Chaz Davies admitted third place was the best on offer at the World Superbikes race in Assen.

The Knighton-born racer started 10th on the grid in Holland having being forced to retire from Saturday’s first race.

Davies quickly forced his way through the field to take third spot but there was no stopping the Kawasakis as Jonathan Rea led another one-two with Tom Sykes.

The 30-year-old did move up one place to third in the overall standings after Ducati team-mate Marco Melandri crashed out.

But Davies is now 24 points behind Sykes but more important 84 points adrift of Rea who has won seven of the eight races this season.

Davies – the only other rider to win a race – is looking to hit back at the next round in Imola where he romped to a double victory last year in Ducati’s home race.

The Aruba-it Racing rider said: “I enjoyed coming back through the field, but honestly it wasn’t easy and we rode a tough race today.

“We simply didn’t have the ideal feeling, which we had both in Race 1 and this morning in warm-up.

“We lacked grip on the front and it felt a bit like riding on eggshells in the last 10 laps.

“We need to address why, either if it’s because of a setup issue or the strong winds.

“But it was important not to crash and bring home points, as I realized quite early that third-place was the best we could do today.

“Still, our goal is to win whenever it’s possible, and hopefully we’ll have another chance at Imola, which is a special place both for me and Ducati.”