KENDAL speed ace James Ellison scored an emotional third place finish for the Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Kawasaki team in race two at Silverstone as he returned to the podium for the first time since his serious Brands Hatch crash.
The 34-year-old was back in the top three for the first time since he suffered a broken femur in July after edging out Tommy Bridewell by just 0.093 seconds in Race 12 at the home of British motor sport.
And Ellison, who finished behind winner Ryuichi Kiyonari and championship leader Shane Byrne, hopes the Round 11 result will propel him to end his season on a high at Brands Hatch in two weeks time.
"That was certainly an exciting race," said Ellison, who also posted an 11th place finish in Race 8. "I've not run at the front since the accident and I tried to stay with Shakey and Kiyo but their pace was so fast. It was great to battle with Tommy Bridewell and to cross the line in third was incredible. It was definitely one of the best podiums of the year - it's been a long battle back from the crash but I feel like we've taken a big step this weekend.
"I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone in the GBmoto team, everyone who's helped me and to all my supporters. I'd also like to thank Mark (Smith-Halvorsen, team principal) in particular, he never put anyone else on the bike and backed me throughout - they're a very special team and I would love to be back with them again next year. We head to Brands now where I hope to be back on the podium and make amends for July!"
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