After qualifying in second place, just 200th of a second away from pole, team mate Sebastien Gimbert started the race and led briefly in the early stages.

But after refuelling and handing over the David Checa the problems began for the team. Just two hours into the race a stone holed the radiator and an unscheduled pit stop was needed to replace the radiator.

Woodhall Spa ace Steve Plater was next on the bike and he fought his way back up to third. But after handing over to Gimbert once again the bad luck continued.

A riderless bike took Gimbert out as he tipped into the hairpin and he was very lucky not to be badly injured.

Once more the team fought back and managed to get up to sixth as the light faded. Going into the night session the weather took a turn for the worse and the rain continued until daybreak. Because of his injuries Gimbert was only able to complete a further two sessions and Plater rode three double sessions of two hours each, which made it a long and exhausting night for the Woodhall man.

The race continued throughout the morning and GMT94 finally crossed the finish line in sixth place.

Plater said: “We had a very eventful time of it out there. Sebastien Gimbert is a bit battered but he will be OK for his World Superbike ride with the team at the weekend. He was very lucky as it was a big crash.

"The rain didn't help our cause either and doing a double stint on the bike each time made it seem forever until the chequered flag."

Steve returns to the Yamaha Austria team for the final round at Doha/Losail where, although they cannot win the title, the team are still in contention for the runners-up spot.

Plater returns to domestic action with AIM Yamaha this weekend in the penultimate round of the British Supersport championship on Sunday. He won the race last time out at Cadwell and will be looking for more of the same at Silverstone.