Factory BMW stand-in rider Richard Cooper says he is bitterly disappointed with his three crashes at the Nurburgring World Superbike round last weekend as he could have finished in the points in both races.

Cooper, who was deputising for the injured Ruben Xaus, fell out of both races and also suffered a crash in practice too, says he isn't known as a rider who lobs it all the time

To say that I am disappointed would be a huge understatement. I’m not known as a crasher, so to have three in one weekend is rather rare for me. I made good starts in both races. I was sixteenth after one lap in race one and seventeenth after the first lap of race two," said Cooper.

"I felt comfortable on the bike, so it was a bit of a shock to crash in the final chicane after only five laps in race one. Maybe I was just pushing a bit too hard and the front didn’t like it.

I managed sixteen laps in the second race before having a very slow speed crash. Once again, I felt settled on the bike and was just concentrating on my racing.  I hit a bump at the Dunlop hairpin and the bike just folded and went down.

"The crash was so slow that I didn’t even make the end of the track!  I am bitterly disappointed with how things went today because I am sure that I could finished in the points in both races and that would’ve been a fantastic achievement on my World Superbike debut.

"Nevertheless, I have enjoyed my time here this weekend and would like to thank the whole team for all their help and support. Everybody has been amazing and I have been made to feel a part of the team, not just a stand-in for another rider."