The Morecambe ace was in contention throughout the weekend and he brought his Padgett's Honda home in 12th place, right in the wheel tracks of the factory Suzuki and Honda riders, Ian Lowry and Steve Brogan.

Always at home around the 2.18-mile Lincolnshire venue, John signalled his intentions with 6th place in the opening qualifying session, which was held in difficult, damp conditions.

By the time the afternoon's final 40-minute session got underway, the weather had improved dramatically with sunny skies greeting the riders and a time of 1m31.119s saw John finish in 8th place overall, good enough for a 3rd row start on the revised grid formation.

With a bumper crowd again in attendance, the largest of the year, the original race was red-flagged due to an incident but when it did commence, John slotted in to 10th place on the opening lap. Throughout the race, John found himself embroiled in a terrific ten-rider battle for eighth place with places changing hand frequently around the undulating and technical course. After 14 hard fought laps, John crossed the line in 12th place, just behind the official Honda UK entry of Steve Brogan, for 4 more championship points.

McGuinness said: "Cadwell is one of my favourite circuits so I always enjoy riding there and right from the beginning of the weekend, I felt at home. The bike was working excellently and sixth in first qualifying was a great confidence booster for all of us.

" Although I slipped back to 8th in the second session, I was only half a second adrift of pole position and we were extremely competitive in both the wet and dry conditions."

"I didn't quite get the start I would have liked but it was nip and tuck all the way and one of the most pleasing aspects was that I was comfortably running the same pace as many of the championship contenders.

"There was very little between any of the bikes but I stayed strong throughout the race, running some very consistent times, and we've got a solid result.

"I was right with Lowry and Brogan, who are running in the top 5 of the championship, so I think I've proved that it's only a run of bad luck that has prevented me from being in the points on a more regular basis.

"I'm feeling fit and as sharp as ever so I'm looking forward to a strong end to the season and getting as many points as possible."

McGuinness now has a three-week break before his next meeting, with round 10 of the British Supersport Championship taking place at Croft on Sunday September 14.