BSB Brands Hatch: Combined Practice Results – Ray Sets the Benchmark in FP2

Spread the love

Bradley Ray made a strong statement at his home round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship on Friday, topping the timesheets in Free Practice Two after a competitive start to the weekend at Brands Hatch.

Ray, who had settled for second in the morning’s opening practice session, came out swinging in the afternoon to post the quickest lap of the day. His pace around the iconic GP layout reminded fans why the Kent native is such a threat when racing on familiar ground.

Rory Skinner kept Ray honest throughout the day, eventually ending up second overall. The Scottish rider was just 0.247 seconds off Ray’s benchmark as he continues to build momentum this season with the Cheshire Mouldings BMW outfit.

It was Kyle Ryde who had set the early tone in Free Practice One, but the RICH Energy OMG Yamaha rider couldn’t maintain that advantage into the second session. Ryde still held on to third place overall, but trailed Ray by 0.288 seconds as the title contenders continued their chess match on track.

Leon Haslam had a consistent showing for the Oxford Products Moto Rapido Ducati squad. The veteran racer posted top-five times in both sessions, ultimately ending the day fourth overall, showing the Ducati setup was working well across both FP1 and FP2.

Scott Redding also made notable strides in the afternoon. After finishing the first session down in 11th place, the Hager PBM Ducati rider turned things around with a strong FP2 performance, lifting himself into fifth by the day’s end — a clear sign of progress for both rider and team.

Christian Iddon continued to lead the Kawasaki charge, securing sixth place overall on the AJN Steelstock Kawasaki. His performance underlined his consistency, once again establishing himself as the brand’s top representative.

Danny Kent, riding for McAMS Yamaha, started the day with a promising fourth place in the morning but dropped to seventh after FP2. Still, the 2015 Moto3 World Champion remains in the hunt heading into Saturday’s action.

Eighth quickest was Andrew Irwin, who closed out Friday as the leading Honda rider. The Honda Racing UK rider quietly went about his business, making steady gains throughout both sessions.

The final two spots in the top ten were claimed by familiar names and former teammates. Lee Jackson, now racing for DAO Racing Kawasaki, slotted into ninth, while Charlie Nesbitt rounded out the top ten aboard the MasterMac Honda, giving his team a solid platform to build from ahead of qualifying.

With lap times tightening and the grid looking more competitive than ever, all eyes now turn to Saturday, where qualifying and the first race of the weekend promise fireworks at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.