Jason O’Halloran worked through the pack again to take a sublime Thruxton treble to end round seven of the British Superbike championship.

It was Ryan Vickers who held pole this time out, with O’Halloran down in ninth on the grid, so another fight through the pack would be required.

A poor start saw the McAMS rider drop to eleventh as he again made tyre conservation his main concern. Meanwhile, out front rookie Max Cook was on fire after crashing out of race two, leading the way and keeping the pace hot.

Once again the Australian made his way forward with huge gains around the back of the circuit, where he excels.

 

The Yamaha rider hit a road block when he hit the front of the chasing group, but soon set about making seventh the back of the leaders.

Once in touch, what was to come felt inevitable.With enough laps left to hit the front, the section between Noble and Church was his as one by one his rivals had to give way as he cut undernath with superior grip.

Fourth at the start of lap eighteen of twenty, after a huge rehearsal move saw him almost take all the riders ahead at once, on the penultimate lap there was now only Lee Jackson ahead.

Sat behind in the slipstream the #22 made use of his favoured part of the track again, and lead at the start of the last lap.

O’Halloran was going nowhere once out in the lead and took his 26th win, securing his Thruxton treble in thrilling style.

Jackson had tried to go with his Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki teammate’s early pace, setting him near the front of the lead group. The #14 had made his move for the win on lap eighteen too, passing Vickers up the inside, but had no reply to O’Halloran and his superior grip, crossing the line 0.213s later for his second rostrum visit.

Vickers fought back in the busy front group but missed out on a podium.

Rookies shine again in final Thruxton race

Despite biting back after Jackson’s lunge for the lead Vickers had rookies in the mix for the podium slots, and both seemed unbothered by the tyre wear that was the talk of the weekend.

As O’Halloran hit the front, Nesbitt was making moves of his own, making his advance on the LAMI OMG Yamaha stick to move into third. The Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing rider held his move and blocked his rivals, then pulled away for a trilogy of rostrum visits.

Max Cook, the early leader took fourth after getting the holeshot on the second Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki, with Vickers fifth.

	British Superbikes Round Seven – Thruxton- Race results (3) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha 25m 31.465 2 Lee Jackson GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +0.213s 3 Charlie Nesbitt GBR MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing =0.334s 4 Max Cook GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +0.929s 5 Ryan Vickers GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +1.145s 6 Leon Haslam GBR Rokit BMW Motorrad Team +3.014s 7 Kyle Ryde GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +3.927s 8 Storm Stacey GBR Starline Racing Kawasaki +4.192s 9 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +5.927s 10 Christian Iddon GBR Oxford Products Ducati =8.002s 11 Bradley Perie GBR Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki +14.084s 12 Luke Mossey GBR Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW +14.459s 13 Glenn Irwin GBR BeerMonster Ducati +17.952s 14 Franco Bourne GBR Honda Racing UK +18.118s 15 Tommy Bridewell GBR BeerMonster Ducati +18.390s 16 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +20.421s 17 Hector Barbera ESP TAG Racing Honda +24.070s 18 Jack Scott GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +24.729s 19 Danny Buchan GBR Synetiq BMW Motorrad +29.180s 20 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki +29.687s 21 Louis Valleley GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +45.615s 22 Danny Kent GBR Lovell Kent Racing Honda DNF 23 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha DNF 24 Tito Rabat ESP McAMS Yamaha DNF 25 Josh Brookes AUS FHO Racing BMW Motorrad DNF 26 Josh Owens GBR Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing DNS 27 Matt Truelove GBR TAG Racing Honda DNS

Leon Haslam had sunk like a stone mid-race but found some grip and rhythm in the closing laps to climb back to Sixth for his Rokit BMW Motorrad team, once again the top rider for the manufacturer.

Kyle Ryde had once again been in contention until he ran very wide onto the grass, having just been passed by O’Halloran who could grip his way through the inside. There was no penalty for his move onto the green as he lost so much ground, going from top three contender to finish seventh.

Storm Stacey improved every race of the Thruxton meet, this time securing eighth for Starline Racing Kawasaki.

Ninth went to Peter Hickman after a lonely ride on the FAO Racing BMW Motorrad, with Christian Iddon next to see the chequered flag for a top ten finish for Oxford Products Ducati.

Bradley Perie pulled his way up into the points and didn’t stop there – scoring a best finish of eleventh after a huge final lap on the Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki.

