Redding wins BSB despite Brookes’ Brands trifecta

2019 British Superbike Championship

Round 12 – Brands Hatch

Images by David Yeomans

Scott Redding claimed the 2019 British Superbike Championship title for Be Wiser Ducati over the weekend, fending of teammate Josh Brookes to take the win with a consistent performance at the Brands Hatch triple-header over the weekend. The result makes Redding the first rookie to win the BSB title, with just five-points separating the top two.

The former MotoGP rider, who moves into the World Superbike Championship with Ducati next season, took a second place and a brace of thirds to secure the title over two days of fine and dry weather at the Kent circuit and in front of another massive crowd.

For 36-year-old Brookes, he couldn’t have done any more as he romped to a hat-trick of wins at his favourite track to reduce the deficit from 28 points arriving at Brands Hatch. Brookes took his tally of victories to ten for the season to finish runner-up in the series.

The results saw Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team clinch their seventh BSB title and first ever one-two on their way to dominating the series with 21 wins from the 27 races. During the year, they secured no less than seven one-two finishes to be confirmed as worthy champions.

After their first and third place finishes on Saturday, the two riders followed that up with a bruising final lap to claim a thrilling first and second in Brookes’ favour in the second encounter to set up a thrilling finale.

The final race of the season saw both riders start from the front row once more with Redding needing just a fifth-place finish to take his maiden BSB crown. Brookes again grabbed the lead off the line and ultimately led from start to finish to take his 49th career win to elevate him to the third most successful rider in BSB history.

Scott Redding

“After a few lean years, we came here to try and win the championship and we did it! It means so much to me to win this and I can’t thank everyone enough for all their support and Scott Redding it feels so good to have so many people behind me. I had a small problem in today’s second race and had to be so gentle on the bike and simply concentrated on finishing in third. In the first race today, I felt really comfortable and felt I could have a go at winning as that’s always my goal so I had a go on the last lap although I knew Josh would come straight back at me. The last thing I wanted to do was crash and I was very mindful of the fact I needed to finish so took the second place. I’m over the moon to have won the BSB Championship and we’re going to have a big party tonight!”

Josh Brookes

“I came here with the objective of winning all three races and that’s exactly what I’ve done so I can’t not be happy with how this weekend has gone, it’s ultimately elsewhere where I’ve lost out on the championship. A championship is judged on the whole year, not just one weekend and there are opportunities at every round to get points. There hasn’t been any time this year Josh Brookes & Scott Reddingthough where I don’t think I could have done better but I can’t deny the fact I’m disappointed not to be returning in 2020 with the number one plate! I’m looking forward to next season and although Scott won’t be figuring, there’ll always be someone to step up and there’ll be plenty more challenges ahead.”

Race 2

At the start of the race, Brookes took the advantage from Jason O’Halloran and Christian Iddon with Tommy Bridewell in close contention. Redding was fighting back but running wide at Druids dropped him back into seventh and he had work to do to catch his title rival.

Brookes was trying to make a break but Christian Iddon had become his next challenger on lap three when he fired the Tyco BMW ahead of O’Halloran. However, Iddon was soon under pressure as Bridewell had moved into third place for Oxford Racing Ducati and was up to second by the end of the fourth lap.

Redding was carving his way through the chasing group and by lap seven he was into third place with a move on Iddon into Paddock Hill Bend. However he had to fight for the place with Iddon briefly reclaiming the position before the championship leader dived back ahead.

The leading trio then were a breakaway pack with Brookes ahead of Bridewell and Redding in third, but the former MotoGP rider was attacking hard and he waited until there were just two laps remaining to make his move.

Redding then had Brookes in his sight for the victory, but the 2015 champion wasn’t giving up without a fight and the pair’s battle for supremacy went down to the wire on the final lap.

As the pair crossed the line inseparable going into Paddock Hill Bend for the final time, Redding made a move to claim the lead, but Brookes was determined and he made a lunge at Druids to regain the advantage.

Redding was looking for an opportunity but Brookes had the measure of his teammate as the pair crossed the line separated by just 0.119s, with Bridewell claiming third place.

Tarran Mackenzie had moved into fourth place behind for McAMS Yamaha to bounce back from his crash yesterday, pushing Iddon back into fifth with Danny Buchan holding sixth place ahead of O’Halloran.

Hickman was eighth in the penultimate race of the season with Andrew Irwin and Taylor Mackenzie completing the top 10.

Race 3

The final race of the season would decide the 2019 champion and at the start of the race Brookes instantly hit the front of the pack from Bridewell and Iddon, with Redding holding fifth behind Tarran Mackenzie.

