British Superbikes: Redding masters the wet conditions to win dramatic TT Circuit Assen opener
Scott Redding claimed the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win of the weekend at the TT Circuit Assen, in a race that was red flagged due to conditions and half points awarded as two third races distance had not been completed.
British Superbikes: Scott Redding claimed the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win of the weekend at the TT Circuit Assen, in a race that was red flagged due to conditions and half points awarded as two third races distance had not been completed.
On the initial start, Redding fired himself into the lead, but before the pack approached turn two, Kyle Ryde had moved ahead but the Hager PBM Ducati rider rapidly regained the position. The 2019 champion was making a break, but behind there was a huge battle for second.
By the second lap, Christian Iddon had moved ahead of Ryde to take second place and he was setting an impressive pace to reel in Redding, but on lap six he ran on at turn one and dropped himself back down the pack and with work to do.
That elevated Leon Haslam into second place and the Moto Rapido Ducati Racing rider was holding off a hard-charging Max Cook, Danny Kent and Bradley Ray with Ryde holding eighth place. Cook though crashed out of third place at turn 12, and then title contender Ray also crashed out of contention whilst pushing to close in on Haslam.
The race was then red flagged due to conditions before a scheduled six-lap restart. Cook was unable to make the restart, but Ray was ready to start from the back of the grid after some rapid work from the Raceways Yamaha team. However, with conditions deteriorating again, the race was red flagged on the warm up lap and not restarted.
Redding celebrated his third win of the season, marking the PBM Team’s 150th in the championship ahead of Haslam and Kent as the McAMS Racing Yamaha rider bounced back from his Donington Park crash to take third.
Charlie Nesbitt was fourth for MasterMac Honda, ahead of Iddon who regrouped and regained ground after his off track excursion on the AJN Steelstock Kawasaki.
Ryde was sixth, but with Ray dramatically crashing out of the race, he now holds a 35-point lead ahead of tomorrow’s two races.
Home contender Jaimie van Sikkelerus had a career best finish in seventh place for TAG Honda ahead of John McPhee with Luke Hedger also celebrating a top ten finish for Whitecliffe CDH Racing Honda and Glenn Irwin completing the top ten.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, TT Circuit Assen, Race 1 result:
- Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati)
- Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) +1.907s
- Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +6.601s
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +6.610s
- Christian Iddon (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) +8.352s
- Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +14.453s
- Jaimie van Sikkelerus (TAG Honda) +15.503s
- John McPhee (MasterMac Honda) +21.471s
- Luke Hedger (Whitecliffe CDH Racing Honda) +26.964s
- Glenn Irwin (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +30.834s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
- Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) 361
- Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) 326
- Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) 242
- Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Ducati) 236
- Christian Iddon (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) 215
- Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 210
- Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 200
- Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati) 181.5
- Max Cook (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) 172
- Josh Brookes (DAO Racing Honda) 156
SCOTT REDDING
HAGER PBM DUCATI
“That was a strange race; nobody had done any real laps in the rain so I kind of felt good on the bike. I thought ‘just do your own thing, and if you get away, then great’. Kyle got off to a good start and came around the outside of me at turn one, so I thought there must be some grip, so when he made a small mistake, I was able to pass him back.
“I saw on the pitboard after a couple laps that I had a gap of three seconds, I thought that is good but I also thought, maybe I am pushing too hard, so we need to manage the best you can. Then Iddon was coming quite fast and bringing the lap time down, I tried to respond, didn’t do much and then he was off and then I had a gap to Leon.
“I managed the race, and a difficult place to be, but I wouldn’t have changed that any other way, so I was happy. To come away with the win, I am happy and I think that the Race Direction made the correct call today.”
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