Rizla Suzuki's Tom Sykes took his first ever World Superbike podium at Donington Park this afternoon and had a red-flag not stopped race one, it would have been his for the taking.

Sykes has a 3.9s lead over eventual winner Troy Bayliss in race one but irresponsible riding from Noriyki Haga, which ended with oil all over the track and a red flag, robbed him of the win.

“The first part of race one all went to plan and it was fantastic. I was watching the time on my board increasing with Troy behind and I felt I had good pace," said the Huddersfield youngster.

"The red flag was frustrating but I hid it well and composed myself. I got a clean start grabbing the hole-shot, but a slide and an incident at the Esses allowed Troy to get past me and then get away.

“Race two was a tough one but what can you do in conditions like that, I just kept it steady as I was struggling for grip. Overall it has been a good day, I’ve taken a podium at World level, we’ve gained some valuable wet settings and I’m now looking to Croft. I’d like to say a big thank you to all of the Rizla Suzuki team and the fans, this has been a brilliant experience.”