Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Ryan Vickers Claims Victory in Thrilling Season Opener
The 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship kicked off in spectacular fashion at Spain’s Circuito de Navarra, with Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) securing a hard-fought victory in Race 1.
Vickers, who started from pole position, managed to hold off a determined challenge from his teammate Kyle Ryde, crossing the line just 1.364 seconds ahead after 20 laps of intense racing. Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) completed the podium, a further 0.788 seconds behind Ryde.
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) and Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad) rounded out the top five, with Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati), Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK), and Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) in close pursuit.
The race saw several impressive performances throughout the field, with Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) and Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) completing the top ten.
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) and Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) finished 11th and 12th, respectively, after battling their way through the field.
Further down the order, Billy McConnell (C&L Fairburn / Look Forward Racing) and Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) secured 15th and 16th positions, while Franco Bourne (Rapid Honda) and Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) completed the top 18.
The race was not without incident, as several riders failed to finish, including Louis Valleley (NP Racing Kawasaki), Alex Olsen (Cumins by Team IWR Honda), Lewis Rollo (IN Competition / SENCAT Aprilia), Tom Neave (STAUFF Fluid Power Kawasaki), Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad), and Storm Stacey (LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki).
Race 2
The second race of the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Spain’s Circuito de Navarra saw Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) claim his second victory of the weekend, solidifying his position as the early championship leader.
Vickers managed to hold off a determined challenge from Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha), crossing the line just 0.277 seconds ahead after another 20 laps of intense racing. Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) completed the podium, 1.177 seconds behind his teammate.
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) put in an impressive performance to finish fourth, ahead of Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) and Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki).
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) and Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) secured seventh and eighth positions, respectively, while Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) and Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) completed the top ten.
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) bounced back from a disappointing Race 1 to finish 11th, followed by Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) and Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK).
Billy McConnell (C&L Fairburn / Look Forward Racing) and Storm Stacey (LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki) secured 14th and 15th positions, while Franco Bourne (Rapid Honda) and Alex Olsen (Cumins by Team IWR Honda) completed the top 17.
The race saw several riders fail to finish, including Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK), Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK), Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad), Danny Buchan (DAO Racing Kawasaki), Fraser Rogers (TAG Honda), Louis Valleley (NP Racing Kawasaki), and Lewis Rollo (IN Competition / SENCAT Aprilia).
Quattro Group British Supersport & GP2 Championship
Round 1 of the 2024 Quattro Group British Supersport and GP2 Championships at Circuito de Navarra provided thrilling racing action.
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In the Sprint Race, Luke Stapleford (Macadam Triumph Racing) claimed victory, narrowly defeating Davey Todd (Powertoolmate Ducati) by 1.538 seconds. Jack Kennedy (Honda Racing UK) completed the podium, just 0.417 seconds behind Todd. Brad Perie (Gearlink Kawasaki) and Rhys Irwin (Astro-JJR Suzuki) rounded out the top five.
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The GP2 class saw Jack Nixon (Kramer Racing) secure the win, finishing 12th overall, followed by Owen Jenner (Kramer Racing) in 22nd place. Lucca Allen (Team FR89) and Cameron Dawson (Gearlink Kawasaki) both failed to finish the race.
Benjamin Currie (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) was given a Ride Through Equivalent Time Penalty of 28 seconds, relegating him to 11th position, despite setting the fourth-fastest lap of the race.
The Feature Race provided even more excitement, with Benjamin Currie making a stunning comeback to claim victory by just 0.024 seconds ahead of Luke Stapleford. Davey Todd completed the podium, 4.081 seconds behind the leading duo.
Brad Perie and Jack Kennedy secured fourth and fifth places, respectively, while Alastair Seeley (Binch Pro Yamaha) impressed with a sixth-place finish.
In the GP2 class, Owen Jenner took the win, finishing 15th overall, followed by Lucca Allen in 19th and Owen Mellor (Nykos Racing) in 20th. Jack Nixon, who had won the Sprint Race, unfortunately failed to finish the Feature Race.
