‏There was a mixture of joy and disappointment for the AP Kawasaki team yesterday when riders Leon Hunt and Freddie Russo were in action at Knockhill in Scotland.Brighton rider Hunt was denied his best finish of the season so far in the latest round of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship after he had performed heroics during the two days of practice and qualifying when, in changeable conditions, he qualified the ZX-10R Kawasaki in a brilliant fifth place.

With confidence high, Leon and the team had high hopes for the 22-lap race but all hopes of a top six result were dashed on the opening lap when he was part of a multiple machine pile up after a good start. The race was subsequently red flagged but sadly for Leon, the bike was too badly damaged in the short space of time allowed and he reluctantly had to miss out.

Brentwood rider Russo made up for the team's disappointment by taking his AP Kawasaki to 10th in the Metzeler National 600cc Superstock Championship race. Having qualified in 13th place, it was always going to be a hectic 22-lap race around the 1.27-mile circuit and so it proved. Shuffled back to 14th on the opening lap, the safety car was soon out on track and when racing resumed at the end of lap four, Freddie found himself pushed back further to 16th. However, battling hard he gradually began to move back forward and in the second half of the race he was able to pick off a few places in front of him. Part of a five-man group battling for 11th, Freddie overtook all of them and, setting his personal best lap on the penultimate lap of the race, he was rewarded for his efforts with a solid 10th place at the chequered flag.Leon Hunt: "I'm obviously very disappointed as this was looking to be our best weekend to date having qualified in fifth position. I got a great start and then all hell broke loose on the first corner and I got taken down in the melee when I was up to fourth place. The bike was too badly damaged which not only put paid to my chances in the race but has ruled me out of the Snetterton test tomorrow so I'm doubly frustrated. Also, my arm feels a lot better after the operation so I'm really looking forward to the next round at Snetterton."

Freddie Russo: "To end up in tenth place was a pretty good achievement as it was a real scrap out there and I think I could have maybe got a few places higher had I not been held up by the riders I was trying to pass. Still, this represents a good result and I'm pleased with it, it's certainly better than last year when I left Knockhill very battered and with two black eyes after my crash! I'm hoping we can challenge for a podium at Snetterton in two weeks' time and build on this solid performance."

Alan Greig, Team Manager: "Overall, I'm very pleased with the team's performance this weekend but frustrated at the same time. Leon qualified really well and it wasn't his fault he was taken down on the first corner but these things happen and he paid a heavy price for someone else's mistake. Freddie showed his battling spirit and I was delighted with his result. What it means most is we are now in a position we want to be and that is challenging for top honours. It's taken a little longer than we anticipated but hopefully we can continue our progress at Snetterton in two weeks' time."

Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship (22 laps)

1 Keith Farmer (Yamaha) 19m59.314s2 Glenn Irwin (Kawasaki) +3.570s3 Cody Nally (Kawasaki) +3.928s4 Tom Young (Kawasaki) +5.615s5 Deane Brown (Yamaha) +5.738s6 Daniel Kinloch (Kawasaki)+6.393s7 Johnny Blackshaw (Triumph)+9.227s8 Connor Behan (Kawasaki) +9.279s9 Ben Burke (Yamaha) +14.724s10 Freddie Russo (AP Kawasaki) +17.246s

Championship Positions (after 5 rounds)

1 Farmer 100pts2 Brown 523 Behan 514 Burke 485 East 446 Nally 4211 Russo 27

Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship (17 laps)

1 Tristan Palmer (Honda) 14m26.750s2 Richard Cooper (BMW) +3.686s3 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki) +3.931s4 Adam Jenkinson (Honda) +6.358s5 Howie Mainwaring (Kawasaki) +8.930s6 Joe Burns (BMW) +10.123s7 Luke Quigley (BMW) +12.450s8 Victor Cox (Kawasaki) +12.847s9 David Johnson (Honda) +17.462s10 Michael Robertson (Kawasaki) +21.235sDNS Leon Hunt (AP Kawasaki) Championship Positions (after 5 rounds)

1 Palmer 104pts2 Buchan 973 Cooper 794 O'Halloran 615 Quigley 396 Mainwaring 3825 Hunt 1