Kyle Ryde moved back to the top of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship R&G Official Test times at Donington Park this afternoon, saving his fastest lap for the last session of the test despite the cool conditions.
Ryde had set the benchmark at the opening Official Test at Circuito de Navarra in Spain earlier this month and the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha rider completed a sequence of laps at the end of the day to fire him ahead of Josh Brookes on the FHO Racing BMW. The time set by Ryde was just 0.207s off the existing race lap record set by 2022 Champion Bradley Ray.
Ryde said: “It’s nice to be back at Donington Park as it’s my favourite track. Yesterday we didn’t even get to do a lap, but today we were banking on the last session being dry. I wouldn’t call it perfect, it was cold, but the track was bone dry the whole way around. It was a good time to understand the new surface of the track, which is really good. I think the whole job everyone has done is very impressive.
“I am just in a wave at the minute after a good test in Spain. I want to try the bike at Donington Park with the same settings as what we had in Navarra, so it was literally the same gearing and same suspension. We didn’t touch anything we just rolled out it out of the truck! So it was great to get about 20, 25 laps under my belt. It was surprisingly fast too!
“We’ve got two days next to test at Silverstone and then the first race there and I am looking forward to it. If it rains, we are all going to be going out because we are racing there is just another week, so it’s good to get an understanding and a good set up. Silverstone is just a 50 second track so you can do plenty of laps in testing and we’ll get in the best shape possible for the first round at Easter.”
Brookes continued racking up the laps as he continues to get accustomed to the FHO Racing BMW M 1000 RR, the double champion held second place on the timesheets at the end of the test, dipping into the 1m:29s lap times to move ahead of Danny Buchan.
Buchan had set the pace in the afternoon session but the SYNETIQ BMW rider did not take part in the final session of the test following his first track action of 2023 earlier in the day.
MasterMac by Hawk Racing Honda’s Charlie Nesbitt was fourth fastest as his best lap of the day came in the final session as he continues his adaptation to the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, just ahead of Ryan Vickers who completed the top five.
Andrew Irwin was sixth fastest for Honda Racing UK from his time earlier in the afternoon session, just ahead of Josh Owens on the Crendon by Hawk Racing Honda and the second FHO Racing BMW of Peter Hickman.
Christian Iddon and Jason O’Halloran completed the top ten times from their lap times earlier in the afternoon after sitting out the final session as the teams now head to Silverstone for a two day test next week (March 28/29).
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, R&G Official Test, Donington Park, combined result:
- Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 1m:28.804s
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW) +0.721s
- Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) +1.716s
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac by Hawk Racing Honda) +1.920s
- Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +2.806s
- Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) +2.833s
- Josh Owens (Crendon by Hawk Racing Honda) +3.303s
- Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) +3.564s
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +3.637s
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +4.162s
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