AFTER race one at this circuit in eastern Germany, Neil Hodgson could have been forgiven for wanting to drive the 70kms to the small village of Colditz and locking himself away from the outside world.

But, just a few hours later, he dug himself out of trouble with a brilliant wet weather ride to claim second place behind World Superbike championship leader Troy Bayliss.

Having arrived on the crest of a brilliant display in the previous round at Donington, the frustrations that have dogged his World Superbike season returned for the seventh round of the championship at the impressive Lausitzring circuit.

Despite the special four-hour test session set up last Wednesday to acquaint all the riders with this new circuit, Hodgson's GSE Racing team had been unable to find a rear tyre capable of lasting race distance.

With just 30 minutes to go before race one, the debate was still raging in the team garage.

The decision was taken to gamble on a tyre that had not even been previously tested. It was a harder compound than the ones used previously in the weekend -- but clearly not hard enough.

Starting from pole position after a perfect Superpole lap on Saturday, the Burnley rider entered the first corner in third place and quickly disposed of Ben Bostrom to trail Colin Edwards.

For 11 laps, Hodgson comfortably hung onto the coat tails of the reigning world champion, although his lap times were gradually slowing from late 1min 40secs to early 1mins 41secs.

All the time, the field was closing in and, when Troy Bayliss went past with ease, the writing was on the wall.

As Hodgson's lap times dropped through the floor, a procession of riders also using Dunlop tyres, but a harder compound, also came through.

And his eventual position of eighth, as Edwards held onto a comfortable lead, proved a huge disappointment.

"I was kicking the cat after the first race or, to be more precise, strangling the Dunlop technician.

"He made a bad choice because he said the tyre would improve after 12 laps and it did exactly the opposite. But we all make mistakes and it was my final decision, so I can only blame myself.

"Maybe it was good practice for the second race because it felt like I was riding in the wet for the second half of the first race," said Hodgson.

This time he trailed Bayliss into the first corner and the Australian developed a four second lead soon after the halfway stage.

But Hodgson whittled that down to just two seconds with three laps remaining and, by the final corner, was so close that a mistake by the Ducati man almost allowed an incredible victory.

Hodgson added: "I thought Troy did really well under pressure. The key for me was the start.

"I made the world's worst start in the last wet race at Phillip Island so my plan was not to do the same thing again.

"It makes the world of difference as Colin Edwards showed. He would have been a factor in the race if he had got away with us."