First national victory in 18 months for Buxton racer Chris Kent

Chris arrived and left in third place overall, having also crashed out in one of his four outings at Snetterton.

“I didn't really expect to win this weekend. I was hoping to be more competitive than at recent rounds but to win such a close race and to ride as hard as I did to get myself in a position to take the victory is a positive step forward.

“I’m a bit annoyed to crash out in the wet, especially as I was feeling good about the race but with two podiums and a win I’m well chuffed.”

Chris arrived confident following recent success at the Three Sisters circuit in Wigan.

A front row start for Race One saw the Buxton man dive into second place on the first lap.

A tough battle ensued with the championship leader, swapping first place a dozen times.

The difference across the line was so close that both riders thought they had won it.

In fact the initial timing showed Kent to have finished second but, on review, the photo-finish showed he had reached the timing beam 0.003s ahead.

Chris said: “That was a proper battle! His bike was very quick out of the bends so I had to catch him on the brakes and try to get in front whenever I could to slow him down.

"I’m very pleased to win, especially by such a close margin.”

Race Two began in very wet conditions with Kent on pole. He got a great start and led on the first lap until the variable grip levels caught him out, resulting in him crashing out.

Races Three and Four then followed similar patterns to each other.

The Buxton racer got into third place behind the two Championship leaders and hung on for a while without quite being able to challenge for the lead.

Eventually though he dropped back as the others increased their pace and brought it home safely to claim the third podium step in both races.

Chris retains his third place overall and will be in action again at Donington Park in June.