MCE Ducati's Tom Sykes brushed off a crash on the first day of Bennetts British Superbikes to finish his first visit to the national circuit eight-tenths off the pace.

The former WorldSBK champion set a best of 54.429 compared to Tommy Bridewell's leading time of 53.627 - which is on lap record pace despite cold track temperatures.

“I came here in good spirits after a positive test at Snetterton and found how the Ducati works so came here excited to continue that work," said the Huddersfielman.

"The start of yesterday didn’t go to plan, but I was going about my business and finding where the bike was working and where we needed to improve. The guys have made some small tweaks to the bike with the information since Snetterton, so everything is definitely heading in the right direction.

"The cold temperatures and really gusty wind meant I didn’t take the best from the bike or myself today but found some more information in preparation for next week.”