Brands Hatch BSB Sunday Round Up

Brands Hatch Race Results 2

The final sprint race of the season at the Brands Hatch Showdown turned into a fierce, gloves-off battle between title contenders Tommy Bridewell and Kyle Ryde, with the Honda rider ultimately emerging victorious.

Neither rider started on the front row, with Bridewell beginning from fourth and Ryde from seventh. Both riders wasted no time charging through the pack, quickly finding themselves behind Ryan Vickers after the first lap.

The race pace intensified from the start, with Bridewell taking the lead on lap two, forcing Vickers wide and allowing Ryde to follow closely. Ryde had shown strong form in the morning’s warm-up session, topping the timesheets by over half a second, but Bridewell was pushing harder than he had throughout the weekend.

On lap three, Ryde briefly seized the lead at Hawthorns, but Bridewell quickly reclaimed it with a sharp cutback. The battle continued to escalate, with the lead changing hands five times between Hawthorns and Clearways by lap seven. Bridewell led once again as they crossed the line, setting the tone for the rest of the race.

As the laps unfolded, Bridewell’s determination grew, setting the fastest lap of the race on lap nine, coming close to the Brands Hatch lap record. This surge in pace proved decisive, as Ryde could no longer challenge. Although Ryde closed the gap in the final moments, Bridewell held firm to win by 0.257 seconds, securing his third victory of the season. Most of Bridewell’s points this season had come from his twelve second-place finishes, making this win especially sweet.

Ryan Vickers, Bridewell’s teammate, had hoped to aid his teammate or even take the win himself, but a rear brake issue forced him to settle for a lonely third, four seconds behind the leading duo.

Danny Kent, the latest British Superbike (BSB) race winner after his victory in race one, secured pole position but dropped back to fourth following a poor start. He maintained this position until the chequered flag, securing a solid result for McAMS Yamaha.

The battle for fifth place was equally intense, involving Max Cook, Andrew Irwin, Josh Brookes, and Peter Hickman. In the end, Brookes emerged victorious, narrowly beating Irwin, who had held the position for much of the race. Cook, who had been running in fifth in the early laps, was eventually relegated to seventh but still finished as the top Kawasaki rider. Hickman rounded out the group in eighth.

Charlie Nesbitt, starting from 17th after a fall in race one, fought his way through the field to finish ninth for MasterMac Honda. Glenn Irwin, hoping to make up for a crash in race one, started strong from the front row but dropped to ninth by the end of the race, effectively ending his remote chances of title success.

Leon Haslam delivered another comeback story, finishing 11th after starting from 20th due to an ill-fated tire gamble in race one. He edged out Lee Jackson, who finished 12th, in the closing stages.

The remaining points went to Storm Stacey in 13th for LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki, Billy McConnell in 14th for C&L Fairburn/Look Forward Racing, and Danny Buchan in 15th for DAO Racing. Lewis Rollo was the top Pathway entry, finishing 16th for Aprilia, followed by Brayden Elliott in 17th and James Westmoreland in 18th for IWR Honda.

Results Race 2

British Superbikes: Brands Hatch Race 3 Recap

The BSB championship came down to the final race of the Brands Hatch Showdown, where title rivals Tommy Bridewell and Kyle Ryde faced off with the 2024 title on the line. Bridewell had put himself in a strong position after a race one win gave him a four-point lead in the standings.

From the start, Bridewell’s Honda teammate Andrew Irwin played the perfect wingman, holding Ryde’s OMG Yamaha in third place. Glenn Irwin soon joined the fray, moving up to second as Ryde slipped to fourth. Bridewell remained out front, but the lead was far from secure.

Glenn Irwin took the lead on lap seven, igniting a series of lead changes that saw Ryde seize control for the first time. Ryde briefly pulled away, but Bridewell fought back, setting a new BSB lap record to catch him.

The final stages of the race were a thrilling “winner takes all” scenario. Ryde, determined not to let the title slip away, engaged in a series of clean but hard overtakes with Bridewell. At Stirlings, Bridewell’s favored overtaking spot, Ryde finally succumbed to the pressure, with both riders battling fiercely but fairly.

In the closing laps, Bridewell appeared to have the upper hand, running defensive lines, but Ryde stayed in touch. Contact between the two at Graham Hill Bend intensified the drama, as their differing strategies collided. As Bridewell struggled to control his bike, with the front wheel lifting and rear grip fading, Ryde managed to pull away in the final corners, defending his lead through Stirlings and holding on to win by 0.296 seconds.

The hard-fought victory secured Kyle Ryde the 2024 BSB title by just one point, after taking seven wins across the last four rounds. Behind him, Ryan Vickers finished third, completing the podium for Yamaha after playing his part in keeping Andrew Irwin out of contention in the early laps.

Danny Kent, who had taken his first BSB win in race one, finished fourth, three seconds off the blistering pace set by the front runners. Max Cook followed in fifth as the top Kawasaki finisher, while Josh Brookes marked his 400th race start with a sixth-place finish as the top BMW rider.

Glenn Irwin fell back to seventh after his earlier efforts, while Charlie Nesbitt secured eighth for MasterMac Honda. Andrew Irwin, after helping Bridewell early in the race, finished ninth, with Billy McConnell rounding out the top ten.

Peter Hickman finished 11th, just ahead of Storm Stacey, who climbed from 14th on the grid to 12th. Lewis Rollo finished 13th for Pathway Aprilia, followed by DAO Racing’s Danny Buchan in 14th and Brayden Elliott in 15th. James Westmoreland was the final finisher, crossing the line in 16th for IWR Honda.

2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:

1. Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 487
2. Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 486
3. Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 382
4. Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 373
5. Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 349
6. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 261
7. Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) 261
8. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) 249
9. Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) 228
10. Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) 226

Images:MSV, OMG Racing UK, Honda Racing UK