Kyle Ryde is gearing up for some thrilling action at his home turf, Donington Park, in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship this weekend. He cranked up his performance during the second Free Practice session to maintain his lead in the combined times.
As the afternoon session rolled in, the competition got fierce, with all eyes on the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha duo, Kyle Ryde and teammate Ryan Vickers. In a dramatic twist, Ryde claimed the top spot in the final ten seconds of the second session.
Glenn Irwin, the championship leader representing BeerMonster Ducati, clocked the third fastest time, effectively splitting the Yamaha riders. Jason O’Halloran secured the fourth position, making it a strong showing for Yamaha with three bikes in the top four. Meanwhile, Tommy Bridewell, O’Halloran’s teammate and closest rival, faced some challenges, finishing eleventh after a minor crash at Goddards during the session. He’s determined to catch up with his teammate this weekend, as they’re separated by just half a point in the standings.
Leon Haslam, riding for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team, notched the fifth spot, while Charlie Nesbitt delivered an impressive performance, surging into sixth place representing MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing.
Lee Jackson held his ground at seventh place, and Héctor Barberá had an encouraging start to the weekend, securing eighth place for TAG Racing Honda. Christian Iddon and rookie Max Cook completed the top ten.
In an exciting turn of events, Bridewell and Peter Hickman secured the final spots to advance directly into tomorrow’s eBay Qualifying 2 session. Unfortunately, Luke Mossey and Davey Todd narrowly missed out on this opportunity.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, Combined Free Practice times:
- Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 1m:27.906s
- Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +0.049s
- Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.124s
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.219s
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +0.346s
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) +0.365s
- Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +0.444s
- Hector Barbera (TAG Racing Honda) +0.618s
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +0.653s
- Max Cook (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +0.698s
- Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.745s
- Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +0.770s
