NEIL Hodgson's bid for the lead of the British Superbike Championship at Silverstone ended in controversy after yet another clash with rival Chris Walker.

The 26-year-old Burnley rider crushed the opposition with a dominant win in the first of two races at the Grand Prix circuit, closing the gap on series leader John Reynolds to just one point.

His pre-race strategy of going flat-out from the green light worked to perfection, with Walker's National Tyres Suzuki no match for the straight-line speed of the INS Ducati.

By lap seven the race was over, Walker's tyres blistered by the effort of trying to keep up with Hodgson.

But their season-long feud was reignited in race two, when Hodgson challenged Suzuki rider Walker for the lead at the Abbey curve. As the pair banged fairings, the 21,000-strong crowd witnessed a re-run of their infamous Oulton Park coming-together, only this time it was Hodgson who came off worse.

As his Ducati slid from underneath him and into the gravel trap, Walker managed to keep his machine upright and go on to take a popular victory.

Clearly shaken and upset, Hodgson returned to the pits on foot, refusing to speak about the collision, although Colin Wright, GSE Racing's team manager, later described it as a "50-50 accident".

Walker maintained his innocence after the race, claiming: "Neil pushed past me on the approach to the corner, I was right on the kerb and couldn't get out of the way."

First or second place in the second heat would have guaranteed Hodgson the lead of the British Superbike Championship at the halfway stage.

Instead, he left Silverstone trailing Reynolds by 12 points, with Walker now snapping at his heels in third place.

British Superbike Championship standings: 1: John Reynolds (221 points); 2: Neil Hodgson (209); 3: Chris Walker 195; 4: James Haydon (182).

A broken piston caused Hoddlesden rider Darren Barton's fifth retirement in six races in the 250cc race.