Dunfermline race ace Declan Connell said there were positives to take moving forward despite mixed results on his bike on home turf.
The former Queen Anne High School pupil was in action at Knockhill Racing Circuit in the third round of the Pirelli National Superstock Championship, a support class of the British Superbike Championship, at the weekend.
He went into the competition's only Scottish visit fourth in the standings, with 28 points, and demonstrated the pace that has made him a regular frontrunner in his debut season with Rapid Honda Racing by Drivelife.
Despite qualifying being disrupted by a series of red flags, Connell, who used the weekend to promote the charity, Social Bite, secured fourth place on the grid for Saturday's opening race.
He made a strong start, settling into the leading group and running comfortably inside the top five, helping establish a gap to the riders behind before a safety car period brought the field back together.
Although rear grip issues limited his progress after the restart, Connell fought hard to secure a solid fifth-place finish, matching where he finished in both races at Knockhill 12 months ago.
He returned the following day for race two but, after another steady start, in which he began chasing the group ahead, he suffered an unfortunate crash that his day cut short.
"We showed strong pace throughout the weekend and the team did an incredible job, especially overnight before Sunday's race," he said.
"We found a really positive direction with the bike and I felt confident going into the final race.
"I was trying hard to catch the group ahead and simply pushed a little too much. That's racing sometimes.
"The positives are that we had the pace to run at the front, took another top five finish, and learned a lot that we can take into the next round.
"I can't thank the team enough for all their hard work and support."
Connell is sixth in the standings, with 44 points, 51 behind leader, David Allingham, with round four taking place at Snetterton, Norfolk, over July 3-5.
