Clarke settles for 11th as his Donington Park charge is cut short by arm pump

Aaron Clarke’s chances of a top five finish at the opening round of the Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship were hit by an untimely bout of arm pump over the weekend.

Clarke recorded an 11th-placed finish for his team draperRacing at Donington Park on Sunday to bring five championship points – but he could easily have bagged a few more.

Clarke, from Kirton, enjoyed free practice on Friday and made changes to the set-up ahead of the solitary qualifying session on Saturday.

He was riding well and recorded some fast times during the session, where he secured a strong 12th place to start his race from a fourth row grid position.

As his race got underway on Sunday, he got off to a flyer and was up to seventh on the opening lap.

By lap three he was through to fifth and challenging for position within a large group of riders for fourth place.

But, sadly, he began to suffer with arm pump, which eventually affected both arms making it difficult to remain near the front of the field. He gradually slipped back down the field as far as 13th at one stage but bravely battled on to recover to cross the finish line in a very creditable 11th place.

Clarke said: “I was riding really well and enjoying the battle with the boys at the front but once the arm pump kicked in I just could not maintain my position and had to ease off a bit.

“I was determined to finish the race and made a really big effort in the last few laps to get back into the top 10.

“I just missed out but 11th and the five championship points is a good start to the season and I hope to build on that in the next round.”

The team – which includes Clarke’s team-mate Tommy Philp (East Kirkby) in the SuperSport class – now moves on to Brands Hatch for round two over the Easter weekend.