The race was not without incident, as several riders failed to finish, including Matt Truelove (Truelove Brothers Racing), Harvey Claridge (Go Racing Developments / Nova), Morgan McLaren-Wood (Josh Davis Motorsport), Cameron Dawson, Eugene McManus (ROKiT Haslam Racing Ducati), James McManus (ROKiT Haslam Racing Ducati), Rhys Irwin, and Dave Grace (Dave Grace Racing).
ABK Beer 0% BMW Motorrad F 900 R Cup
The ABK Beer 0% BMW Motorrad F 900 R Cup provided a day of exciting racing action at Spain’s Circuito de Navarra.
The Last Chance Qualifying (LCQ) race saw Paul Young (R&G) claim victory, ahead of Kate Walker (FHO Racing) and Tyler Viveiros (Army Motorcycle Road Race Team). Young’s best lap of 1:50.378 was enough to secure the win and the fastest lap of the race.
In the main race, Nikki Coates (Team Art of Racing / Ernie Coates Trackdays) emerged victorious after a thrilling battle with Mason Johnson (Johnson Racing). The pair were separated by just 0.002 seconds at the finish line, with Coates setting a best lap of 1:47.077 to secure the win. Johnson, who led for much of the race, had to settle for second place, despite setting a new lap record of 1:47.036.
Thomas Strudwick (Case Moto) completed the podium in third, 0.891 seconds behind the leading duo. Christian Smith (SCH Motoprep / Bathams Racing) and Barry Burrell (Halliwell Jones) rounded out the top five.
Further down the field, several riders made notable progress, including Paul Young, who climbed from 27th on the grid to finish sixth, and Michael Rutter (Bathams Racing), who moved up from ninth to seventh.
The race also saw its share of incidents, with several riders failing to finish. Kate Walker, who had impressed in the LCQ race, retired after 11 laps, while Joe Walton (KBP Racing), Gary Ford (72 Racelife), and Dave Crampton (Dave Crampton Racing) also failed to see the checkered flag.
James Ellison (Back On Track Powered by HSO), Kieran Smith (Bowker Motorrad / Bathams Racing), Robert Varey (Stanford Fastline), James O’Mara (BRP Racing), Jamie Hanks-Elliott (FHO Racing), and Steven Brogan (Team SBR Belgrave Motors) were among the other non-finishers.
As the ABK Beer 0% BMW Motorrad F 900 R Cup riders reflect on their performances at Circuito de Navarra, they will be looking to build on the experience gained and lessons learned as the season progresses. With close racing and a competitive field, fans can expect more thrilling battles in the upcoming rounds of this exciting one-make series.
R&G British Talent Cup
The R&G British Talent Cup provided two exciting races on Sunday at Spain’s Circuito de Navarra, with close battles and impressive performances throughout the field.
In Race 2, Filip Surowiak (Team City Lifting / RS Racing) claimed a hard-fought victory, edging out Julian Correa (Microlise Cresswell Racing) by just 0.077 seconds. Amanuel Brinton (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) completed the podium, a mere 0.002 seconds behind Correa. Lucas Brown (SENCAT Talent Team / Mortimer Racing) and Mason Foster (BRP Racing) rounded out the top five, with Surowiak setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:49.157.
Race 3 saw another thrilling battle, with Lucas Brown taking the win by just 0.008 seconds ahead of Amanuel Brinton. Mason Foster secured third place, 0.071 seconds behind the leading duo, while Filip Surowiak had to settle for fourth, 0.100 seconds off the pace. Ryan Frost (Fibre Tec) completed the top five.
Further down the field, several riders made notable progress, including Ollie Walker (Fibre Tec), who climbed from 11th to seventh in Race 2, and Jack Burrows (Burrows Engineering / RK Racing), who moved up from 14th to ninth in Race 3.
The races also saw their share of incidents, with Julian Correa, Tyler King (Microlise Cresswell Racing), and Charlie Barnes (SENCAT Talent Team / Mortimer Racing) failing to finish Race 3. Iwan Jones (Jones Brothers Racing) retired from Race 3 after 10 laps, while Raheesh Khatri (Wilson Racing) did not start the final race of the weekend.
Amanuel Brinton set the fastest lap of Race 3 with a 1:49.499, underlining his strong performance throughout the weekend.
