Cameron Harris is continuing to make big strides in his debut National Sportbike Series season - even if the latest round at Knockhill was anything but smooth sailing.

The series, which runs alongside the British Superbike Championship, has seen some impressive performances from up-and-coming riders so far, with the Saffron Walden-based debutant one of them.

Riding an Aprilia RS660 for the Harris Racing/PW Gates team, Harris said the excitement has trumped the nerves and helped him look at home in the talented field.

He said: "Pre-season I was excited for my first season in the British championship although there were some nerves about how I'd stack up against the competition after seeing the calibre of riders that were announcing their participation.

"But the season has gone really well so far. We set a goal of being in the top 15 at the start of the year and we've achieved that in every race except one.

"And we have seen steady progress so I'm happy. We've been edging closer to the top 10 which is the goal now."

The latest round at Knockhill proved to be a testing weekend for Harris and his fellow competitors.

The Scottish circuit, known for its unpredictable weather, lived up to its reputation as rain plagued the event.

In the combined practice sessions, Harris finished 20th with a best lap time of 1:02.420 but qualifying saw him trim eight seconds off that to move up to 17th.

Race one was held in wet conditions, adding an extra layer of difficulty for the riders, but Harris managed to bring his Aprilia home in 16th, narrowly missing out on valuable championship points.

He got them in the second race though, also held in the rain. A tight battle for position ended with him 14th.

Reflecting on the weekend, Harris remained positive despite the trying circumstances.

He said: "Knockhill was going to be tough as I'd never visited the track before and the weather didn't make it any easier.

"Despite this I did enjoy learning the track, scoring points in one race and bringing the bike home in one piece.

"Hopefully the sun is out at my next visit."

Looking ahead, Harris has identified areas where he can improve to continue his progression in the highly competitive series.

"Going forward I need to work on getting up to speed quicker in the two practice sessions to improve my qualifying position," he admitted.

"The quality of riders is so high you can't give them any advantage at the start of the race."