Steve Hix (Suzuki 1000) stayed top of the ACU Clubmans’ championship after a tough third round at Donington Park on May 26 and 27.
The 38-year-old from Holbeach had not raced at the Leicestershire circuit since 2006, so planned to take things easily on the first day of the Derby Phoenix club meeting.
He was third home in race one, right behind Ash Chivers (MSG Racing and Dyno Suzuki 1000) and narrowly in front of Kingsley Ruddy (MSG Racing and Dyno Suzuki 1000), with just four fifths of a second covering the trio.
Hix was third again in the next outing, behind race one winner Darren Bellworthy (Suzuki 1000) and Chivers. Disaster struck in the next race, the second Allcomers event. Hix lost the front end going through Schwantz Curve when trying to move into the top three.
He escaped with cuts and bruises, but the bike suffered some damage that had to be repaired overnight. A faulty brake forced Hix to pull out of the third ACU Clubmans’ race on Sunday morning after just a couple of laps
The all-conquering Bellworthy won that race with the on-form Chivers just a couple of seconds behind him and BSB regular Geoff Lapworth (Honda 1000) third.
Hix had to start from 40th place on the grid in race four and did well to pull through to seventh in the ten-lap event.
Bellworthy stayed unbeaten, with Chivers again second and Mark Littler (Honda 1000) third.
Hix was sixth home in the fifth and final race, to end the weekend with a total of 259, 37 ahead of his closest rival, Kingsley Ruddy, the talented 18-year-old from Hoyland, near Barnsley who was struggling with fuel starvation problems until the very end of the meeting.
Ruddy, like some others, was lacking practice round Donington. The last time he had raced here was in his Superteen days.
Ash Chivers, the 23-year-old from High Wycome, rocketed up the standings after those five second-places. He moved from tenth to third on 155 points.
Bellworthy was easily the man of the meeting, though. He won all his eight races in his first race meeting in a year on a bike borrowed from the injured Lee Wilson.