COLCHESTER'S Tom Oliver says he was happy to bag more championship points after claiming a fifth-place finish at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit.

Oliver and his SGR Racing Yamaha team were happy with their showing in the second round of the Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship.

Oliver said: “It was a tough race as I expected, I had the speed but not the strength to challenge.

"I want to be consistent and keep bringing in the points and that is what I did.

"I couldn’t believe the lap time I put in to grab pole position every sector was spot on!

"The next round is at Oulton Park which is one of my favourite circuits so I’ll be giving it my all to challenge for the win.”

Oliver had great pace all weekend and secured pole position with a near perfect lap, round the challenging 1.2-mile Kent circuit.

When the lights went out, he jumped straight into the lead which he maintained for three laps before the hard-charging Dan Stamper made his move to take first position.

Running a touch wide at Druids hairpin on lap five allowed the chasing pack to get closer.

As the arduous race progressed Oliver found himself dropping back as the pace picked up, settling for a point-scoring finish.

The top five were in a class of their own, finishing a full six seconds ahead of the remaining field.

SGR Racing Yamaha owner Stephen Kinghorn said: “I’m really pleased with our result and Tom rode well.

"He has been on form all weekend and I know he will keep pushing each time he is on track.

"We’ve had a lot of support this weekend, which means a lot to us.

"Thanks to TK Cope for coming along and cheering Tom on, it’s always good to have your boss back you up!

"We are now looking to Oulton Park to see what we can achieve there.

"Tom always goes well there so hopefully we will see another podium finish."

The third round of the Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship takes place at Oulton Park in Cheshire on the weekend of April 29-May 1.