The opening day of round eleven in the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship saw the series return to the legendary Brands Hatch circuit for the highly anticipated Showdown finale. Under clear skies and with tension building ahead of the weekend’s decisive races, it was Scott Redding who set the pace, topping the Friday timesheets with an impressive display of speed and precision.
For the final round of the season, the championship continued with the Pre-Qualifying format first introduced at Oulton Park. Redding, riding for Hager PBM Ducati, comfortably booked his spot in Q2 with the fastest overall lap, completing his best work from within the garage after a strong showing earlier in Free Practice 2. In that session, the former World Superbike competitor completed an intense 17-lap run, working hard to fine-tune his setup and regain full confidence around the undulating Kent circuit.
Redding’s rhythm and race pace paid off late in the session. With just five minutes to go, he delivered a near-flawless lap of 1m 24.733s, a time that would prove unbeatable as the chequered flag waved. Bradley Ray, one of Redding’s key title rivals, came closest to dethroning him but ultimately fell short by a mere 0.094 seconds, securing second place for Raceways Yamaha. The battle for the top three was equally fierce, as Charlie Nesbitt surged up the order in the closing moments to claim third for MasterMac Honda, only 0.191s off Redding’s benchmark.
The top four positions showcased the diversity of the grid, with four different manufacturers represented. Christian Iddon pushed hard to take fourth place after a strong run on the AJN Steelstock Kawasaki, just ahead of his teammate Max Cook, who finished an encouraging fifth.
Championship leader Kyle Ryde, determined to protect his advantage in the standings, found himself on the edge of the Q1 cut-off zone late in the session. Under pressure, the defending champion produced a last-lap effort to climb from tenth to sixth, securing safe passage into Q2 for Nitrous Competitions Yamaha. His teammate Glenn Irwin followed closely behind in seventh, maintaining the pair’s consistency. Behind them, Tommy Bridewell placed eighth for Honda Racing UK, while Leon Haslam—despite showing early pace—ended the day ninth for Moto Rapido Ducati, just 0.417s off the leading time in a tightly packed field.
Rounding out the top ten was Danny Kent, marking a solid return with the McAMS Yamaha team in their final weekend before exiting the championship. The remaining two automatic Q2 spots went to Lee Jackson in eleventh, leading the way for DAO Racing, and Rory Skinner, who held onto twelfth for Cheshire Mouldings Ducati, only half a second off Redding’s pace as the session concluded.
Just missing out was Dean Harrison, standing in for the injured Andrew Irwin, who placed 13th for Honda Racing UK. Storm Stacey, the top BMW representative, took 14th after improving on his final lap but still fell short of the cut. Meanwhile, Josh Brookes, winner of the rain-hit Oulton Park race, couldn’t quite replicate that form and ended 15th on the second DAO Honda.
There were no incidents during the Pre-Qualifying session itself, but Billy McConnell was unable to take part after a crash late in FP2 at Stirlings left his machine too damaged for a timely repair. His absence slightly trimmed the grid, but the competitive field remains tightly packed heading into Saturday’s decisive qualifying battles.
Images: Hager PBM Ducati
