Shane Byrne admitted the race pace was too hot to handle during World Superbike round four – but still left Assen with his head held high.

The 33-year-old Althea Racing rider from Sittingbourne (pictured) walked away with solid ninth and eighth place finishes at the Dutch circuit but was largely overshadowed by his fellow Brits.

Honda’s Jonathan Rea not only qualified on pole but also led home a British one-two-three in both races.

Fellow Kent rider Leon Camier and James Toseland climbed the podium in race one while the former double world champion tasted the champagne again in race two with championship leader Leon Haslam.

But despite not joining in on the British success Byrne – who lies 12 in the championship with 48 points – insists he can be proud of his performance in the Netherlands.

"The pace during on race day was unrelenting and you had to fight extremely hard just to get anywhere," said Byrne – who qualified in seventh.

"I couldn’t reach the leading group that was battling for the podium but I am fairly happy with the results of the two races.

"During qualifying I was just thinking about race day and preparing for it and the times we registered did show that we could fight for good results.

"But things just turned up a notch – I always knew the start would be important because that can decide whether you are with those starting on the front row or not.

"Overall I am happy but I will be looking as ever to build on my performance and get better during the next round."

World Superbike Championship races will be broadcast on Eurosport, with the European rounds also available in High Definition. Eurosport Sky 410 & Virgin Media 521. Eurosport HD is on Sky 412 and Virgin Media 522.