Free Practice 1 (FP1)
The opening session of the day saw varying track conditions, with the surface described as “drying.” This led to rapidly changing lap times, especially in the closing stages of the session.
- Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) set the pace with a time of 1:33.018s
- Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) was just 0.061s behind
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) completed the top three, 0.652s off the lead
Notable performances:
- Leon Haslam and Storm Stacey rounded out the top five
- Championship leader Tommy Bridewell finished 7th
- Luke Hedger showed strong pace, finishing 8th
Free Practice 2 (FP2)
The second session saw significantly faster times as the track conditions improved.
- Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) topped the timesheets with 1:27.651s
- Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) made it a 1-2 for the team, 0.473s behind
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) took third, 0.514s off the pace
Key points:
- Ryde set his best time on the final lap of the session
- Championship leader Tommy Bridewell improved to 4th
- Charlie Nesbitt impressed with 5th place for MasterMac Honda
- Glenn Irwin, who led FP1, dropped to 9th in this session
Combined Results
The combined results from both sessions determine the automatic qualifiers for tomorrow’s Speedy Hire Qualifying 2 session. The top 12 riders progress directly to Q2.
- Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) – 1:27.651s
- Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) – +0.473s
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) – +0.514s
- Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) – +0.583s
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) – +0.677s
- Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) – +0.801s
- Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) – +0.832s
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) – +0.901s
- Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) – +1.119s
- Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) – +1.290s
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) – +1.372s
- Billy McConnell (C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda) – +1.568s
Analysis
- OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing had an excellent day, with both riders finishing 1-2 in the combined standings.
- The improving track conditions led to a significant drop in lap times between FP1 and FP2, with over 5 seconds difference between the fastest laps.
- Championship contenders Kyle Ryde and Tommy Bridewell both showed strong pace, finishing 1st and 4th respectively.
- Glenn Irwin, despite leading FP1, will need to find more pace in FP3 and qualifying to challenge for pole position.
- The top 12 riders, who automatically progress to Q2, are separated by just 1.568 seconds, promising a tight and competitive qualifying session tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s schedule will see the riders compete in FP3, followed by the all-important Speedy Hire Qualifying sessions and the first race of the weekend.