LIAM Delves enjoyed three strong finishes at his home circuit despite a scare during practice as he was involved in a heavy crash at Donington Park in round three of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
The Solihull rider suffered from a braking issue in free practice before he then crashed heavily and was declared unfit to ride in the second session by the medical team.
However, Delves returned to the track on race day, having been declared fit to continue, as he struggled from a strained muscle in his thigh which impacted his qualification times.
He remained in considerable pain as he took his position on the gird for race one but defied the odds to finish the 12-lap race in 21st position as he took two seconds off his personal best lap time.
Delves began the second race from the ninth row of the grid, as he continued to nurse his injuries, and moved into the top-20 before a couple of crashes saw him cross the line in 16th place to equal his highest ever finish in a single Championship race just outside of a points finish.
And he made a strong start to the third and final race as he rose up to 19th place by lap eight and held his position through to the chequered flag on lap 20.
Delves will continue his Bennetts British Superbike Championship season at Knockhill on the weekend of June 16 to 18.
