The MWR Kawasaki team endured a weekend of misfortune at Thruxton this weekend with both James Egan and Harry Hartley failing to score any points in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 and 600 Championships.

South African Egan struggled in Pirelli National Superstock 1000 practice once again due to the weather with the second qualifying session being wiped out by rain which meant he had to start from 31st on the grid. In the race, the rider from KwaZulu-Natal province lapped quicker with each lap and moved up to 25th place before his charge was ended due to the race being stopped on the 11th of the 16 laps but with three riders ahead of him crashing out and subsequently being excluded from the results, it meant he was awarded 22nd place.

Rain also affected the qualifying sessions for the Pirelli National Superstock 600 class where Hartley, the 16-year-old from Burnley, started the race from 20th on the grid. Maintaining position in the early stages, he then suffered a fall on the sixth lap, just after a safety car period but was lucky to escape injury.

James Egan: "I've had to put my expectations to one side for now as I definitely under-estimated the competitiveness of the class and with the weather continuing to conspire against us, we're simply not getting the dry track time we need. However, the race was dry and it was successful for us in that my lap times improved all the time and I was able to move forward throughout the race. The Kawasaki ZX-10R has so much power so it's all about being smooth and using the power properly. We're making strides forward all the time so I am looking forward to the next round."

Harry Hartley:  "It was an eventful race as I nearly got caught up in the crash which brought out the safety car and then to crash out soon after was disappointing. We are just chasing a set-up as we have had so little time on the bike and it's proving tough but we'll get there. I'm a bit battered but I'll be OK for my home round at Oulton Park next time out and hopefully we can get a result to reflect our hard work."

Mark Webster, Team Owner:  "James has been chasing a dry set-up all weekend which hasn't been easy as conditions have been against us once more and his cause wasn't helped by a holed radiator in session two. We ended up going with a completely different set up for the race and it was definitely a step in the right direction. His race pace was far better than that of qualifying so he was able to make some excellent progress in the race, moving forward all the time. Harry's still learning how to ride a four-stroke and he's improving every time he goes out on the track. Unfortunately, he was caught out by a bit of inexperience and with the tyres having cooled down during the safety car period, he crashed out. It's good news that nothing is broken so it's onwards and upwards and once again, full credit to the team for all their work."

The next round of the Pirelli National Superstock 600 and 1000 Championships take place at Oulton Park in Cheshire over the bank holiday weekend of 4/6 May. For further information, please visit www.mwrkawasaki.co.uk or www.britishsuperbike.com.

Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship (10 laps)1 David Johnson (Kawasaki)2 Adam Jenkinson (Kawasaki)3 Steve Brogan (Kawasaki)4 Joe Burns (Kawasaki)5 Jonathan Howarth (Kawasaki)6 Victor Cox (Kawasaki)22 James Egan (MWR Kawasaki)

Championship standings (after two rounds)1 Jenkinson 45 pts2 Johnson 253 Brogan 224 Burns 215 Backlund 20= Ward 20

Pirelli National Superstock 600cc Championship (14 laps)1 Tim Hastings (Kawasaki)2 Jordan Simpkin (Yamaha)3 James Lodge (Kawasaki)4 Grant Whitaker (Yamaha)5 Nick Anderson (Kawasaki)6 Niall Campbell (Yamaha)DNF Harry Hartley (MWR Kawasaki)

Championship standings (after two rounds)1 Simpkin 40pts2 Hastings 383 Collier 32= Lodge 325 Cooper 20= Campbell 20