Lee Jackson showed a positive return to form during Round 7 of the 2023 British Superbike Championship [BSB] at Thruxton, returning to the podium for the first time this season

The Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki rider has proven a metronomically consistent point scorer this season, extending his status as the only rider to have scored in each race so far this year over the weekend.

While five top six results 18 starts have helped Jackson maintain a presence deep inside the top ten in the overall standings, he was without a podium heading to the Hampshire circuit.

However, the two-time BSB race winner dug deep on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR to grind out a pair of rostrums with a second place finish in races two and three.

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“It’s been a good weekend, we went back to basics at the start and just worked on tyre life, understanding what we had for the races and putting into practice what we’ve learnt over the years together,” he said.

Fifth in the Sprint race, just 1.7s off the victory, he looked menacing from the outset in Sunday’s opener, sitting in the pack early on before steadily moving his way forward. Having led briefly with five laps to go, he ultimately had to settle for second behind Jason O’Halloran but a second clear of third placed Charlie Nesbitt.

“After narrowly missing out in the Sprint race, I wanted to make amends on Sunday and I was really happy with the bike and felt comfortable and calm throughout. It was quite hectic though as some riders in the group wanted to pass you straightaway rather than looking at the bigger picture and the full race distance.”

“I had my young team-mate Max (Cook) out front at one stage and I kept my eye on him as I knew he had good race pace, so my plan was to sit in the group and chip my way through towards the end. Luckily it worked for me but Jason and the Yamaha just had that little bit more in the last two laps.”

The final race followed a similar pattern and from lap three onwards. Running inside the top six early on, Jackson would move forward as the race progressed. In contention for victory until the closing stages, Jackson looked set to pounce on leader Ryan Vickers for the victory only for O’Halloran to out fox them both in the final two laps.

“I started a little bit higher up the grid which made things a little bit easier and for me, it was a case of sitting back and watching what I could do with the tyre. The pace was faster than the race earlier in the day but I knew the guys at the front were getting a bit excited and maybe be going a little bit too soon.”

“I could see that Max and Ryan had got away at the front but I kind of knew that wasn’t going to quite happen for them so I knew if I could just manage my tyre, I could be there at the end. My game plan was that if Jason passed me, I’d have to go with him although it wasn’t until the last lap that happened.”

The results moved Jackson up to sixth in the championship standings and with the Lincolnshire rider heading to his home round at Cadwell Park next, he’s hoping it’s the springboard for further success.

“It’s great to be back on the podium. We’ve started a podium run now so hopefully we can continue that and fight high for the rest of the season.”