Saturday round-up from BSB season opener at Navarra

In a thrilling qualifying session at Circuito de Navarra, Danny Kent and the McAMS Racing Yamaha Team secured their debut Bennetts British Superbike Championship Omologato Pole Position this afternoon. They fended off strong competition from the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing duo of Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde by a mere 0.039 seconds.

The one-lap shootout began with Josh Brookes setting the initial benchmark aboard the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad machine. Charlie Nesbitt of MasterMac Honda briefly took the lead before Rory Skinner of Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad claimed the top spot.

Skinner held onto the lead as other riders completed their laps, with Lee Jackson and Peter Hickman among them. Meanwhile, Fraser Rogers earned his first Omologato Superpole appearance but encountered technical issues, relinquishing his lap. Christian Iddon of Oxford Products Racing Ducati faced a momentary setback, placing him tenth on the grid for the upcoming race.

Subsequent attempts by Jason O’Halloran and Glenn Irwin couldn’t unseat Skinner from the top spot. Reigning champion Tommy Bridewell faced technical problems, starting 15th after a red flag briefly paused the session.

Amidst the intense competition, Kent took to the track for McAMS Racing Yamaha and promptly claimed pole position, fending off challenges from the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing pair. Kent’s performance marks a significant milestone for his team in the British Superbike Championship.

Danny Kent 

McAMS Racing Yamaha

“I’m absolutely over the moon for myself and the McAMS Racing by Mar-Train team. They did a mega job throughout pre-season testing and the work that we did definitely contributed towards our result today.

“If I’m completely honest, I wasn’t expecting to get pole position. My used tyre pace is much better than my one-lap pace, so I’m feeling very confident heading into tomorrow. I feel like we can be competitive and can’t wait to get out on track again to see what we can do.”

British Supersport / GP2

Luke Stapleford will spearhead the grid for the inaugural Quattro Group British Supersport race of the season, outpacing defending champion Ben Currie for the pole position.

Piloting the Macadam Triumph Racing machine, Stapleford swiftly asserted dominance in the session, clinching the top spot with a stellar lap time of 1 minute 39.237 seconds.

While aboard the Oxford Products Ducati Racing bike, Currie initially faced challenges in finding a competitive pace. However, he surged on his final lap, securing second position and pushing Gearlink Kawasaki’s Brad Perie to third.

In a closely contested session, multiple-time champion Jack Kennedy, making a return, secured fourth place with an impressive lap time just before the conclusion. Eugene McManus of ROKiT Haslam Racing Ducati rounded off the top five, closely followed by his teammate and brother James.

In the GP2 category, Jack Nixon maintained control, registering the 17th fastest lap overall to lead the class. His teammate Owen Jenner secured second place, while Owen Mellor trailed in third.

MSVR Press Release