Saturday round up from Brands Hatch BSB – SBK/SS/STK/SPB

2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Round 11 – Showdown Finale – Brands Hatch GP
Saturday Round Up

British Superbike Race One

Danny Kent claimed a debut Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win in the opening contest of the weekend at Brands Hatch as he took McAMS Racing Yamaha team to their first Superbike victory on Saturday. However, an intense race one leaves the championship fight on a knife-edge ahead of Sunday’s two decisive races with just a single point now between Kyle Ryde and Tommy Bridewell.

The first race of the weekend got underway with Ryan Vickers launching off the Omologato Pole Position to lead the pack on the opening lap from Kent and Josh Brookes, whilst the race was over prematurely for Billy McConnell and Rory Skinner who crashed out at Hawthorns.

Vickers held the lead until lap nine when Kent launched ahead and the McAMS Racing Yamaha rider delivered an inch perfect performance to take his first win in the Championship on his 100th race start to become the ninth different race winner of the season.

Behind Tommy Bridewell had carved his way up the order to third by lap seven and then the Honda Racing UK rider broke the chasing pack to claim third place and in doing so move to within a single point of Ryde ahead of Sunday’s two title-deciding races.

Ryde was able to take fourth place on the final lap with a decisive move on Peter Hickman at Surtees; the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider maintains his marginal advantage ahead of tomorrow’s decider.

Glenn Irwin had been showing his determination again to move from his 15th place grid position following a high-speed crash in Speedy Hire Qualifying into fourth place and was rapidly closing on Bridewell ahead of him, but the Hager PBM Ducati rider crashed out at Graham Hill Bend unhurt. The DNF puts him 70-points adrift of Ryde with a maximum of 70 available from the two races on Sunday.

Max Cook was able to take sixth place ahead of Brookes and Lewis Rollo, who had been running second earlier in the race on the BSB Pathway specification In Competition SENCAT Aprilia. Storm Stacey and James Westmoreland completed the top ten.

Rider Quotes

Danny Kent

“It’s an amazing feeling to have achieved my first Bennetts British Superbike Championship win. I feel over the moon with my performance today, and I can’t thank the team enough for giving me a package capable of fighting at the front.

“It’s been a long time coming, not through lack of trying; sometimes you just need everything to align. Today was one of those days.

“I’m really happy for McAMS Racing, to share our debut win together is a great way to spend the final round of 2024. We’ve also narrowed the points gap to third in the standings, and with two more to go this weekend, we’ll focus ahead and aim to do more of the same tomorrow.”

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Tommy Bridewell

“Honestly it was hard because any race over 20 laps in the wet is! In the wet conditions, it’s not the physical side, it’s keeping your focus. You don’t ever get any margin to make a mistake if you clip a white line, brake a bit too hard, if you run wide. There’s no margin. I knew we needed to get away, we’ve got a new swing arm this weekend and for the race the team took a calculated risk with the setup. The bike was working great, and I just knew I needed to get away with the front guys. It was nice to see on my pit board that I had like an eight and a half second gap. Just the last five laps when the track was drying out I just started to spin up a little bit. And no disrespect to those guys, but where the Yamaha is just a little bit more docile it kind of chugs along if you like.

“I’m happy, honestly. Those conditions are so easy to make a mistake and we didn’t. We went in four points behind, we’ve come out of it one point behind. A three point gain is better than no points. And it sets it up tomorrow really nicely because in the dry I feel like the bike is working really well. I feel great on the bike and I feel like I can really just attack. I’m excited – which is strange when there’s so much at stake. May the best man win!”

British Superbike Race One Results

British Superbike Championship Points

British Superbike Qualifying Results

British Supersport / GP2 Sprint Race

Jack Kennedy stormed to his fifth British Supersport championship win after a dramatic shortened race at Brands Hatch this afternoon.

Jack Kennedy

“I am absolutely lost for words! I did not expect this today at all, I really didn’t think that I could get it done because the championship is too close and I thought there was no way that Ben or Luke wouldn’t finish in the top three. I think it all started with qualifying onwards and making the right decisions at all the right times. I want to say a massive, massive thank you to this Honda team, I get to go out on track and show everybody my class but I wouldn’t be able to do it without the team.  It is down to these last minute decisions and how quickly you can make the changes, and you know, we have changed our mind about tyres for most of the weekend with the weather. In the race we made a brave choice to go for wet tyres because as we left for the grid the rain wasn’t that heavy. Then on the grid I was screaming to myself inside my helmet because I knew we made the right decision and the rain was getting heavier and heavier. I felt that I was riding a safe race and the gap just kept getting bigger and bigger, which is such a good feeling.

“I want to thank everybody who helps me, all my sponsors, my family, and everyone who supports, everyone knows how much hard work goes on behind the scenes to pull something like this off so I want to say thank you. I can enjoy tonight, relax tomorrow a little, but not on track because anyone who knows me will know I will be going out again tomorrow to get that win.”

The Honda Racing UK rider had taken the race lead on the second lap of the Sprint race and had found himself in a three-way battle with rival Luke Stapleford and GP2 champion Owen Jenner – when the race was red flagged on the seventh lap following a crash further down the field.

As the race was due to restart, it looked as if rain was on the way and Kennedy opted to run rain tyres which proved to be the way to go, as he hit the front immediately.

However, Stapleford dropped back at the start and as the weather deteriorated, Kennedy was on a charge up front, before the race was stopped after three laps and a result called, giving the Irishman his ninth win of the season and his fifth title.

Carter Brown crossed the line second to bank his best result of the season, with his Josh Davis Motorsport team-mate Zak Corderoy third.

Fourth was Keo Walker, who also won the GP2 battle as Oliver Barr was fifth. Lucca Allen was the second GP2 rider home, as Jenner could only manage third, despite his impressive start.

Tom Tunstall was the Cup class winner as he crossed the line sixth overall, with Joe Farragher second and Adon Davie third.

Ben Currie

“Bad day at the office. Touched a white line in Qualifying on slicks and that was all she wrote. Unfortunately the scans came back and I’ve broken a bone in my hand and taken a big bang to the ankle, however I was declared fit to ride thanks to the BSB medical & Physio teams hard work. I took to the grid with the intentions to fight to the end but unfortunately I had a mechanical and I had to withdraw on the warm up lap. The pain is obviously an issue however the plan is to start from last on the grid tomorrow and dig in one last time in 2024 for and see what we can do. Congratulations to Jack Kennedy on becoming champion this year, what a season it has been fighting with you. Deserving champion. Roll on tomorrow.”

British Supersport / GP2 Sprint Race Results

British Supersport Championship Points

GP2 Points

HEL Cup Points

Pirelli National Superstock Race One

Luke Mossey took the first National Superstock victory of the weekend, as Joe Talbot finished second to boost his title hopes.

Points leader Davey Todd had led off the line and for the first few laps, but both Mossey and Talbot found a way past him on the fifth lap.

The trio stayed together for the remainder of the race and although Talbot got close enough for a couple of looks down the inside of Mossey on the final lap, he wasn’t able to find a way past.

Pirelli National Superstock Race One Results

Sportbike Race One

Richard Cooper took the opening National Sportbike race win at Brands Hatch by 8.730secs as Belgian newcomer Ferre Fleerackers finished second in his first ever race.

Cooper hit the front at the start and was never challenged as he took off at the front – but points leader Edoardo Colombi struggled all race, eventually finishing in a lowly 14th.

Alfie Davidson was third, with Thomas Strudwick fourth and Rhys Stephenson fifth.

Sportbike Race One Results