Riding the Shaun Muir Racing 1000cc Honda Fireblade, the 27 year old from Kendal was hoping for a good result after qualifying in fifth position during yesterday's rain affected Superpole, but with inclement and changeable conditions once again dominating, any hopes of a good result in the opening race were dashed when he got a poor start which resulted in a collision with Yamaha rider Noriyuki Haga.

James battled from way down the order to eventually record a tenth place finish after the race was interrupted due to Haga's machine depositing oil on the track and a number of riders crashing out as a result.

However it was in the second of the two 23-lap races that Ellison put in one of the best performances of his career.

Running with the leaders for the opening part of the very wet race, James was well placed to challenge but midway through the race he ran off the track but managed to keep the bike upright and re-joined to eventually claw his way up to fourth position at the flag behind Ryuichi Kiyonari, Cal Crutchlow and double world champion Troy Corser, and in doing so he also recorded the fastest lap of the race.

James Ellison: "It's a shame I lost those thirteen seconds in the gravel trap because I could have been up there on the podium, but I can't be disappointed even though it was so close. The team has spent a lot of money coming here but it's been worthwhile and I think they've enjoyed it, so it's a big thanks to Shaun and the sponsors as I've always wanted to race in World Superbikes. This has boosted my confidence going into the next BSB round at Croft next week."

Shaun Muir (Team Owner): "James spent thirteen seconds in the gravel trap and he finished just ten seconds behind Troy Corser, so it's a shame he didn't get on the podium. I'm over the moon with his results, he's done himself proud and shown what he can do in the wet and the dry against the factory boys. The team has worked hard all weekend and it's all credit to them and now we can look forward to our local track next weekend at Croft and hope for that first win."

The team is next in action at Croft next weekend for round ten of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

Superbike Result - Race One
1, T Bayliss (Ducati) 29m55.384s, 2, T Sykes (Suzuki) +1.266s, 3, M Biaggi (Ducati) +28.636s, 4, G Lavilla (Honda) +33.566s, 5, Y Kagayama (Suzuki) +35.966s, 6, J Smrz (Ducati) +36.034s, 7, F Nieto (Suzuki) +36.442s, 8, L Haslam (Honda) +41.633s, 9, K Muggeridge (Honda) +42.075s, 10, J Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +43.476s.

Superbike Result - Race Two
1, R Kiyonari (Honda) 40m26.508s, 2, C Crutchlow (Honda) +2.261s, 3, T Corser (Yamaha) +9.727s, 4, J Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +20.227s, 5, M Fabrizio (Ducati) +27.475s, 6, M Biaggi (Ducati) +28.051s, 7, G Lavilla (Honda) +30.922s, 8, R Xaus (Ducati) +38.353s, 9, C Checa (Honda) +50.196s, 10, T Sykes (Suzuki) +57.346s.

Championship Standings after Round 11
1, T Bayliss (AUS) 359pts
2, T Corser (AUS) 258pts
3, M Neukirchner (GER) 254pts
4, C Checa (ESP) 240pts
5, N Haga (JPN) 230pts
6, F Nieto (ESP) 192pts
7, M Biaggi (ITA) 192pts
8, R Kiyonari (JPN) 190pts
9, M Fabrizio (ITA) 172pts
10, R Xaus (ESP) 156pts
23, J Ellison (GBR) 19pts