Luke Mossey (BMW Tactix by Lloyd & Jones) took twelfth with the BeerMonster Ducati’s again at the back in the battle for the final points.

Tommy Bridewell had hoped some late changes would make a small difference, and he was for a while ahead of his teammate, but it was Glenn Irwin ahead at the finish in 13th, with the local rider 15th on his home track.

Franco Bourne, in for Andrew Irwin at Honda Racing UK, had his best finish of the weekend between the duo in 14th.

Official British Superbike Thruxton Records:

Lap Record: Josh Brookes (Ducati) 1m 14.655s (2019)

Race One:

1:Jason O’Halloran

2:Charlie Nesbitt

3:Ryan Vickers

Race Two:

1:Jason O’Halloran

2:Lee Jackson

3:Charlie Nesbitt

2022 at Thruxton (Round Six)

Pole: Jason O’Halloran (2nd Peter Hickman, 3rd Andrew Irwin)

Race One:

1:Jason O’Halloran

2:Tarran Mackenzie

3:Bradley Ray

Race Two:

1:Jason O’Halloran

2:Tarran Mackenzie

3: Bradley Ray

Race Three:

1:Tarran Mackenzie

2:Bradley Ray

3:Jason O’Halloran

Last Round (Brands Hatch)

Pole: Tommy Bridewell (2nd Ryan Vickers, 3rd Josh Brookes)

Race One:

1:Ryan Vickers

2:Danny Kent

3:Christian Iddon

Race Two:

1: Tommy Bridewell

2:Christian iddon

3:Danny Kent

Race Three:

1:Tommy Bridewell

2:Glenn Irwin

3:Ryan Vickers

Crashes and Injuries and replacements

A huge late incident took Danny Kent and Jack Kennedy out of contention.

Kennedy seemed to have his rear cylinder collapse and was out of control on the grass. Unable to do anything to prevent his bike running back on to the track he rejoined ahead of the next group of riders, with Danny Kent the last of the three. All routes blocked by the bikes in front, Kent was left with nowhere to go leading to a horrible crash for the duo.

Both riders were up and walking and with the marshals as the race drew to a close.

Both Tito Rabat and Josh Brookes ended their race in the pits,

Where does that leave the championship?

Bridewell still leads, again with Irwin taking a few points off the gap. His tally now stands at 263, with Irwin 26.5 behind.

Starting the weekend sixth, O’Halloran is now third overall after three wins, reducing his deficit from 99.5 at the start of the Thruxton weekend to 50.5, with 212.

Ryde slips to fourth on 208 with Haslam fifth on 201.

 

Race three brought another win for Tommy Bridewell, this time under pressure all the way to the line to close round six at Brands Hatch.

Starting from pole, Tommy Bridewell had no need to play catch-up, but was not clean away either with early competition for the lead coming from Danny Kent, Christian Iddon, with Kyle Ryde back in contention after a great start.

With a lot of changes of position the BeerMonster Ducati rider made his move with a then fastest lap on lap nine showing his intention, with a few more laps behind Iddon before making his move at the popular overtaking spot, Hawthorns.

From there the #46 held on out front – but was put under pressure all the way.

 

Podium battle goes to the chequered flag

A lot of the late pressure came from his teammate Glenn Irwin, who was far from smooth, making shapes all the way to second after needing to come back from some early contact with Jason O’Halloran. A firm block style pass saw him past Ryan Vickers after a long battle for second, though he did not have enough to catch Bridewell, the gap too huge for a final lunge, finishing 0.133s behind.

Vickers had to stage a comeback of his own after starting from seventh on the grid. A feature in the lead five and holding on as it broke to a top three, he in turn was still looking for a way past Irwin, with not even a fastest lap on the final run around the track quite enough, leaving the LAMI OMG Yamaha rider third.

It is just Vickers fourth podium and cements a strong comeback as the top Yamaha once again.

The trio dropped early leader Iddon, leaving the Oxford Products Ducati rider fourth, with early contender Danny Kent holding on to fifth for Lovell Kent Racing on his Honda.

Jason O’Halloran spent much of the race at the front of the chasing group, leading them over the line in sixth for McAMS Yamaha, his attempt to catch the riders in front causing gaps behind.

