British Superbikes – Snetterton Race 1: Bradley Ray Dominates in Return to Action

After a brief mid-season pause, the Bennetts British Superbike Championship roared back into life at a sun-drenched Snetterton circuit — and it was Bradley Ray who made the loudest statement, cruising to an emphatic victory in Race 1.

Ray, starting from pole position, delivered a textbook launch off the line, immediately asserting control over the field. His former teammate Kyle Ryde gave chase in the early stages, attempting to latch onto Ray’s rhythm, but the Raceways Yamaha rider quickly began to pull clear.

Backed by the form he’d already shown in practice and qualifying — where he topped the timesheets by a comfortable half-second — Ray looked untouchable. Laying down a relentless string of laps at race-record pace, he extended his lead to over five seconds. From there, it was all about management, with Ray expertly controlling the gap to seal his fifth win of the 2025 campaign.

The result continues a remarkable run for the former BSB champion, who has now stood on the podium in all six races this season. With five victories to his name already, Ray becomes the first rider since Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne in 2014 to start a season with such dominance. Coincidentally, Ray’s last hat-trick also came at Snetterton, making this his fourth consecutive win at the Norfolk venue — a track that clearly suits his style.

Behind him, Ryde gave it everything he had. Despite the reigning champion’s historical struggles with Snetterton, the OMG Yamaha rider still managed to find improved pace compared to last year. His efforts were enough for a solid second-place finish, crossing the line 5.380 seconds behind Ray to complete a Yamaha 1-2 — a satisfying result, albeit short of what was needed to challenge for the win.

Third place went to Tommy Bridewell, who returned to the podium for the first time in 2025. The Honda Racing UK rider engaged in an early scrap with Rory Skinner before finding clean air and a consistent rhythm. Although still some way off Ryde’s pace — over five seconds adrift — the result signals that the recent development work on the Fireblade is starting to bear fruit. Bridewell’s rostrum finish will provide a welcome boost to both rider and team.

Skinner’s race, however, ended in disappointment. After showing early promise, the BMW-mounted rider was forced to retire on lap ten due to a mechanical issue, handing the battle for fourth to the chasing pack.

Leon Haslam emerged as the best of the rest, riding smart and defensively to hold onto fourth for the Moto Rapido Ducati team. He came under significant pressure late on from Christian Iddon, who delivered a gutsy ride aboard his AJN Steelstock Kawasaki. Iddon, having pulled off several clean but aggressive overtakes, had to settle for fifth — a strong result after a string of difficult races in recent rounds.

Further back, McAMS Yamaha’s Danny Kent pulled off a decisive move in the Bomb Hole on the penultimate lap to claim sixth place, getting the better of Charlie Nesbitt. The MasterMac Honda rider had been in the mix throughout but faded slightly in the closing stages and had to settle for eighth after also being passed by Max Cook, who took seventh for AJN Steelstock.

Rounding out the top ten was DAO Racing’s Josh Brookes, who found pace late in the race and latched onto the back of the Cook/Nesbitt group to grab ninth. Meanwhile, Storm Stacey completed the top ten for LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki. The teenager had made it into Q2 the hard way, fighting through the first qualifying session, and got off to a superb start in the race. Running comfortably inside the top ten early on, Stacey eventually began to struggle with grip and fell back in the final laps — but still did enough to secure a strong result.

*Glenn Irwin Medical Update: Following a CT scan at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Glenn has been found to have fractures to his hip socket and pelvis. He is in stable condition. Glenn will be reviewed tomorrow by the specialist team to decide an ongoing management plan.