AFTER the Lord Mayor's Show in Munich, Neil Hodgson was always struggling to match his compatriots' sporting achievements on German territory this weekend.
But he would not have been prepared for the scale of the disappointment, as the Burnley rider came away from the 11th round of the World Superbike championship at Oschersleben with seventh and tenth placed finishes.
The saving grace for the GSE Racing star was Troy Corser's equally dismal weekend, allowing Hodgson to pull closer to the Australian in the championship standings.
Hodgon's problems, compounded by poor tyre grip, stemmed from his inability to capitalise on pole position as two poor starts left him with mountains to climb in both races.
While Colin Edwards and Ruben Xaus cleared off, to take a race win apiece, Hodgson was left to battle it out for the minor positions.
"Obviously I'm disappointed with the results," said Hodgson.
"I had a bad start in race one and I just couldn't recover from it. Also, I think the factory teams have made a lot of progress during the one-month break."
Another handicap was that this was his first visit to the circuit, whereas most other riders competed here last year when Hodgson was still battling for the British title.
However, he made a better start in race two and powered into fifth position, before a major mistake relegated him to eighth and, with only two possible passing places on the circuit, Hodgson found it difficult to make up ground.
He added: "It has been a disappointing day because we came to Oschersleben with great expectations. I think that by qualifying on pole it disguised the fact that we didn't have the best race set-up possible.
"I must admit that it wasn't my day and even though I tried my hardest, I wasn't riding to my full potential. Next weekend's another round and another chance of getting back on top."
Team-mate James Toseland added: "The best thing was that I finished so close to Neil - that was the
best feeling!"
Results: Race one 1. C Edwards (Honda) 41.23:687; 2. R Xaus (Ducati) +3.355; 3. B Bostrom (Ducati) +15.312; 4. A Yanagawa (Kawasaki) +17.715; 5. T Okada (Honda) +21.418; 6. P Chili (Suzuki) +21.693; 7. N Hodgson (GSE Racing Ducati) +23.071; 8. R Laconi (Aprilia) +24.734; 9. T Corser (Aprilia) +28.618 10. J Toseland (GSE Racing Ducati) +30.064
Race two 1. R Xaus (Ducati) 41.17:957; 2. C Edwards (Honda) +9.938; 4. B Bostrom (Ducati) +17.570; 5. R Laconi (Aprilia) +29.311; 6. P Chili (Suzuki) +29.392; 7. G Lavilla (Kawasaki) +29.607; 8. T Okada (Honda) +29.741; 9. A Yanagawa (Kawasaki) +30.047; 10. N Hodgson (GSE Racing Ducati) +32.821; 12. J Toseland (GSE Racing Ducati) +33.121
Championship points after round 11 of 13: 1. T Bayliss 319; 2. C Edwards 295; 3. B Bostrom 276; 4. T Corser 238; 5. N Hodgson 232; 6. P Chili 199; 7. A Yanagawa 152; 8. R Xaus 151; 9. T Okada 137; 10. G Lavilla 136; 13. J Toseland 77
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