Clarke needs to ‘sort’ starts

Qualifying went well for the Lincolnshire rider who recorded a 22nd position and started the first of two races on Saturday from an eighth-row grid position.

But when the lights went out he didn’t get the best of starts and completed the first lap down in 26th place.

He made progress through the midfielders and crossed the finish line in 19th position.

There was a hurried fuel top up and tyre change in pit lane before the second race got underway, which Clarke began from the seventh row.

Again he got a bad start but he persevered and made it through to 19th place at the end of the 22 lap affair.

He said: “I am improving my race position with every outing but I need to sort out my starts as I just can’t get the BMW off the line quickly enough.

“But it is a problem with a BMW and other riders suffer the same. There must be a knack to it so I need to get out on track and test it out.

“Other than that my race pace is good and I love the bike, it is really fast and smooth.”

The third race for Clarke was on Sunday afternoon but the track was treacherous due to heavy rain a little earlier.

Clarke started from the seventh row once again but his progress was short lived as he was one of many riders that succumbed to the slippery conditions and he slid off the track at McLeans on the first lap.

“The track conditions were far from ideal and although I was taking it easy on the first lap I ended up on the gravel trap,” he said.

“Luckily I am ok and the bike has not too much damage so we will be up and running for the next round.”

There is a three week break to allow for the Isle of Man TT races and the next round is at Brands Hatch on June 14-16.