The opening race of the final British Superbikes Showdown weekend at Brands Hatch delivered a measured yet masterful win for Scott Redding, who balanced caution with aggression to take victory in a tense 20-lap battle. The Hager PBM Ducati rider claimed his second win at the Kent circuit and his sixth triumph of a shortened comeback season, doing so without disrupting the title fight unfolding ahead of him.
Starting from sixth on the grid, Redding had gambled on a single-tyre strategy during qualifying — a move that didn’t quite pay off. When the lights went out, he briefly dropped to seventh as Leon Haslam launched a strong early attack. But the former WorldSBK rider soon found his rhythm, climbing to fifth by lap six as he began his trademark charge through the field.
By lap eight, Redding had dispatched Christian Iddon, but found a tougher challenge in fellow Ducati rider Rory Skinner. Both on near-identical machinery, Redding bided his time before slicing up the inside of the Cheshire Mouldings Ducati at Turn 1 on lap twelve, setting up a run on the leading trio of Bradley Ray and Kyle Ryde, who were locked in a title-deciding duel at the front.
Redding had made it clear before the weekend that he didn’t want to interfere in the championship fight — but if a win was within reach, he’d take it. Staying true to his word, the ‘comeback kid’ executed a clean but decisive pass on Ryde before doing the same to Ray with surgical precision. While the two championship protagonists watched each other closely, Redding seized the opportunity to escape, opening a small but crucial gap.
Despite a spirited late push from Ray, Redding held firm to cross the line 0.151 seconds clear, securing a commanding and calculated win.
Ray had earlier started from pole position after setting a lap below the previous record in qualifying. He initially lost out to Ryde at Turn 1, with the Raceways Yamaha rider diving through as the pair began swapping places almost immediately. Ray briefly regained control before Redding’s late-race charge proved too strong.
Determined to fight until the end, Ray set the fastest lap of the race on his final tour, earning pole for the Sunday sprint and cutting his deficit to Ryde slightly in the standings.
Ryde, meanwhile, admitted to struggling with tyre grip in the closing stages but managed his pace wisely to protect a comfortable third place on the Nitro Competitions Yamaha. Skinner couldn’t quite stay with the leading trio and brought his Ducati home in fourth, just adrift of the podium.
Behind them, Danny Kent inherited fifth after Iddon — who had started from the front row and featured prominently early on — slid off at Druids on lap fifteen. The McAMS Racing rider enjoyed a quiet run to the flag, with a sizeable gap both ahead and behind ensuring a secure finish.
Further back, Max Cook emerged as the top Kawasaki finisher in sixth for AJN Steelstock, fending off a late challenge from Haslam, who took seventh. The result mathematically ended Haslam’s slim title hopes but maintained his third place overall in the championship for Moto Rapido Ducati.
Charlie Nesbitt bounced back impressively after qualifying issues left him 15th on the grid, charging through to claim eighth at the flag for MasterMac Racing. Lee Jackson also made up ground to finish ninth for DAO Racing, while Glenn Irwin completed the top ten on the second Nitro Competitions Yamaha.
Just outside the top ten, Storm Stacey continued to make gains with his Bathams BMW, working from 14th to 11th after briefly dropping out of the points in a fiercely contested mid-pack battle. Josh Brookes ended up 12th on the second DAO Racing entry, while Peter Hickman fought back to 14th for LEW 8Ten Racing, ahead of Dean Harrison, who collected the final point on his debut Honda outing in place of Andrew Irwin.
Billy McConnell, who missed qualifying, recovered to finish 18th after an uphill race through the field.
Iddon wasn’t the only faller of the day — Tommy Bridewell was the first to crash out, shaking his head in frustration at Surtees on lap seven. There were also several retirements, including Jamie Davis, Richard Kerr, Jaimie van Sikkelerus, and Luke Hedger, all of whom returned to the pits early. Blaze Baker did not start Race 1.
Championship Standings After Race 1
Third place gave Kyle Ryde 27 points, moving him to 472 overall. Bradley Ray’s runner-up finish added 30 points to his tally, lifting him to 445, trimming Ryde’s lead to 27 points — a three-point gain for Ray after Race 1.
Leon Haslam, now out of mathematical contention, remains third in the standings on 362 points.
Redding’s victory elevates him to fifth overall on 272.5 points, a remarkable climb for a rider who didn’t join the series until Knockhill. His win moved him ahead of the unfortunate Iddon and Bridewell, who both remain on 272 following their DNFs.
Further down, rookies John McPhee and Scott Swann both came agonizingly close to points but slipped out in the final laps. Swann led McPhee on track, but with both failing to score, McPhee stays ahead in the rookie standings — 53 points to 47.5.
Images Relevant Teams
