Runner-up Tarran Mackenzie has admitted he may have spent too much of today’s first Bennetts British Superbike race dicing and not enough time trying to gap the field, despite clinching the outright points lead.

It’s a mistake that the McAMS Yamaha rider says could have affected the outcome as he and early race leader Tommy Bridewell were eclipsed by the hard-charging Scott Redding.

Mackenzie had led much of the early race this afternoon as he and Oxford Racing Ducati’s Bridewell jostled for the top spot, but with five laps to go the former Grand Prix man had tagged onto the back of them and made a move for the lead, leaving the Scotsman back in third.

But after he’d made his way into second, Redding was too far gone and Mackenzie was forced to take 20 points. His second place, however, means he has broken the championship tie with Bridewell and taken control of the points – now holding seven over the Devizes rider.

“The gap got up to two seconds at one point and I was just happy sitting behind Tommy,” Mackenzie revealed. “But every time I passed him to lead he wanted to lead too and he kept passing me back.

“I saw the gap was coming down from Scott. I was hoping if it was going to come down to a second I’d try and pass Tommy because I felt like I had something left, but he caught us that quick. I passed Tommy, Tommy passed me back and then the next thing we know Scott was there on us both.

“I probably sat behind Tommy too long and if I could’ve changed something, maybe I should’ve passed him a little bit earlier and tried to put some time into him. Every time I led I kept making mistakes and he’d pass me back.

“But to have a tough Oulton Park and come back here with a second is perfect. And to lead the championship properly is really good, I can’t wait for tomorrow.”