British Superbikes: Bradley Ray was relentless in his pursuit for victory in the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race at Knockhill as he came under fire from both Rory Skinner and Kyle Ryde to maintain his winning momentum for Raceways Yamaha.
At the start of the race, Ryde launched off the line to lead the pack from Ray and Skinner, with the championship leader making a dive down the inside of lap three to snatch the position from his OMG Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha rival.
It was short lived though as Ryde instantly attacked to regain the lead, but Skinner was pushing to put a show on for his home crowd and on lap six he made his first move. The Cheshire Mouldings Ducati rider made a decisive move down the inside at the Hairpin to move into second, before snatching the lead on lap 11.
Ray then moved into second ahead of Ryde when the defending champion ran wide at the Hairpin after a moment on the brakes and then he had Skinner on his sights for the lead.
Two laps later and Ray made his move on Skinner, which eased the Cheshire Mouldings Ducati rider wide, allowing Ryde back through too into second place.
The trio were then inseparable for several laps, until Ray edged ahead in the closing stages with Ryde and Skinner completing the podium line-up.
Scott Redding had a strong return to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship with a fourth place; the 2019 champion gaining experience with every lap and despite coming under pressure from Storm Stacey early on, he maintained the position.
Tommy Bridewell and Josh Brookes meanwhile duelled for fifth place in the closing stages as they both pushed Stacey back to seventh position with Charlie Nesbitt also in close contention for MasterMac Honda. Lee Jackson and Andrew Irwin completed the top ten.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill Race 1 result:
- Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha)
- Kyle Ryde (OMG Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +1.841s
- Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Ducati) +3.871s
- Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati) +6.430s
- Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +8.352s
- Josh Brookes (DAO Racing Honda) +8.471s
- Storm Stacey (Bathams AJN Racing BMW) +8.796s
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +9.543s
- Lee Jackson (DAO Racing Honda) +15.421s
- Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) +18.675s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
- Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) 158
- Kyle Ryde (OMG Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) 126
- Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) 105
- Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Ducati) 88
- Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 84
- Josh Brookes (DAO Racing Honda) 80
- Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 74
- Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 61
- Storm Stacey (Bathams AJN Racing BMW) 51
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) 51
BRADLEY RAY
RACEWAYS YAMAHA
“It was a solid race; I didn’t get a very good start, so at that point I just needed to settle into it. Kyle was strong at the start and then Rory passed me quite early on as well and I was happy to sit in third, as it’s a long race here.
“Kyle made a mistake and I was able to go underneath him and at that point I knew I needed to attack Rory quite quickly. I felt I had a bit better pace, but I just couldn’t pass him where I wanted to, so I made a strong pass into turn three and then just got into the rhythm I knew I was able to do.
“The bike was working well and we made a little step from qualifying, so I felt a little more comfortable.
“I think if it’s dry tomorrow I would expect more of the same and I think Rory and Kyle will stick with me and be close, but I enjoyed the battle and I enjoyed making the passes and being passed. That’s what racing is all about!
“But in the end we was able to bring it across the line first for Raceways and for Yamaha.”
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