Keith Farmer retained the lead of the British Superstock 1000 Championship after an incident packed double-header at Brands Hatch, but it was Ballinamallard’s Josh Elliott who had the biggest smile in the paddock as he secured a second place finish to record his best result of a turbulent season.
It was only the third race weekend for Josh on board his OMG Suzuki after switching teams, but he demonstrated that he is coming to terms with his new machinery as he finished second in the second part of race one. 
The weekend had a two-part race on Saturday with race two taking place on Sunday, and with a sixth and fourth place finish alongside his runners up spot, Josh leapt from tenth to sixth in the championship standings.
“We made a lot of progress over the weekend with both the bike and myself, and that showed in the results,” said the Ballinamallard rider. 
“We made a change for the first session which answered our questions and we progressed from there and moved it on as the weekend went on.”
The first race was split into two seventeen lap races with a ten minute break between the two sessions, and the endurance event provided a tough test in temperatures rising towards thirty degrees. 
For Clogher’s Keith Farmer the challenge was to hang on to his championship lead, and fresh off the back of a double win last time out the Tyco BMW rider was once again straight into the battle the lead. There was little to choose between the front runners with title rival Joe Collier eventually getting the better of Farmer by less than a tenth of a second. 
Elliott lost some momentum during the race as riders crashed in front of his Suzuki, but he recovered to finish sixth.
Race two provided more drama, but it unfolded without Farmer, as the BMW man suffered mechanical problems that meant he could not take his place on the grid. 
In contrast, Josh Elliott made a good start and was quickly in a battle for the lead of the race. 
“It felt really good to be there fighting for the win,” he said. 
“On the last lap I was sitting in third, right behind second and first. I was waiting because we were at the maximum and the grip wasn’t great, and if we were going to make a move it was going to have to stick. Tom Neave made a move and unfortunately he crashed. It was nice to take second when it came.”
Collier’s double win on Saturday put him back briefly at the head of the championship standings, but Farmer was to regain his advantage after the final race of the weekend. 
Collier crashed out on the first lap opening the door for Farmer, and he capitalised, coming home in second spot behind Billy McConnell in what is becoming a three-way battle for the title between the trio. 
Josh Elliott was on the tails of the leaders throughout the shortened twelve lap race, and he came home two tenths of a second off the podium to round off a promising weekend.
The three top six finishes gave Josh and the team a huge boost, and he feels the progress they have made means he can look forward to regularly challenging for podiums in the second half of the season. 
“It was really positive to be there and feel comfortable up there, and it is something we can build on for the rest of the season,” said Josh. 
“I have been towards the front before this season but it hasn’t felt comfortable and I felt like I have been overriding the bike. 
“At the weekend I felt comfortable that I could make a move and move forward, which is something I haven’t had for a very long time. 
“The while team were buzzing about it because it was their first podium in the British Championship as well and it lifted the whole team,”said the Ballinamallard man.
Elliott has another chance to get some track time on his Suzuki when he contests an endurance race this weekend, before they battle for the British Superstock Championship resumes at Thruxton the following weekend.