Double podium man Peter Hickman believes he’s reeled back in the possibility of a place in the showdown after beginning this morning in hospital.

The Smith’s Racing BMW rider had been taken to Winchester Hospital for checks after feeling unwell before today’s BSB warm up session, but was later declared fit to race as he returned to the track in preparation for race one.

Putting the illness behind him, however, Hickman managed to come out fighting and take home a second and a third with more vital podium credits to his name,

And after finishing on the podium in both races, the Lincolnshireman feels his title challenge is back on track.

“We came here thinking that unless we were on the podium in both races, the championship was pretty much done,” he said. “Thankfully, we’ve salvaged that now.

“It’s just the weekend we needed apart from the illness bit. Right from the first free practice we were there all day Friday, so I’m happy enough.”

Despite admitting he’s leaving the Hampshire circuit content with his performance, Hickman says he could have been challenging Josh Brookes for victory in the second race if it weren’t for Leon Haslam and Jake Dixon’s tenacity.

“The guys were trying to battle too much and Josh was just getting away. Every time I passed Jake he’d just absolutely hammer me the next corner, and it cost us all half a second every time and Josh just got further and further away.

“Eventually I got into a little bit of a rhythm and I just started pulling him back, but then Leon lunged at me at the chicane and lost everything we gained again. But Josh rode a mega race, he didn’t put a foot wrong.

“I don’t know, maybe I saved my tyre a bit too much for the end, maybe I should’ve gone a bit earlier. But that’s the way it goes.”