SIMON Andrews’ 2009 MCE Insurance British Superbike campaign ended on the worst possible note after he suffered a horror crash during the third and final race at Oulton Park.

The 26-year-old Evesham rider finished sixth and ninth in race one and two respectively at a wet Cheshire circuit but saw the curtain come down on his season in spectacular style.

Andrews, who had radiator problems in race one, did not even last a lap during race three, colliding with Relentless Suzuki rider Alistair Seeley before being thrown off his bike and into the crash barrier.

The MSS Colchester Kawasaki rider was rushed to the medical centre but later walked away with little more than concussion at Oulton Park.

“The weather hasn’t been ideal but that’s how it goes,” said Andrews before his crash in the third race.

“We think we punched a radiator early on in the weekend so once I got to the line to race I had to really ease off to try and cool it down and just get it home.

“We made drastic changes for the first race and it seemed to work and we did the same for the second. But it was touch and go after that because we weren’t sure how bad it was.

“It was about trying to get out there and make the most of what has been a pretty tough situation.

“It’s just a shame to end the season on a bit of a downer because it has generally been quite positive.”

Despite his fortunes at Oulton Park, Andrews has endured a breakthrough season climbing the podium for the first time at Cadwell Park and finishing sixth overall.

The MSS Colchester Kawasaki rider ended 12.5 points off his 2008 total of 176 which placed him eighth and admitted he will go into the close season with spirits high.

“We’ve moved up in the championship so that has been quite good for us,” he added.

“We’ve got all the data for next year so that means we are not going in blind.

“We’ve had a lot of support from Kawasaki and are going to work on the bike for next year and hopefully make it better. Rather than learning and being hit and miss, we’ll be up there.”

British Eurosport 2 has live coverage from every round of the 2009 Superbike World Championship. See the action on Sky channel 411 or Virgin Media channel 525.

The next race is at Portimao, Portugal, on Sunday, October 25. For SBK updates, visit uk.eurosport.yahoo.com.