SUPERBIKE star Ed Rendell has admitted that the pressure has been eased after extending his lead in the Motostar 125 Championship to 41 points.
The Chelmsford rider enjoyed a successful weekend at Knockhill, Scotland, as he cruised to victory in his class and pushes further ahead of closest rival Taz Taylor.
He said: "When an event is held in Scotland you want to come away with a good result as it is a 1,200-mile round trip.
"But we did exactly what we needed to do, which was to extend my lead at the top of the standings. We have managed to build up a pretty massive lead now, which is really good for the upcoming events.
"It means that the pressure is off slightly and everything can be a little bit more comfortable. I can relax and keep setting targets for all the upcoming races."
The 22-year-old did not have it all his own way in the early stages of the weekend, however. He had a big slide in qualifying, but was able to get on the second row of the grid, and then also slid on the hairpin during the race.
Rendell added: "It was a bit of a mixed weekend as I had an off in the first qualifying stage, but luckily had put in a fast enough lap to claim fourth on the grid.
"Then in the race I had a big slide on the hairpin but was able to maintain control of the bike. It wasn't particularly wet, but just spitting a little bit so it was in the back of your mind. I think it was a little slippery during the early stages as a few people came off."
The next round of the 2014 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship is the Big Brands Bash – three days on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit July 18-20.
Rendell said: "It is nice for it to be a local round. It is usually a quick circuit there – and I usually go pretty well at Brands – so I am hoping for the same that weekend."
