Kyle Ryde celebrated his second victory of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the BikeSocial Sprint Race for the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha Team, delivering a masterful performance to keep title rivals Tommy Bridewell and Leon Haslam behind him.
Ryde had hit the front of the pack after a rapid start from the Omologato pole position and he continued to set a pace that would give him the edge of 1.086s at the chequered flag, but behind Bridewell and Haslam were dueling for second place.
Haslam pushed for a last lap attack on Bridewell, making a move only for an instant fightback as the BeerMonster Ducati rider regained the position with just 0.319s between them at the chequered flag. The second place means Bridewell now has moved to the top of the championship standings by just a single point from his teammate Glenn Irwin who finished fifth.
Lee Jackson had managed to make a move on Irwin on the penultimate lap for fourth place whilst Josh Brookes battled his way up the order and into sixth place for the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team.
Ryan Vickers had his best result of the season so far in seventh place for the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha team ahead of Danny Kent and Storm Stacey who scored a top ten finish for Starline Racing Kawasaki. Charlie Nesbitt completed the top ten riders, just ahead of Max Cook who was eleventh to celebrate his best result so far in his rookie campaign.
It was disappointment for Andrew Irwin and Christian Iddon when the pair crashed out at Melbourne Hairpin. The incident was reviewed by the Race Direction following the race in the presence of the two riders involved and their team representatives.
Following analysis of multiple video sources including onboard cameras, and after hearing the accounts of both riders, the Race Direction concluded that neither rider acted in a careless, reckless or dangerous manner and no further action was required.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, BikeSocial Sprint Race result:
- Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha)
- Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +1.086s
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +1.405s
- Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +9.795s
- Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) +12.145s
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) +12.227s
- Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +13.090s
- Danny Kent (Lovell Kent Racing Honda) +14.981s
- Storm Stacey (Starline Racing Kawasaki) +17.013s
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) + 19.630s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
- Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) 103
- Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 102
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) 97
- Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 91
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) 90
- Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) 49
- Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) 44
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 43
- Danny Kent (Lovell Kent Racing Honda) 40
- Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) 40
Kyle Ryde
LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha
“It has been a perfect day with the pole position and following that up with a win. It was actually a very difficult race this afternoon. I knew the pace that I could do and it was good that I did exactly what I thought I could.
“The bike worked great and I did the lap times consistently and my pit board was saying +0.3 and then +0.4, so fair play to everyone else as I think they made a big step. On paper I felt like I was a little bit quicker and they obviously matched it in that race.
“I have put so much pressure on myself all weekend as it’s always like that when you are fast, you expect big things. I’m just glad that I took all the pressure in Superpole and then backed it up in the race with a win in front of all my family. It’s a great achievement for me and the whole team.
“Tomorrow will be strategic in the longer races, but we’ll see where we end up – but I am sure we will be alright!”
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