Josh Elliott brushed off a three-year absence to return to the top of the podium on his return to competitive racing at the weekend.

The Ballinamallard rider has not raced since his 2019 British Superbike challenge ended prematurely, but after a long lay-off he was straight back in the groove as he dominated the Supersport class of the Dunlop Masters at Mondello, claiming pole position and winning both of his first two races before adding a second place in his final outing.

“I really enjoyed being back,” admitted Elliott. “I was surprised I got back into it as quickly as I did.

“After the first session, my hands were shaking from the adrenaline rush you get, and I hadn’t had that in a long time.

“I was afraid I was going to forget how to ride a bike and I might embarrass myself, but thankfully not.”

Elliott was launched back into competitive action following a phone call from Alex Knowles, who wanted him to return to action onboard a Honda CBR 600 under the AKR Thomas Bourne Racing banner, and try to recapture the form that brought Josh a British Superbike victory before his BSB experienced turned sour.

“I was a bit scundered and fed up with all the stuff I went through in 2019,” admitted Josh. “I had lost the interest for it, and then I got a call off Alex Knowles, who runs the team, and he asked me to come down and have a bit of fun with no pressure.

“He had asked me before and I wasn’t really interested, my head wasn’t in it, but then he asked me again a few weeks ago and I thought I may as well.”

A force to be reckoned with

It proved the right decision, with Josh almost immediately posting lap times that showed he is going to be a force to be reckoned with over the four remaining events in the championship calendar.

“Thankfully we got up to speed pretty quickly and were able to focus on getting the bike sorted,” he said.

“The bikes are good but the team wouldn’t have much experience, and wouldn’t have the knowledge of set-up, so it took us a day or two to get the bikes to a level where I needed them, and then we could focus on the smaller details.

‘Qualified’

“I qualified on pole position, which was nice to get, and it gave me a good chance to get away and ride my own race.

“I had a few good battles with some of the riders there. Some fellas there have been competing at Mondello for many years, and they are track specialists there, and thankfully I came away with a win on Saturday and another win on Sunday.

“In the last race on Sunday I had a good battle with Emmett O’Grady back and forth, but we came across back markers late in the race and that messed up my chances of having a last corner move.”

Despite falling just short of a hat-trick of wins, Josh was delighted with his performance, and he hopes his return to the sport will pave the way for a return to the British Championship in the near future.

“I was happy. It was the first weekend back, and it gets me sharp again,” he said. “Ideally, my aim is to get back to the British Championship. That’s the goal and I am using this to get sharp and keep my eye in and keep me bike-fit.”