Kyle Ryde Claims Victory in a Thrilling Final Lap at British Superbike Round Seven

Kyle Ryde Claims Victory in a Thrilling Final Lap at British Superbike Round Seven

In a nail-biting finish at Thruxton, Kyle Ryde emerged victorious in round seven of the British Superbike Championship. The OMG Grilla Yamaha rider, who started from pole, was initially overtaken by Jason O’Halloran’s lightning-fast start from second on the grid.

O’Halloran led the race for the first half, setting the pace and allowing the front pack to bunch up. Among those making their way to the front was Christian Iddon, who charged up from 15th on the grid. The Oxford Products rider was one of several to briefly lead, with Ryde consistently challenging at the front.

As the race reached its climax, Tommy Bridewell led at the start of the final lap. However, Ryde’s strategic positioning and mastery of the chicane saw him slip inside Billy McConnell to take the lead. His well-executed moves and conserved tires allowed Ryde to cross the finish line 0.168 seconds ahead, securing his first-ever podium at Thruxton with a win.

In the thrilling seven-way battle to the finish, Ryde’s teammate Ryan Vickers, who had fallen to ninth in the early laps, climbed back to secure second place by conserving his tires for the end.

Despite his strategy to slow the race not fully paying off, O’Halloran managed to secure third place on the podium, continuing his strong form at Thruxton, where he previously claimed pole and all three wins in 2023.

Bridewell, who had led at the start of the final lap, finished as the top Honda rider in fourth. Billy McConnell, who briefly took the lead in the closing stages, finished a strong fifth for C&L Fairburn/Look Forward Racing Honda, delivering an impressive, albeit sideways, final lap.

The race wasn’t without incident; Andrew Irwin collided with Danny Kent at the chicane, sending Irwin’s Honda tumbling and leaving Kent with a mechanical issue that took him out of contention.

Leon Haslam, who was in the mix early on, finished sixth for ROKiT Haslam Racing, making him the highest-placed BMW rider. Lee Jackson crossed the line in seventh for MasterMac Honda, while Max Cook set the fastest lap on his way to eighth for Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki, earning him pole position for Sunday’s race two.

Christian Iddon’s remarkable charge from 15th saw him briefly lead by lap six, but after using much of his tires, he slipped back to ninth. Peter Hickman followed closely in tenth, marking a rare top-ten finish for him this season.

Lewis Rollo was the top finisher among the Pathway bikes, taking 11th on the Aprilia, ahead of Alex Olsen, who finished 12th. Storm Stacey, who was part of the lead group earlier in the race, eventually finished 13th for LKQ EuroParts Kawasaki.

Glenn Irwin struggled again with his PBM Ducati at Thruxton, finishing 14th, just ahead of Danny Buchan, who picked up the final point for DAO Racing.

Lap record holder Josh Brookes narrowly missed out on points, finishing 16th on the second FHO Racing bike, once again trailing behind his teammate Hickman.

Images OMG GRILLA RACING/Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki