WORCESTER'S Phil Dongworth insists his pair of top-10 finishes can be a launching pad to Isle of Man Tourist Trophy glory next year.

After finishing fourth on Saturday, the 42-year-old came home seventh in the Sure Mobile sidecar race in a time of one hour one minute 16 seconds.

Despite clocking an average speed of over 110mph around the three-lap, 37.73-mile course, Dongworth and partner Stuart Castles were still over a minute behind first-placed Nick Crowe and Mark Cox.

But Dongworth believes he and Castles have laid the foundations to break into the top three next year.

He said: "Overall, we are happy it is a good stepping stone for next year and hopefully we can move forward.

"I would have loved to get on the podium but there a few little things to sort and I can't see why we can't be up there next year.

"I always enjoyed riding it - it is nice to get a bit of a result and few more quid in the pocket."

Dongworth made his bow on the Isle of Man in 1996 but has been dogged by bad luck in the competition - being denied a number of podium finishes due to engine problems.

But after a trouble-free session this year, Dongworth was relieved to see the shoe on the other foot as he and Castles benefited from others' misfortune on Saturday.

He said: "We have come back after every practice session and race with no problems which does make a change.

"Wednesday was a good race with everyone battling it out and no-one in the top 10 dropped.

"It was good that a few did on Saturday so that was bad luck for us but good luck for them I suppose.

"They all kept going but never mind - I'll try and get a faster engine for next year and take it from there."

The Isle of Man TT races will be shown every evening on ITV4.

Check TV listings for BBC times.

For further information on the TT races, go to www.iomtt.com