	British Superbikes Round Five – Brands Hatch – Race results (3) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Tommy Bridewell GBR BeerMonster Ducati 28.51.806s 2 Glenn Irwin GBR BeerMonster Ducati +0.133s 3 Ryan Vickers GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +0.237s 4 Christian Iddon GBR Oxford Products Ducati +2.000s 5 Danny Kent GBR Lovell Kent Racing Honda +3.481s 6 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha +4.744s 7 Lee Jackson GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +6.343s 8 Leon Haslam GBR Rokit BMW Motorrad Team +7.373s 9 Charlie Nesbitt GBR MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing +8.046s 10 Max Cook GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +13.706s 11 Storm Stacey GBR Starline Racing Kawasaki +13.736s 12 Danny Buchan GBR Synetiq BMW Motorrad +13.964s 13 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha +16.054s 14 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +25.117s 15 Tito Rabat ESP McAMS Yamaha +25.455s 16 Franco Bourne GBR Honda Racing UK +26.455s 17 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki +28.357s 18 Jack Scott GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +28.561s 19 Bradley Perie GBR Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki +33.622s 20 Liam Delves GBR TAG Racing Honda 1 lap 21 Josh Owens GBR Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing DNF 22 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW Motorrad DNF 23 Luke Mossey GBR Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW DNF 24 Kyle Ryde GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha DNF 25 Josh Brookes AUS FHO Racing BMW Motorrad DNF

Lee Jackson was the top Kawasaki over the line in seventh for Cheshire Mouldings before another small wait for Leon Haslam in eighth, after an overhaul of his Rokit BMW after his DNFs in the first two races.

He enjoyed his own clear track back to Charlie Nesbitt in ninth, the best of the rookies in their first full season on his MasterMac Honda. Fellow rookie Max Cook equalled his best finish in tenth on the second Cheshire Holdings machine.

The Kawasaki rider had pressure all the way down the finishing straight from Storm Stacey (Starline Kawasaki) in eleventh and Danny Buchan ( SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad), who put his bike gremlins behind him for twelfth.

The remaining points on offer went to Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha)in 13th, Tom Neave, who made up made up a huge ten places on his Honda for 14th and Tito Rabat who finishes his McAMS run with 15th after getting to grips with the tricky twisting track.

Andrew Irwin’s replacement on the second Honda Racing UK entry,Franco Bourne, just missed out in 16th.

Official British Superbike Brands Hatch Records:

Lap Record: Josh Brookes (Yamaha) 1m 24.873s (2017)

2022 at Brands Hatch:

Round Five- pole: Jason OHalloran (2ndTarran Mackenzie, 3rd Bradley Ray)

Race One: 
1:Jason O’Halloran
2:Tarran Mackenzie
3:Tommy Bridewell

Race Two: 
1:Tarran Mackenzie
2:Jason O’Halloran
3:Tommy Bridewell

Race Three:
1:Tarran Mackenzie
2:Jason O’Halloran
3:Glenn Irwin

Round 11 (Showdown) pole: Bradley Ray (2nd Jason O’Halloran, 3rd Danny Buchan)

Race One:
1:Glenn Irwin
2:Peter Hickman
3:Andrew Irwin

Race Two:
1:Peter Hickman
2:Danny Buchan
3:Glenn Irwin

Race Three:
1:Glenn Irwin
2:Andrew Irwin
3:Danny Buchan

Last Round – Snetterton:

Pole: Jason O’Halloran (2nd Glenn Irwin, 3rd Tito Rabat)

Race One:
1:Tommy Bridewell
2:Josh Brookes
3:Jason O’Halloran

Race Two:
1: Tommy Bridewell
2:Josh Brookes
3:Leon Haslam

Race Three 
1:Tommy Bridewell
2:Glenn Irwin
3:Leon Haslam

Crashes and Injuries and replacements 

Josh Brookes was squeezed out of contention of the first corner of the first lap, his good start immediately eroded as Vickers tipped in next to him – avoiding Haslam saw him fly into the gravel.

It was a tough end to a hard weekend for the FHO Racing team with Peter Hickman also failing to go the distance after retiring to the pits.

Kyle Ryde was in the podium hunt when his gear lever broke off, a usually rare issue which has occurred twice in one day after it also ended Haslam’s race two run.

Luke Mossey and Josh Owens both also pulled into the pits.

Where does that leave the championship?

Tommy Bridewell was due to come away with a lead before the race started the question was how big it would be. Taking the maximum on offer again the #46 now has 258 points to his credit – a lead of 34.5 over Irwin despite his efforts to reach second.

