Josh Elliott and Keith Farmer both enjoyed good rides as the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship got underway at Donington Park over the Easter weekend.
Ballinamallard flyer Elliott recorded two podium finishes while Clogher’s Farmer went one better with three podium places over the three races.
Wet weather and then cold temperatures meant the opening round of the season was certainly a challenging affair but a quite brilliant start on Sunday saw 2015 champion Elliott catapult himself up the order after starting in tenth spot on the grid.
Morello Kawasaki’s Elliott completed the first lap in a superb third place and for the majority of the race he disputed the lead with Billy McConnell and Andrew Reid. 
The latter crashed out on lap nine and McConnell edged away in the closing stages but, despite suffering from the discomfort of arm pump, Josh opened his account for the season with a brilliant second place, coming home just ahead of Farmer who was third on his BMW Tyco bike.
Just ten minutes later the riders were back out on track for a second 15 lap race lining up on the grid in the position they’d just finished in.
And Elliott lead in the early stages despite experiencing an issue with the quickshifter. However, he was passed by Australian McConnell who stormed clear and as the race wore on, Josh slipped back to fourth with danger man Farmer passing Elliott on the Melbourne hairpin.
Farmer would go on to secure second spot and Elliott recovered from slipping back to fourth place to move back into third and with the race ending early on lap ten, he was able to take his second podium of the day.
McConnell crossed the line 2.744s ahead of Farmer, with Elliot just 1.390s further back on the final step of the podium.
Easter Monday’s race looked like it would be cancelled after heavy rain threatened the programme but it duly took place albeit in damp conditions.
And it was to see a third successive podium position for Farmer who over took Michael Rutter on the last lap to clinch third spot.
 Elliott ran as high as fifth in the race before being pushed wide by Fraser Rogers but sixth place was enough for him to end the weekend in fourth overall. 
And Elliott was pleased with his performance over the course of the weekend.
 “I’ve had a few issues this weekend so to come away with a second and third in the first two races was very pleasing! Throughout the three days, I’ve had an issue with the quickshifter which was hindering me on corner exit and it kept me down in tenth in qualifying but I made a great start in the first race which was crucial as the front guys can soon make a break. Billy pulled out a bit of a gap so I settled for a comfortable second and then in the second race I had a huge moment at the Foggy Esses when I tucked the front so I settled for third.”
“Monday’s race saw us have to contend with some really tricky conditions so I took it steady in the early stages before I got more comfortable. Unfortunately, Fraser clipped me and pushed me wide which saw me lose ground and after having a few slides, I brought the bike home for sixth and some solid points. I would have liked more from the weekend but to finish on the podium first time out with a few wee issues is a great boost and puts us in good stead for the rest of the season,” said Elliott.