole position. Race one on Saturday saw him take an early lead and held first position until the final few laps when he was caught up in a five-way battle. It was Carter Brown who pipped him at the post to take the first-place finish with Lyons hot on his heels for second.

Following on from his success Lyons was disappointed when Race two was cancelled due to bad weather, with the race scheduled to be re-run at the next round. This was Lyons first podium finish this year and felt at home on the Thruxton circuit which he likened to racing at St Angelo/Enniskillen Airport. “First time at Thruxton safe to say I like it, mega fast and bumpy like our own wee St Angelo,” he said.

Lyons is currently sitting in sixth position overall in the championship with a total of 66 points.

Johnston, Farmer and Lyons will be in action at the next round of the series at Donington Park on Saturday August 14.