Lydd’s Bradley Ray saved his best for last as he resumed his Superbike World Championship campaign in Misano.

The Motoxracing Yamaha rider couldn’t match his points-scoring display from Assen last time out, but did improve on his weekend finishes in Italy with 18th in race one topped by 17th in race two after a set-up change brought a 10-second improvement.

The mood was downcast after early laps with Ray and his engineers struggling to understand why his machine was slower than expected.

“There’s something wrong with the bike that we cannot identify, and which means I can’t ride in a good way,” Ray said on day one.

“Hopefully the team can find a solution in time for tomorrow. That aside, I’m enjoying riding here at Misano again.”

A faster lap - more than a second quicker than his best practice time - earned 23rd on the grid for the Superpole and a quick getaway resulted in that 18th-placed finish.

The 10-lap Superpole race was not as fruitful, Ray dropping to 20th place, before ending with 17th spot - his best result of the weekend - in race two.

Donington Park hosts the UK round of the championship in four weeks’ time and Ray can’t wait to return to home turf.

“It wasn’t the easiest of weekends for me and the team,” he added.

“Today we made a step with the bike in both races, and I feel like we now have a direction to follow. Next up is my home round at Donington, which I’m looking forward to.”