Maidstone's Scott Smart admitted home was most definitely not where the heart was after finishing a disappointing 12th in the opening Metzeler National Superstock 1000 race of the season at Brands Hatch.

The Moto Rapido star, pictured, suffered a frustrating weekend as poor weather limited his track testing time and left him a disappointing 14th on the grid.

And the 34-year-old insisted he could barely wait to get away from his bogey circuit as he looks to launch an assault on the podium at round two at Thruxton later this month.

He said: “Technically this is my home circuit but it always seems to be the one I have the worse luck on so whenever we survive this track we are quite happy. I never mind packing up and leaving Brands Hatch.

“The suspension wasn’t right for overtaking so I kept getting stuck behind people."

But Smart – who was forced to drop down to Superstock after issues with sponsorship blocked his British Superbikes entry – promised his best is yet to come.

“The bike worked well last year and this one is almost identical, the engine is a bit better but that is because I have a much better mechanic,” added Smart.

“We have got new bits coming for them by the second or third round so that will hopefully get us to where we want to be.”

British Eurosport 2 will be broadcasting every round of the 2010 MCE British Superbike Championship. The channel is available on Sky 411 & Virgin Media 525.