The AP Kawasaki team enjoyed a strong weekend of racing at Oulton Park with Freddie Russo giving the team their first podium finish of the year when he took second place in round two of the Metzeler National 600cc Superstock Championship today.

Adding to the success, Leon Hunt also gave the team their first points of the season in the 1000cc category although fellow team member Anthony Haywood was forced to retire due to damage on the bike caused when another rider collided with him.

Brentwood's Russo was on the pace throughout practice and qualifying and, after placing tenth on the grid, was feeling confident of a good race finish. A brilliant start saw him complete the first lap in an excellent fourth and although he was pushed back to fifth a lap later, he was already almost four seconds clear of sixth. When the safety car came out on lap six it allowed the pack to bunch right up and when race leaders Glenn Irwin and James East crashed out on lap eight, he found himself briefly in the lead.

There was nothing between the top three and the positions between Russo, Keith Farmer and Johnny Blackshaw changed with frequent regularity and when Freddie overtook Blackshaw on the penultimate lap he was able to secure second position, taking 20 points to move up to joint third in the championship table.

The two riders in the Superstock 1000cc category endured mixed fortunes but for Hunt, a strong qualifying pace where he placed 13th, gave him great optimism for the 15-lap race. A solid start saw him consolidate his position but at half race distance he dropped back to 17th due to suffering arm pump. The Brighton rider dug deep though and was rewarded for his efforts with 15th place, and a championship point at the chequered flag.

Haywood meanwhile had qualified in 26th place but any hopes of improving upon that disappeared on the opening lap when another rider collided with him, which dropped him all the way back to 40th and last. Despite riding with damaged handlebars, the Chesterfield rider was up to 28th just five laps later but the damage was proving too hard to race with and he reluctantly pulled in and retired.

Freddie Russo: "After a DNF at the first round, I just wanted a solid top ten finish this weekend so to get second at what I consider to be my bogey circuit is absolutely brilliant. I couldn't have asked for a better start and I was secure in fourth when the safety car came out which played into my hands in terms of getting a podium although with about six laps to go I experienced a bit of brake fade. That allowed a couple of other riders to dive up the inside but I kept my head down and concentrated really hard on not making any mistakes so second place and 20 points is superb. The bike worked really well and the team did a mega job all weekend, putting in so much effort, so we can head to Croft full of confidence and looking for more of the same."

Leon Hunt: "I'm really pleased to have got my first points of the season but disappointed at the same time not to have been able to race hard from start to finish. I worked hard with the team throughout practice and have now found a good base set-up with the bike and that allowed me to run strongly throughout qualifying. The race was going well but at about half race distance my arms pumped up really badly so I need to improve on that so that we can fulfil the pace we've shown this weekend. Like I say, I'm pleased with the bike and pleased with the points so we now have something to build on and can look forward to Croft."

Anthony Haywood: "I'm really disappointed with how the race went as we made some real good progress with the bike in qualifying and found a set up that I was comfortable with. Someone clipped my handlebar on the first lap and although I tried to bang it back into place, it was a real struggle. I managed to overtake a fair number of people but my wrist was really sore from banging the bars whilst the bike was handling poorly as a result. I tried to stay out as long as I could but it was getting a bit dangerous to carry on so I had little option other than to pull out."

Alan Greig: "We're obviously all over the moon with Freddie's result and it's given the whole team a boost. He would have liked to have been higher in qualifying but he got a good start, stayed out of trouble and put in a terrific ride. Not only was it a great result, it was a stellar effort by the team and has done wonders for Freddie's confidence, which took a dent in 2010. It's not his best track and the plan was to bring the bike home for a solid top ten finish but he exceeded that by far and he can head to the next round in a very good frame of mind.

"Leon had shown great pace in qualifying and found a good set-up of the bike but the arm pump kicked in during the second half of the race and he had to drop back a bit. Nevertheless, it's great to have our first point on the board in the class. Anthony was really unlucky in the race but, even with the problems, showed what a racer he is by moving up 12 places and, like Leon, has now found a good set-up with the bike. We can all go to Croft safe in the knowledge that the technical issues have been overcome and we'll be looking for three good finishes there."

Round three takes place at Croft, North Yorkshire on May 13-15.

Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship (14 laps)1, Keith Farmer (Yamaha) 24:45.370s2, Freddie Russo (AP Kawasaki) +1.709s3, Ben Burke (Yamaha) +3.468s4, Dominic Usher (Yamaha) +3.805s5, Johnny Blackshaw (Triumph) +3.862s6, Adam Lyon (Suzuki) +7.322s7, Connor Behan (Kawasaki) +7.511s8, Jonathan Lodge (Triumph) +8.669s9, Ben Grindrod (Kawasaki) +9.562s10, Brad Anderson (Kawasaki) +9.853s

Metzeler National 1000 Superstock Championship (15 laps)1 Tristan Palmer (Honda) 25m03.434s2 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki) +0.042s3 Jimmy Storrar (BMW) +2.822s4 Richard Cooper (BMW) +3.238s5 Jason O'Halloran (Honda) +3.861s6 Michael Booth (Ducati) +13.725s7 John McGuinness (Honda) +15.967s8 Luke Quigley (BMW) +18.108s9 Marshall Neill (Aprilia) +20.723s10 Joe Burns (BMW) +21.747s15 Leon Hunt (AP Kawasaki) +42.224sDNF Anthony Haywood (AP Kawasaki) 8 laps

Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship Positions1, Ben Burke - 41 points2, Keith Farmer - 253, Freddie Russo - 20=, James East - 20=, Connor Behan - 206, Johnny Blackshaw - 17