After claiming pole position, more may have been expected of Jason O’Halloran in the three British Superbike Championship races at the weekend at Snetterton than the solitary podium he came away with.

The McAMS Yamaha rider admitted there were mixed feelings at the conclusion of Round 5 and it was clear that whilst he could run the lap times on his own and with clear track, it was a different matter when involved in the cut and thrust of a race battle.

An opportunistic move on Glenn Irwin at the final corner in Saturday’s Sprint race saw him out drag his rival to the line with third place giving him his fourth podium in what’s proving to be an up and down season.

“It was a good first race for us,” he said. “We had good pace all weekend and I felt good on the bike, so it was an enjoyable race. But it was also tricky as it's hard to stay ahead of the bikes which are faster than us in a straight line.”

>>> UPDATED: 2023 BSB Championship Standings <<<

The Yamaha R1 had dominated proceedings at the venue twelve months ago with all three wins and seven of the nine podiums. However, a clear step forward - particularly in terms of top speed - from Ducati and BMW has reeled Yamaha back into the pack.

It left him with no choice but to attempt breaking the tow, an objective that was in full swing during Race 2, only for the red flag to come out.

He's go on to take a fifth place finish in the eight-lap restart, while a sluggish start in the final race meant sixth was the best he could manage. He remained positive but, even with six events to go, he is all to aware of a gap to leader Tommy Bridewell that now stands at 84 points.

“It’s been a good weekend and I feel like I’m riding really well and I’m happy enough but I’m disappointed as I don’t feel like I can do any more than I’m doing in the race situation, which is frustrating.”

“We knew this round was going to be difficult so to pick up a podium and qualify on pole is good, so we can move on from here and look forward to Brands Hatch.”