Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) claimed a sensational victory in Race 1 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park.
Ryde, who qualified second on the grid behind teammate Ryan Vickers, made a stellar start and quickly established himself as a front-runner and took the lead after Vickers tucked the front of his OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing. He engaged in a thrilling duel with Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) and Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) throughout the 14-lap race.
A red flag due to Christian Iddon going down and for safety reason the race was stopped, Ryde crossed the finish line just 0.559 seconds ahead of Bridewell, with Haslam completing the podium in third. Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) and Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) rounded out the top five.
Earlier in the day, the Combined Practice sessions saw intense competition with Ryan Vickers topping the timesheets with a blistering lap of 1:27.822, just 0.024 seconds ahead of Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki). Leon Haslam, Glenn Irwin, and Danny Kent completed the top five, all within a second of Vickers’ benchmark.
In the Omologato Superpole session, Vickers once again proved his raw speed, securing pole position with a lap time of 1:27.608. Kyle Ryde and Leon Haslam joined him on the front row, setting the stage for a thrilling Race 1.
In the Pathway class, Lewis Rollo (IN Competition / SENCAT Aprilia) claimed the top spot, finishing 19th overall and just ahead of Alex Olsen (Cumins by Team IWR Honda).
As the championship moves into Race 2, the battle for supremacy is set to intensify. With Ryde carrying the momentum from his Race 1 victory and Vickers eager to bounce back from his crash, fans can expect another thrilling showdown at Donington Park.
