Podium placing for Leyland race ace Alfie Davidson at Brands Hatch

It was another productive weekend on the track for Leyland motorbike racer Alfie Davidson.

The teenager extended his lead in the Sportbike Championship after a battling third-place finish at Brand Hatch.

Despite struggling with bike set-up throughout the weekend at the demanding Kent circuit, Davidson fought through to secure more vital points.

He showed strong pace from the outset, finishing fourth in practice. However, his qualifying session was cut short by a red flag, leaving him to start the race from sixth on the grid.

Knowing he had the pace to challenge, Davidson battled through the field in a fiercely contested race.

His hopes of victory were dented when he was forced to take evasive action to avoid a major incident at Turn One, but he regrouped brilliantly to claim another podium finish in third place. he now leads the championship by 24 points.

Davidson said: “It was another podium to add to the scoreboard. We had a tough start to the weekend as the team had never been here with me and the bike, so we had to start from a set-up we thought was right.

“We made a few changes which suited me well, but I didn’t manage to get a lap in during qualifying, so I had to start from sixth.

“I got my head down and dug deep to make some moves. I got caught out by a crash in front of me, which ruined my chances of the win, but I’m still very happy with third place and extending my championship lead.”

Team owner Ian Newton said: “Alfie continues to make excellent progress and, despite the challenges during the race, showed great maturity to avoid a major crash, regain his composure, be on lap record pace and secure another podium finish while extending his championship lead.