BSB-R1
BSB points after R1
Further information from a press release from MotorSport Vision Racing:
Ryde takes his third win of the season in the first race at Cadwell Park
OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde rode to victory in the first Bennetts British Superbike race at Cadwell Park, beating local hero Lee Jackson by 0.791s in the opening battle of the weekend.
Ryde stormed past polesitter Jason O’Halloran as the field turned towards Coppice for the first time and although the Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki rider regained the lead at Charlies, it was not to last as Ryde surged past to take the lead again at Park.
Behind him, Charlie Nesbitt was in third place, just ahead of his MasterMac Honda teammate Jackson, as the field completed the first lap – while Ryde’s teammate Ryan Vickers suffered a misfortune, having to retire due to a technical problem.
Up front, Ryde looked solid and in control as he took the lead and quickly built up a comfortable half-second advantage that proved unassailable as the race progressed.
Behind him, reigning champion Tommy Bridewell was on the comeback. He started from twelfth place and wasted no time in overtaking the riders in front of him. After an attack on Leon Haslam of ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad, he was in sixth place at the end of the fourth lap.
On lap six, Jackson passed Nesbitt to take third place. He then caught up with O’Halloran and passed him for second place on lap twelve, while further back Bridewell put pressure on Hager PBM Ducati’s Glenn Irwin and passed him for fifth place a lap later. Nesbitt also passed O’Halloran to take third place.
Irwin was not going to give up his place so easily and decisively overtook his rival at the chicane. Bridewell then briefly drove on the grass as the rivalry between the two flared up again.
The top three positions remained unchanged over the last five laps, but both Bridewell and Irwin were still fighting hard. Bridewell regained the lead on the penultimate lap with a maneuver on the inside lane at Park, and this time Irwin had no answer.
As the field entered the final lap, Ryde had a lead of around a second and was out of danger, but O’Halloran lost touch again as both Bridewell and Irwin passed, dropping him to sixth place.
Ryde crossed the finish line 0.791 seconds ahead of Jackson, with Nesbitt third, Bridewell fourth, Irwin fifth and O’Halloran sixth.
FHO Racing BMW Motorrad’s Josh Brookes won the battle of the BMWs, finishing seventh ahead of Haslam in eighth. Billy McConnell secured ninth place for the C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda team and Danny Buchan completed the top 10 on his DAO Racing Kawasaki.
Today’s result keeps Bridewell at the top of the championship standings, with Ryde staying second and Oxford Products Racing Ducati’s Christian Iddon defending his third place, despite a tough race in which he received a two-second penalty for cutting the track and only finished 13th.
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) did not start the first race after being declared unfit to ride following a heavy crash in free practice three and will be examined by the BSB medical team tomorrow.
Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Racing Yamaha
“I drove as consistently as possible throughout the race. At one point I thought my lap timer and dashboard had frozen because I was always doing the same lap time!
“I’m really excited. After finishing second twice last year, I think I deserved a win. It feels unreal. I didn’t think I’d be on the podium after Friday night. I was so far behind Ryan (Vickers) it was a bit scary. But I made a big step in qualifying that put me on the front row. And with Ryan and Tommy (Bridewell) not setting lap times, I knew I had to try and make the most of it and get as many points back as possible.
“It wasn’t that much, Tommy drove a great race and went from 14th or 15th to fourth, so he’ll be in a big spot tomorrow, as will Lee (Jackson). But after the start of the weekend, I’m delighted to be standing here talking to you. The win is just a huge bonus.”
