26/05/08 : Steve and his team had a weekend to forget, after a frustrating outing at a very wintery Donington Park. High winds made conditions tricky for all the riders, but it was a combination of chassis and mechanical problems that put a stop to another points scoring ride.

The weekend started badly when in the first session Steven was forced to swap to his number two bike due to mechanical problems with his number one bike, and from that point onwards struggled to find a comfortable set-up for the Gearlink Kawasaki.

With world championship 'wild-card' riders at Donington, the pace was very fast, and the times very close. Steven qualified 2.7 seconds from pole position and ended up a lowly 22nd on the grid. His worst qualifying of the year.

With a wet race due on Monday things were looking better in the wet practice, where Steve was ninth fastest despite taking a small tumble on the exit of the first corner.

The bike was quickly repaired and ready for Monday's race, which was held in dry, but overcast conditions. Steve knew it was going to be a tough race but was optimistic about achieving a points scoring position.

Unfortunately that was not to be, as Steven really struggled to keep the pace in the early laps and lost positions, falling as low as 28th at one point. Steven did eventually fight his way back past a few riders and a disqualification elevated him to a final position of 22nd.

This was Steven's reaction......

'That was a really hard race for me. It's difficult to take, especially after we were so competitive last time out at Brands Hatch. It's been frustrating from start to finish this weekend. We have had a problem with two engines, so I had to use my spare bike which isn't quite as competitive. Had the race been wet then maybe things might have been different, as power isn't such a major factor'.

'My crew have all worked very hard this weekend and it's a shame there is nothing to show for it. We need to put this race behind us and concentrate on getting things right for Snetterton in three weekends time'.