Pata Yamaha's Alex Lowes hung in with the podium men for the first half of today's opening WorldSBK race at Donington Park but some inconsistency with corner exit grip meant he had to settle for fourth place.
It means that Lowes had to watch as team-mate Michael van der Mark took his maiden win and Yamaha's first victory since 2011 but the Derby-based rider says he is pleased with the progresse being made by the Crescent-run squad.
"Well done to Michael, he rode an amazing race and the team have worked really hard to get us to this point. He had better pace than I did today, the Kawasakis were messing each other up and he took advantage," said Lowes, speaking at the track.
"I've been struggling a bit with corner exit and I haven't really found a solution. I felt I was hanging in there for 15 or so laps and then that was it. I have to take it on the chin which was harder today as Michael did so well. I did the best I could and that's all I could do today.
"I need to stop the bike spinning as much as when it does, it kicks me out of the seat. I need something from the bike to allow me to put it where I want to. Last year I was really strong at the end of races but since we changed the electronics, not so. It's something I need to get my head around.
"We've made some good steps with the electronics but sometimes I'm chasing the bike out of the corner and losing a bit of throttle connection and confidence. Michael holds the bike into the electronics more so I need to work out how I can get it better for my style.
"We are definitely improving, it's weird that at some tracks we strong and some not, we need to be more consistent. Kawasaki are the only ones who can be consistent at every track."