Recapping all the thrilling Saturday BSB action from Thruxton

2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Round Seven – Thruxton
Saturday Round Up

British Superbike Race One

Kyle Ryde had his nose in front when it counted most after a thrilling Thruxton dogfight in the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend, which went down to the wire with seven riders involved in the high-speed duel for victory after chasing down early race leader Jason O’Halloran.

The lead changed seven times on the final lap with Tommy Bridewell holding the edge as the last lap got underway but the Honda Racing UK rider was instantly under attack and both Ryde and Danny Kent moved ahead.

A defiant Bridewell fought back in determined style with a move on both of his Yamaha rivals to move from third to second with a decisive move around the outside.

Bridewell led the freight train out of Goodwood but as they approached Church, Ryde struck back with a big move to push to the front, before Billy McConnell swooped into the lead, before Vickers then led the pack.

Into the Club Chicane for the final time, Ryde won the battle on the brakes as he launched back ahead as Andrew Irwin dramatically crashed out of seventh place as the Honda Racing UK Fireblade cartwheeled out of contention.

Ryde held the edge to the line as Vickers dived into second to make it an OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing one-two with O’Halloran able to carve into third, which pushed Bridewell into fourth place.

Jason O’Halloran had actually led most of the race before being run down by the chasing horde.

Billy McConnell celebrated his best result of the season in fifth place for the C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda ahead of Leon Haslam, who was the top BMW rider in sixth place for the ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad team.

Thruxton marking something of a breakthrough for McConnell after the South Australian also qualified on the front row, fifth place in the race matching his best of the season result from Knockhill. The 37-year-old was actually in the lead at one point in what was a crazy final lap before getting shuffled back to fifth in the melee that were the final corners of the race.

Danny Kent had also been embroiled in the battle to the finish, but he was forced wide on the final lap when Irwin went down before agonisingly then ending the race with a mechanical issue, which forced him out at the last corner, a cruel blow.

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Lee Jackson held seventh ahead of Max Cook, with Christian Iddon in the battle for the podium before dropping to ninth in the closing stages on the Oxford Products Racing Ducati with Peter Hickman completing the top ten. Max Cook set the fastest lap of the race and will start Sunday’s opening race from pole position.

Starting from 20th on the grid Josh Brookes was behind the eight-ball from the start and a 16th place finish meant that the two-time champ just missed out on the points. Countryman Brayden Elliottt finished 20th.  However, Brookes carded one of the fastest laps of the race and will start Sunday’s opening race from sixth place on the grid.

The opening race has moved Ryde into second ahead of Glenn Irwin in the championship points standings, with the Hager PBM Ducati rider finishing 14th.

British Superbike Race One Results

British Superbike Championship Points

British Superbike Qualifying Results

British Supersport / GP2 Sprint Race

Luke Stapleford held off a charging Jack Kennedy to take the Supersport Sprint race win in a shortened, restarted five-lap scrap this afternoon.

The Macadam Triumph rider – who dominated free practice and qualifying – had led from the start of the race, which was stopped on Lap Seven to deal with a crash by Sam Laffins further down the order.

And at the restart, Stapleford got another effortless start to hit the front and although Honda Racing’s Jack Kennedy managed to get ahead on the opening lap, it took just seconds for Stapleford to get back ahead.

From there he controlled the race and not even a last-lap attempt by Kennedy could alter the finishing order, as Stapleford crossed the line 0.229secs clear.

Alastair Seeley took third at the flag, with Ben Currie fourth and Eugene McManus fifth.

Mikey Hardie once again proved to be the class of the Cup field, the ROKiT Rookie taking the class win and 14th overall, as Adon Davie took second in class with Joe Farragher third.

It was yet another GP2 masterclass from Owen Jenner, who beat Jack Nixon and Keo Walker to extend his points lead.

Jack Kennedy – P1

“So in the first race, we got away quite well and I was right on the back of Luke Stapleford which was perfect. Then McManus came through and roughed us up a bit which cost us lots of time to Stapleford out front. Then Seeley joined the fight and we were just losing out to Stapleford out front. I finally got through on them and was just starting to pull Luke back in when the red flag came out. Which in truth in some ways I was glad for as it meant I could see if I could go with him again. Credit to the team and the tyre man Carlos for getting everything ready to go again so quickly when we came in from the red flag. Then in the next race I got a good start and we could just go hell for leather for five laps. I tried to tee him up onto the back straight on the last lap and I actually caught a perfect slipstream which pulled me up to him but it was almost too good a slipstream as I clipped the limiter and he just gapped me. If I had tried to do a move it would have been a do or die lunge and it would’ve put us both at risk so I settled for second. The main thing is that we beat Currie and that put some more solid championship points on the board. We’re on pole tomorrow and the aim is to see if we can go one better and score some more solid points.”

British Supersport / GP2 Sprint Race Results

British Supersport Championship Points

GP2 Points

HEL Cup Points

Pirelli National Superstock Race One

Scott Swan took a lights-to-flag victory in the first race at Thruxton, holding off Luke Mossey to bank his third win of the year.

Although Mossey kept him honest throughout the full 14 lap race, Swann was able to just keep himself ahead on his Swann Racing Honda, eventually taking the win by 1.116secs, banking 25 points to move up to third in the title chase.

Tim Neave was third, ahead of David Allingham as points leader Davey Todd had to make do with fifth.

Pirelli National Superstock Race One Results

Pirelli National Sportbike Race One

Richard Cooper continued his strong run at Thruxton as he powered to the opening National Sportbike race win of the weekend.

The PHR Performance Triumph rider took the lead at the start and managed to control the race until the flag, crossing the line ahead of Thomas Strudwick, who passed Edoardo Colombi on the final lap to steal second.

Colombi managed to hold on to take third, just ahead of Harrison Dessoy as Ash Barnes rounded-out the top five.
Cooper now trails Colombi by just 1.5 points in the title chase.

Pirelli National Sportbike Race One Results