You wait all season for a podium finish and then two come along at once as Tyco BMW’s Josh Elliott rode to a strong third place in Sunday’s second STK1000 race at Oulton Park. 
Just as at Silverstone the previous week, the weather was once again hit and miss with sunshine and showers across the Cheshire parkland circuit as the curtain starts to descend on the season at this, the penultimate round of the Pirelli Moto-backed series.
Two races across the weekend at Oulton Park meant a hectic schedule for the Ballinamallard Bullet to get his Tyco BMW in the window he needs to run with the likes of championship leaders Cooper and Buchan. 
“It was fantastic to get another podium at Oulton Park over a weekend with very mixed weather. 
“I knew it was going to be difficult there as everyone else had tested and raced there earlier this year before I returned to action so had the jump on me as far as laps under their belt and set up would be concerned,” said Elliott.
Sunny with a drying track and then a damp track on Friday wasn’t conducive to finding that base set up on the BMW S1000RR so it was down to Qualifying to push the direction for changes. 
Again it was a drying track that greeted the riders for the session with times labouring some two seconds slower than a fully dry track. It was seventh fastest time for Josh and a third row start ahead of Saturday afternoon’s race.
It was another tricky start for Josh as the lights went out, the clutch once again proving troublesome in getting off the line and in turn losing out to Mason Law as the pack streamed around the opening lap. 
“Race one was very tough as I again couldn’t get the BMW off the line with it snatching and lost three places leaving me tenth. 
“I fought hard to get through to sixth but a battle with a Kawasaki frustrated my attempts and kept block passing me back letting the front five get away. 
“I tried to close the gap but the harder I tried the more unstable the bike got. I had to change my style to compensate and then went faster but I had too much to do to improve and finished sixth,” explained Elliott.
Sunday once again brought mixed conditions as a downpour prior to the race left the track wet in places but with the brief late summer sunshine breaking through, the asphalt was drying rapidly around most of the circuit. 
After changes made to the Tyco BMW overnight it was a strong launch off the line for Elliott from sixth on the grid. 
“”It rained in big downpours all day and we were convinced my race would be wet, but it started drying up during the race before mine. 
“A dry line was forming so I went out on the sighting lap and decided to choose dry tyres. It proved the right choice and although I didn’t get a great start I made a huge lunge down the inside on turn one on the wet part of the track and managed to pass about five riders putting myself into third. 
“This gave me a chance to hold on to the two championship leaders and they set a good pace pulling the three of us away from the chasing pack,”he said.
Josh hung on to their coat-tails for the majority of the 11 lap race, only losing touch in the closing stages as the title protagonists upped the pace. 
A safe 13 second gap back to fourth place left Josh untroubled as the laps ticked down on the now almost dry track, securing his second podium in three races.
 “I tried hard and held on as long as I could but a minor gearing change to cope with the possibility of a wet race was hurting my acceleration and I was having to try make the time back up in the sketchy parts of the track so decided the risk wasn’t worth it. 
“I saw on my pit board that I had built a big gap to the next riders so I rode safe for the remaining laps and was delighted to pick up my second podium in two meetings for TycoBMW,” added the Fermanagh man.
Next up is the Dutch round in Assen but with no Superstock 1000 race there, Josh is hoping to get another chance on the superbike.
“I’d really love another go on the superbike but am waiting patiently for word if I get the nod. If I do I’ll give it my very best shot to bring home some good results for sure,” he commented.