Honda Racing's Xavi Fores kept a grip on the final Bennetts British Superbike Showdown spot despite the best efforts of team-mate Andrew Irwin and struggling with grip problems all weekend.

The Spaniard made his debut at the Norfolk track in Friday's first practice and said he was without the required grip from then on but managed to snag sixth and eighth places over the two legs even after an Esses clash with Irwin.

"To be honest this weekend has been harder than I expected. I like the track and enjoyed my laps but honestly from the first day I had a small issue with the bike and was never able to solve it, and for the races it was not so easy to manage," said the former WorldSBK star.

"Race one I was trying to defend my position and had a good battle with Andrew, but at the end I got some important points and finished in the top-six.

"I did expect a little more and especially in the second race, but the first part was really, really bad for me, I never felt a good grip on the apexes, especially in the first ten laps. After that I was able to manage a little more and able to almost have the same pace as the top-four, but unfortunately it was too late and sometimes it's quite frustrating when you lose so much gap at the start.

"But anyway, sixth and eighth isn't so bad for my first time here in Snetterton and I am looking forward to Thruxton in order to keep the Showdown still alive! I want to say thanks to all the team, we made a good job inside the box and see you at Thruxton."

Team boss Havier Beltran added: "Xavi is doing a great job with the development and the direction of the Fireblade, but again we had some issues that we need to iron out early to make further progress."