McAMS Yamaha’s James Ellison has left the third round of the MCE British Superbike championship at Oulton Park feeling ‘devastated’, and is also ‘gutted’ for JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s Leon Haslam.

The pair were both battling it out for second in the final race at the Cheshire track, but the R1’s engine stopped working going under Warwick Bridge, but as Ellison lost power Haslam was trying to make a move on him on the inside, but ended up clipping Ellison and then crashed out of third place.

The Yamaha came to a stop at Lodge and Ellison immediately went to check if Haslam was OK. Fortunately the Smalley rider did not sustain any serious injuries and has been given the green light by the medical staff.

“We knew we had a strong possibility of getting on the podium, in my head I believed I could get the win. It was all going to plan, as the race was going on we had a comfortable pace and we knew a podium was in the bag, but going under the bridge the bike stopped and I was flat out when Leon hit me but the engine was completely stopped - the engine cut out,” said Ellison at the circuit.

“It is just devastating - gutted for him as he has had such a clean season and no one wants to go out like that. It is not something we want to happen, and I feel for him. I apologised to him and to make sure he was fine and to tell him what happened.”

Ellison was gaining pace before the technical issue, and felt confident that he could finish on the podium. In race one he ended the opening event in sixth place.

The Kendall rider added: “I just want to cry, we have led every single meeting this year and we have got nothing. Just devastated and we work our backsides off and we have the pace to fight for this championship.”

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