A storm was brewing in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship’s opening race at Snetterton, where the LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki team celebrated their first Superbike race win. Storm Stacey mastered the changing conditions to secure his first victory, finishing just 0.222 seconds ahead of Lewis Rollo.
Tyre choice was critical as the race began under unpredictable conditions following earlier rainfall. Riders who opted for full wet tyres initially had the upper hand, with Ryan Vickers launching from Omologato Pole Position ahead of Jason O’Halloran, Lee Jackson, and Danny Kent.
Stacey chose a wet front tyre and an intermediate rear, and as the track dried, he rapidly closed the gap on the LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki. By lap eight, Stacey had taken the lead ahead of Kent, Vickers, and O’Halloran. Jackson, however, was forced to retire due to a technical problem.
On lap nine, the race was red-flagged after Rory Skinner crashed at Coram. Since the race had not reached two-thirds distance, it was restarted over five laps. As the rain began again, all riders switched to full wet tyres for the restart.
In the restarted five-lap race, Stacey and Rollo battled fiercely for their debut Superbike victory. The race went down to the wire, with the two riders nearly inseparable on the final lap, but Stacey ultimately clinched the win.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Snetterton, Race 1 result:
- Storm Stacey (LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki)
- Lewis Rollo (IN Competition SENCAT Aprilia) +0.222s
- Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) +6.369s
- Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +9.297s
- Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +10.742s
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati +15.906s
- Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) +16.270s
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) +17.824s
- Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) +17.885s
- Franco Bourne (Rapid Honda) +25.004s
Rory Skinner’s fall brought out the red flag, halting the first iteration of race one at the Snetterton 300 track.
Crashing out from P9 on lap nine, the Cheshire Mouldings BMW rider suffered a suspected broken leg after his incident at Coram Curve. Initially, a safety car was deployed due to the delicate nature of moving the Scottish rider, but it was quickly upgraded to a red flag for his safety after the severe fall.
MSVR Press Release
