Croft win takes Sam Lowes to brink of Supersport title

Lowes needs 11 points from the final two races to win the Supersport title

Lincoln's Sam Lowes took a step closer to winning the British Supersport Championship with victory at Croft.

The GNS Racing Honda rider leads by 40 points with two rounds remaining.

Lowes, who started on pole, took the win when leader Graeme Gowland retired with a blown engine which left oil on the track and brought out the red flag.

Boston's Ben Wilson led the opening six laps but retired with electrical problems while Alex Lowes also led at one point before finishing fourth.

The win was Sam's fourth of the season, and with his title rival James Westmoreland finishing second in the race, he needs only a fifth-place finish in the final two rounds to clinch the championship.

Wilson retained fourth in the standings with Gowland and Billy McConnell also failing to score points.

In Superbikes Ryuichi Kiyonari and Josh Brookes of the Louth-based HM Plant Honda saw their title hopes dented as they finished both races outside the top three.

Kiyonari was 11th in race one and fourth in race two, while Brookes finished sixth and eighth, with victories going to Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty.

Kiyonari is 27 points behind championship leader Hill with Brookes a further point behind his team-mate.

Louth's Peter Hickman, who qualified in the top 10 for the first time on the Ultimate Racing Yamaha, came home in 12th and 16th.

In Superstock Woodhall Spa's Steve Plater was seventh for HM Plant Honda and Lee Jackson from Lincoln 16th for Buildbase Kawasaki, with Lincoln's Leebob Jackson 12th and eighth in the weekend's two 125GP races.