Assen BSB: Redding Tops Pre-Qualifying as Ray and Ryde Tumble on Day One

The British Superbike Championship touched down at the iconic TT Circuit Assen for Round Nine — and the opening day was full of drama. Scott Redding seized the initiative in Pre-Qualifying to lead the way into Q2, while title contenders Bradley Ray and Kyle Ryde both hit trouble, ending the day outside the automatic qualifying spots. Here’s how the action unfolded across three sessions in the Netherlands.

FP1 — Ray Fastest in Drying Conditions

The opening session began on a damp track, but as the surface dried, the times tumbled. Bradley Ray (McAMS Yamaha) found his rhythm quickest, lowering the benchmark late in the 50-minute session to head the timesheets. Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati) settled into second, just over half a second adrift, with Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions) completing the early top three.

Danny Kent and Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha) rounded out the top five, showing strong pace for the Cheshire-based team. Max Cook (Bimota) was the leading rider for the Italian marque in seventh, separated from top rookie Ilya Mikhalchik (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) by a solitary thousandth of a second — a sign of just how tight the field was.

There were no crashes in FP1, but Ryan Vickers (Honda Racing UK) encountered an early problem, running into the gravel with 25 minutes remaining. The issue dropped him to 19th at the flag, leaving work to do in the next session.

FP2 — Ray Doubles Up as Crashes Hit the Field

Bradley Ray made it two from two in the second free practice session, once again leading the way with Redding his closest challenger. Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati) moved up to third, ahead of Ryde, while rookie Joe Talbot (Bimota) impressed in fifth — the highest-placed newcomer of the day.

The session wasn’t without incident. Rory Skinner had a wild moment at the hairpin on his final lap after already crashing at Turn Five earlier in the afternoon. Ryan Vickers also fell around the same section of track, compounding what had been a difficult day for the Honda rider. Elsewhere, Fraser Rogers and Richard Kerr came under investigation for a yellow flag infringement during the session.

Scott Swann — returning to the paddock this weekend — finished 12th, showing enough pace to suggest he could challenge for Q2 progression from Q1 if he finds the right setup.

Pre-Qualifying: Redding Strikes as Title Contenders Struggle

After running Superpole at Cadwell Park, the championship reverted to the traditional Pre-Qualifying format at Assen — and it was Scott Redding who made the most of it. The former WorldSBK rider posted a 1:35.619s before a red flag paused proceedings, securing automatic entry to Q2. It wasn’t the absolute fastest lap of the day — Ray’s FP2 time remained the quickest overall — but it was the lap that counted when it mattered. Redding’s experience at Assen shone through, lapping consistently when others faltered.

Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing UK) was an early pacesetter and finished just 0.185s behind Redding in second, while Ilya Mikhalchik continued his strong weekend, missing out on second by a thousandth of a second and taking third — the top rookie and best of the remaining BMW machinery.

Ryan Vickers showed encouraging recovery pace to move into fourth, but his session unravelled when his transponder failed completely, ending his run. Max Cook kept Bimota in the top five, ahead of Danny Kent, the leading Yamaha rider in sixth.

Red Flag Drama for Ryde

The red flag was brought out by championship leader Kyle Ryde, who made an uncharacteristic error — catching his right foot on the brake lever and running through the gravel — scattering debris onto the track. The session was paused for 11 minutes to clear the surface. Ryde recovered to 16th overall, well outside the automatic Q2 spots.

Leon Haslam ended the session in eighth despite having his fastest lap disallowed for track limits — a common frustration at Assen, where the kerbs are punishing and the limits strictly policed. Glenn Irwin (Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions) was ninth on the second team bike, with rookie Joe Talbot completing the top ten.

Ray Slips Down the Order

The biggest story of Pre-Qualifying was Bradley Ray, who went from dominating both free practice sessions to scraping into 11th — the last rider to claim automatic Q2 entry. He will be relieved to still be in the top 12, but the dramatic drop suggests his setup lost its edge as the track improved.

Storm Stacey (Bathams AJN Ducati) took the final direct transfer spot in 12th, meaning Rory Skinner missed out by one position and will have to fight his way through Q1 on Saturday. Also heading to Q1 are Christian Iddon (Sencat Yamaha), Lee Jackson (DAO Racing), and Andrew Irwin, making his return after injury in 19th. Josh Brookes and Eugene McManus also suffered falls during the session but were unhurt.

Paddock Changes: Familiar Faces Return

There were a few notable personnel shifts as the championship entered the Showdown phase. Brayden Elliott and the NP Racing Honda entry are no longer on the grid, while Charlie Nesbitt’s departure from TAG Honda has opened the door for Scott Swann to step back in. The Carrickfergus rider currently sits third in National Superstock with two wins to his name this season — he finished day one in 18th and will be aiming to climb the order on Saturday.

What’s Next

The pressure is on for Ray and Ryde, who now face an uphill battle from Q2 and Q1 respectively to keep their title hopes on track. Redding, meanwhile, has seized early momentum — and with Assen a track that rewards experience as much as raw speed, he could prove difficult to catch as the weekend unfolds.

Qualifying action resumes on Saturday with Q1 at 10:25 and Q2 at 11:05 local time.

Image : Hager PBM Ducati