WARRINGTON’S Joe Talbot had a mixed weekend as the British Superbikes Championship got underway at Oulton Park.

While he showed impressive pace all weekend, he ended up finishing just shy of the podium in the opening Pirelli National Superstock race of the campaign.

Riding his JR Performance Racing Honda, Talbot’s practice times had him second in the timesheets in both sessions before 2022 champion Davey Todd, who ended up winning the race.

He qualified third on the grid and was running second for most of the race, but he ended up having to settle for a fourth-place finish.

“Overall, the weekend was good for me in terms of having pace throughout the whole weekend,” he said.

“I qualified on the front row to start the race and I was happy.

“The race was going well as I was sat in second, feeling comfortable and had a nice rhythm on the bike.

“Unfortunately, on lap nine, I got arm pump in the muscles on my arms, which made it difficult for me and I started to fade.”

Talbot was overtaken thereafter by Josh Owens and David Allingham, who finished third and second respectively behind a dominant Todd.

“This was a disappointing result considering how good I felt,” Talbot said.

“Overall, it’s good to take points to the next round at Donington. There's a long way to go in the championship yet."

As Talbot mentions, the next round of the championship is at Donington Park over the weekend of May 17-19.