BRADFORD motorbike racer Dean Harrison had reason to celebrate last weekend, after picking up his best ever British Superbikes Championship result of eighth place at the iconic Donington Park track.

It was a weekend that improved as it went on for the 32-year-old, who despite being primarily a road racer, has grown in confidence on track with each passing event.

He came 20th in race one at Donington and 13th in race two, but it was the final event of the weekend, race three, where he really stood out.

He may have even finished higher than eighth, but was involved in a collision while chasing down championship challenger Tarran McKenzie partway through the race.

That knocked the Bradfordian off the circuit, but he somehow managed to recover and get back on the bike.

That collision left him outside the top 10, but he fought back through the pack, helped by being on intermediate tyres on what was a damp track.

Harrison's eventual eighth place gave him eight points in the championship standings, moving him up to 20th overall.

In that thrilling fightback, he even nearly overtook McKenzie, who is second in the championship, behind team-mate Jason O'Halloran.

Also at Donington last weekend were Keighley-based team Appleyard Macadam Yamaha, and they retook the Quattro Group Supersport series lead.

Brad Perie earned them a hard-fought win in Saturday's sprint race, overtaking title rival Jack Kennedy in the final corner. Team-mate Rhys Irwin retired with a fuel issue.

The feature race on Sunday saw neither Perie nor Kennedy pick up points, as the pair collided and took each other out of the race. Poor Irwin battled from the back of the grid up to fifth, but was taken out on the final lap.

Perie leads the series by one point from Kennedy.

Both the British Superbikes Championship and the Quattro Group Supersport series return this weekend, with a jam-packed few days of action due at Cadwell Park.