JOE Talbot will head to Brands Hatch for the Bennetts British Superbike Championship this weekend buoyed by a gritty victory on his latest outing.

The 20-year-old former Lymm High School student heads to the Kent circuit holding second place in the Pirelli National Superstock class, with a win fresh in his mind from round five at Snetterton in Norfolk.

It was not all plane sailing though because of a crash in qualifying which resulted in urgent repair work needed to get his JR Performance Honda back on the track.

“It was the most up and down weekend I have had to date,” said Talbot.

“Saturday, the rain came down and it was a wet qualifying. I only managed to get three laps in before falling off with a very strange crash. This meant I had to start from position 11 on the grid.

Joe TalbotJoe Talbot (Image: Colin Port Images)

“Having limited parts and not sure if we could get out to race on Sunday, I met my brother Ben halfway home on Saturday night to collect fairings that Jackson Racing let me borrow for Sunday. Without them two I wouldn’t even have been able to race, so it was a big thank you to them.

“Sunday, I knew it was going to be hard so I tried to make my way up the field as soon as possible.

“I managed to get to the front halfway through the race, but the race was red flagged due to rain coming down.

“After the restart I was starting from pole with a five-lap dash. It was a very intense short race but to come over the line in first I was very happy.”

Talbot is 30 points behind leader Davey Todd in the championship.