Keith Farmer made it two out of two as he won a second round National Superstock 1000 Championship thriller as he finished less than a quarter of a second clear of Howie Mainwaring with Jason O'Halloran a close third.
The Ulsterman, riding the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki, had to do it the hard way, running back in sixth place on the opening lap, but then able to close up as the pack bunched behind the Safety Car after Hudson Kennaugh had crashed out spectacularly.
Steve Brogan was heading the pack on the Buildbase BMW but by the lap Farmer was closing in on him to be running second on the seventh lap and then attacking as the slip-streaming scraps began for real.
Farmer, last year's runaway champion in Superstock 600, was in front by the end of the eighth lap but Brogan bit back. Farmer was having none of it, regaining the advantage, and pulling out half a second. Again Brogan retaliated to be leading by the end of the penultimate lap but Farmer stormed back.
It was close fierce and frantic. Going into Club Chicane for the final time in a close bunch were Farmer, Brogan, Mainwaring and O'Halloran. It was destined to end in tears, and it did.
Brogan tried a move on Farmer but clipped the back wheel of his bike. Farmer held on, kept the power on and won. Brogan was down and out.
Farmer explained afterwards: "He had made a mistake at Church and I knew that he would come back at me, have a run at me. He was leaning on me and I just kept the brakes on till I felt him go, then I let the brake off.
"It was a hard race. I felt the front of the bike moving a bit but I didn't worry about that, or anyone else. I just did my own thing and took the victory," added Farmer.
Mainwaring took second with the demise of Brogan. "I just kept pushing away and I just hope now that the championship starts here for me now with this result."
Third place went to Samsung Honda's Jason O'Halloran. "I had to re-group, let everyone settle down and then push on - it is early days in the championship at the moment and again we have scored strong points."
Victor Cox took fourth place for ILR Kawasaki ahead of Jonathan Railton on the IN MOTO Corse Kawasaki and David Johnson on the Carbontek BMW.
