Xavi Fores finished his first full season in WorldSBK with an eighth place result in Race 2 on Sunday evening at the Losail International Circuit.

The Barni Racing man had a great start and climbed to fourth behind Tom Sykes and Sylvain Guintoli and it looked as though a podium result could be in his sights. However, the engine failure and oil spillage from Saeed Al Sulaiti’s Kawasaki brought out the red flag and halted the momentum for Fores.

After the restart he recommenced his hard work from fourth on the grid and went on the attack to try to beat Leon Haslam. As he pushed to for third place an error led him to run off track and the chance for a top three result had gone, with the Spaniard eventually finishing eighth.

Nonetheless it was a top ten finish in the race and a ninth place finish overall in the final 2016 WorldSBK standings for Fores.

“We weren’t able to get the result we deserved,” he said afterwards. “Before the red flag I was fourth and was convinced that I could fight for the podium with Sykes and Guintoli, but again we were out of luck. After the restart I was third, but I made a mistake, lost several positions and there was no way back.”

He went on the add, “The season is over so now we have to look forward. This year we have demonstrated on several occasions that I have the potential, but often luck was not on our side. We gained great experience, which we hope will be useful in the coming seasons. I thank the whole team and Marco (Barnabo) for the great work we have done together throughout the year.”