Brookes and Bridewell continued to up the pace to try and gap the field, but behind Redding was soon piling the pressure on the Tyco BMW ahead of him and on the seventh lap he made his move to hold third place.

The championship leader had to claim a top five finish if Brookes won the race to still lift his first Bennetts BSB title, but he was still pushing hard to claim a podium on his final race in the series before moving to the world stage next season.

At the front of the field the gap between Brookes and Bridewell was just 0.2s but the 2015 champion was determined to end his season on a high and he held the advantage to the chequered flag to hold off Bridewell to the finish line.

Iddon was fourth to claim the Bennetts BSB Riders Cup title for Tyco BMW ahead of Peter Hickman and Tarran Mackenzie on the leading McAMS Yamaha, but only just from his teammate O’Halloran.

Buchan was eighth for FS3-Racing Kawasaki to hold off Andrew Irwin and Dan Linfoot who completed the top ten.

2019 BSB Brands Hatch – Round 12 – Results & Standings

British Supersport Race 1

2019 Champion Jack Kennedy made a perfect start to the penultimate Dickies British Supersport race of the year with a dominant victory. Launching off pole, the Integro Yamaha rider was unchallenged as he cruised to victory by over ten seconds.

It was an incredible battle for the remaining podium places as Brad Jones, James Westmoreland, Richard Kerr, Harry Truelove and Mason Law traded places.

Entering the final stages, Jones had been able to pull away from the rest to a safe second place whilst the final rostrum position was down to Westmoreland and Truelove. Coming down to the final lap, it looked set to be a showdown but a red flag saw the result declared.

British Supersport Race 2

2019 Dickies British Supersport Champion Jack Kennedy completed an incredible season by securing a dominant double at Brands Hatch. Just as he did in yesterday’s Sprint race, the Integro Yamaha rider stormed off into the lead to have a 1.4s lead at the end of the opening lap.

His team mate Brad Jones moved into second at the start of lap two, where he was able to pull away from the pursuing pack to another safe podium.

It was a battle for the final rostrum position behind the Yamaha riders though as James Westmoreland on the Gearlink Kawasaki and Tom Oliver on the SGR Racing Yamaha, alongside the GP2 machine of Mason Law fought it out on track.

With Law able to move ahead in the closing stages to take the GP2 victory, Westmoreland was able to fend off Oliver and Rory Skinner to claim another podium finish.

Superstock 1000

Meanwhile FS-3 Racing’s Lee Jackson took victory at Brands Hatch in the final Pirelli National Superstock 1000 race of 2019, ahead of Richard Cooper with Tom Ward rounding out the podium.

It was Cooper who made the best of starts, leading from the lights, but it was cut short after the opening lap, with a red flag coming out.

From the re-start it was Tom Ward who made the best leap, with Cooper and Tim Neave following behind. The very next lap Cooper grabbed the lead, but he was forced to hold off Hedger with Lee Jackson closely behind.

It was a three battle for the lead by half race distance, with the 2019 Champion still fending off the challenge of the chasing Hedger and Jackson.

The trio continued to swap places for the remainder of the race, but with three laps to go Jackson and Cooper pulled away. But it would be Jackson who got the better of Cooper, taking victory with Tom Ward snatching the final podium.

Australian Levi Day came home in seventh, to end the season on a high-note in ninth overall in the standings.

Levi Day

“Took home P7 today, which bought me from 10th overall for the season up to 9th for the final season result! I was also the top rookie in the class, being my first season in Superstock 1000. My goal at the start of the season was to finish inside the top 10 in the Superstock 1000 championship. I am proud that as a team we achieved this goal. There were times this season when I missed good opportunities that I had for potential podiums, but it’s all very easy to look back now and think how you might have done something differently.

“I gave it my all every weekend and can’t thank all my crew around me for always working so hard. I battled some niggling injuries which were caused by some broken ribs in two crashes. I have been suffering from inflammation of the cartilage around my rib cage, so have felt far from 100% fit throughout most of the season. Thank you to all the team at IN Competition Aprilia, they’ve been an absolute dream to ride for and work with, I’ve improved so much as a rider because of their support and belief in me. Thanks to my wife Katie for following and supporting my dreams while being an amazing Mum to our son Max. I owe a big thank you to AJN Steelstock, my major sponsor for the last three years. Without their support I would have stopped racing three years ago, and this season wouldn’t have been possible without them. They’ve done so much for me, and I cant thank them enough for the support. Thanks to all my personal and team sponsors.”

Fellow Australian Brayden Elliott came 22nd.