Leon Haslam gave BMW their best-ever World Superbike results today at Imola, scoring a brace of third places despite making a few mistakes and having to deal with chatter on a worn rear tyre.

Haslam shadowed Kawasaki's Tom Sykes for both outings and looked set for a second place in race two but vibration from his S1000RR at the end of race meant it wasn't to be. He also jumped to fourth in the title race behind Kawasaki's Sykes.

“We had a good first race and managed to get a podium position which was my first in Imola. I made a mistake in the beginning and third was the best result we could get. In 2010, Max beat me in the world championship here in Imola, so it was nice to win that fight for the podium. In race two I got a better start, but the top three got away again. I managed to catch up and I really did feel that I could beat Tom, but in the end I made a few mistakes again. Every time I pushed, I got a little bit of chatter and lost my line,” said Haslam.

“Overall, we are making progress but with the S1000RR it’s not just about making improvements but more about understanding what is happening and why, and ensuring the setup so the Pirelli race tyres have the longevity required, like we did this weekend."