TEENAGE motorcycling starlet Sam Thompson recorded a middle-of-the-pack finish in the first round of the National Superstock 600 Championship.

The Bournemouth ace experienced bike problems at Donington Park but still managed to battle his way to 14th.

There were 40 places on the grid available to the 54 riders that entered qualifying.

Thompson was initially running 10th-quickest but issues with the front brakes on the Triumph machine meant the 19-year-old eventually finished 21st.

In a frantic race, Thompson battled his way up the standings to notch a creditable finish in 23:10.947.

Mason Law came out on top aboard his Kawasaki in a time of 22:45.148.

Thompson is next in action at Brands Hatch in round two from April 17-19.