A strong start to the Bennetts British Superbike weekend at Brands Hatch for FHO Racing’s Ryan Vickers failed to convert come lights out.

Having spent Friday practice in the top five, Vickers qualified in eighth for the first race of the weekend. A crash while running ninth, however, curtailed his momentum at half race distance.

Sunday saw the 23-year-old suffer a second crash, this time on lap four while just adrift of top ten contention, with the resulting fracture to his hand ruling him out of race three.

“The weekend didn’t really go to plan!” Vickers admitted. “Friday was good, I was really happy with where the bike was, within the first 14 laps I did my fastest lap of Brands by a long way and qualifying also went well.

“In race one I was battling hard and feeling really strong and closing the gap on the top five, but unfortunately when I was overtaking the last person in the group I just lost the front – it was just a strange one it caught me out.

“Then, in Sunday’s first race I got into a decent rhythm but the heat caused a lot of people to crash, and I was one of them. Unfortunately, it was quite a big one, it was on the exit to the last turn, very very strange – as soon as I touched the gas the rear came around on me and fired me off in a massive highside and I was lucky not to be injured too bad, I’m a bit banged and bruised but nothing serious.

“I can only offer my sincerest apologies to the team, to Faye, to everybody, but I’m taking some positives away and we’ll come back stronger.”