Kyle Ryde seized the advantage during today’s Free Practice sessions in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch. He made a remarkable recovery after a minor crash at Sheene Curve in the afternoon, ultimately leading the group of contenders into tomorrow’s BikeSocial Sprint race.
Ryde arrives at Brands Hatch trailing Tommy Bridewell by 35 points in the championship standings. The LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha rider made a strong push in the closing minutes of the session, displacing Peter Hickman from the top spot. Initially, it was the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team rider who set the pace, but a red flag halted proceedings after Charlie Nesbitt’s crash, fortunately without injuries.
After the session resumed, the conditions continued to improve, and Ryde wasted no time in reclaiming the top position on the timesheets. The LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha rider is determined to defend the title for the team on Sunday.
Before the red flag, Glenn Irwin was in 12th place, but he improved his position when the session resumed, securing the third spot on the BeerMonster Ducati, ahead of Christian Iddon riding the Oxford Products Racing Ducati.
The current championship leader, Tommy Bridewell, concluded the opening day in the top five, with McAMS Yamaha, while other title contenders like Jason O’Halloran, Lee Jackson, and Josh Brookes occupied the next positions.
Max Cook held the ninth spot, despite a late crash at Clearways in the final minute, riding for Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki. Ryan Vickers and Luke Mossey rounded off the top 12, all of whom will advance to eBay Qualifying 2 tomorrow.
On the other hand, ROKiT BMW Motorrad’s title-contending rider, Leon Haslam, faced a challenging start to the weekend, finishing the opening day in 22nd position.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, combined Free Practice results:
- Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 1m:25.757s
- Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +0.331s
- Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.466s
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +0.678s
- Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.692s
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.714s
- Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +0.724s
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing Motorrad) +0.980s
- Max Cook (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +0.988s
- Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) +1.052s
- Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +1.290s
- Luke Mossey (Tactix by Lloyd and Jones BMW) +1.322s
Image MSVR Press Release
