By Carly Rathmell
May 3 2005

Xpress Racing rider Dave Johnson took his first podium of the year at the fourth round of the British Superstock Championships at Oulton Park. The 21-year-old Australian, now living in Hinckley, took a confidence inspiring third place at the technical Cheshire based circuit.

Qualifying in sixth place, the friendly youngster was keen to improve on his grid position and that he did in a fierce battle with a number of riders. Johnson was looking extremely content on his Suzuki and was pushing it hard all the way. Johnson is improving at every race meeting, and is now making his way nicely up the championship standings.

Dave Johnson - photo © Raceline Photography

Producing smooth and consistent lap times, Johnson was eager to take his first podium of the 2005 season. Gaining a great start from the second row, Johnson got his head down and meant business, and was soon carving his way through the field - and was progressing forward at a rapid rate of knots.

Speaking to an overjoyed Johnson, he said “It’s fantastic to be back on the podium, and it’s given me the boost I need. The bike works great and I feel more confident each time I go out on it. I can’t complain at all with third place - I’m over the moon, and hope that I can remain on the podium or thereabouts for the remaining meetings. I’ve managed to climb a few more places up the points table, so I just want to remain consistent now for the rest of the season.”

Team Manager Nigel Broomhall was elated with the result, saying, “I had a good feeling about this weekend when I got here on Friday, and thankfully I was right. We had no major issues at all this weekend, which was a blessing, and everything fell into place - and the whole team worked perfectly together. Dave is growing in confidence at every round and I believe we can continue to move forward up the grid. Mondello will be an interesting one for us as we have never been there before. However, if we can get a good set up quickly, there is no reason why we should not gain some healthy results.”