SUNDAY brought the first of three planned visits to Brands Hatch for Puriton racer TJ Toms, for Round 2 of the National Superstock 600 Championship.

At the previous round Toms was plagued with rear brake issues, and unfortunately the gremlins struck again.

Despite improving his lap time in qualifying, he slipped down to 17th place and would start the race on the sixth row on the grid.

As the race got underway it became frantic, as more than 30 bikes entered the first corner at Paddock Hill and then dropped down the dip, before climbing up to the slowest corner on the track at Druids, one of few passing points, so it was vital to stay out of trouble.

Despite a lot of bumping and barging, Toms completed the first lap safely and crossed the line in 19th.

For 22 gruelling laps the Puriton rider battled hard and began moving up the field, to cross the line in 13th place and score three Championship points.

He said: “That was a hard race but I’m very happy to have scored my first points in this class.”