Kyle Ryde is an ever more distant third after his DNF on 181, with Josh Brookes also unchanged on 177. Leon Haslam is fifth overall on a total of 172.

Glenn Irwin was back on top leading a team 1-2 over the line in the final race of the Knockhill meeting, round four of the championship.

The BeerMonster Ducati rider seemed to have similar issues to the previous races, running wider in corners, but clearly had the pace to lead.

It was O’Halloran that lead from lights out, but this time it was his turn to slip out of contention from the lead with just two laps run.

 

 

PBM teammate Tommy Bridewell took over at the front and soon found Irwin right behind him, searching for a way past. At the start of lap 18 the #2 made his move and then stayed ahead all the way to the chequered flag, winning by a margin of 0.879s.

There was another battle of the teammates behind, but with slightly less action as Ryde, who was second to Bridewell before being passed by Irwin, soon found that his bike was a different beat to the one that won race two, and couldn’t keep pace with his fellow LAMI OMG partner Ryan Vickers, who finished a clear and solo third, for just his second BSB podium visit.

A few seconds back down the track. Lee jackson was putting a late pass on Leon Haslam, who was visibly reeling from the effects of his dislocated shoulder after so many laps, with the Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki rider making quick work of the overtake for fifth, Haslam held on close behind for sixth on his Rokit BMW Motorrad.

 

	British Superbikes Round Four Knockhill- Race results (3) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Glenn Irwin GBR BeerMonster Ducati 24.03.304s 2 Tommy Bridewell GBR BeerMonster Ducati +0.879s 3 Ryan Vickers GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +3.137s 4 Kyle Ryde GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +7.483s 5 Lee Jackson GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki =9.675s 6 Leon Haslam GBR Rokit BMW Motorrad Team +9.854s 7 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +11.396s 8 Josh Brookes AUS FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +11.868s 9 Christian Iddon GBR Oxford Products Ducati +17.964s 10 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki +21.255s 11 Luke Mossey GBR Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW +21.784s 12 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +23.214s 13 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha +23.560s 14 Max Cook GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +23.724s 15 Hector Barbera ESP TAG Racing Honda +41.409s 16 Charlie Nesbitt GBR MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing DNF 17 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki DNF 18 Storm Stacey GBR Starline Racing Kawasaki DNF 19 Josh Owens GBR Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing` DNF 20 Danny Buchan GBR Synetiq BMW Motorrad DNF 21 Jack Scott GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki DNF 22 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha DNF 23 Danny Kent GBR Lovell Kent Racing Honda DNS 24 Bradley Perie GBR Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki DNS

Tom Neave secured his best finish since joining Honda with seventh, just keeping the experienced Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) at bay.

Pole man Iddon ninth after gravel run

Christian Iddon looked to be enjoying his best meet of the season and progess away from a string of lesser results as race two saw him fifth for the third race in succession.

His race two performabce landed him pole and a podium shot, which he took. Running in third after passing Ryde and looking set for the final rostrum slot, the Oxford Products Ducati rider went straight on at the hairpin on lap 20 but had quick reactions to his predicament, running through the gravel and rejoining tenth.

From there he pushed hard and made it back to ninth by the race close.

Falls ahead elevated several riders, whose same pace had seen them out of the points in the previous race – Dean Harrison was still over twenty seconds adrift of Irwin’s time over the line but this time it was enough to secure a top ten finish for DAO Racing Kawasaki.

There were in fact only fifteen finishers, so the remaining points went to Luke Mossy (Tactix by Lloyd and Jones) in eleventh, Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Mororrad) in twelfth, with Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) and rookie MAx Cook (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) not far behind, while Hector Barbera (TAG Racing Honda) was a very distant 15th.

 

Crashes and injuries

Jason O’Halloran was just the first of many exits.

One lap later Jack Scott Retired to the pits. Danny Buchan saw the mechanical issues that prevented him lining up for the sprint return so he pulled off track and in soon after. Josh Owens was next out with a crash. Storm Stacey was seventh when his bike gave up. Liam Delves and Charlie Nesbitt also failed to finish.

Official British Superbike Knockhill Records:

Lap Record: Rory Skinner (Kawasaki) 47.126s (2022)

2022 at Knockhill:

Round four – pole: Bradley Ray (2ndJason O’Halloran, 3rd Lee Jackson)

Race One:

1:Bradley Ray

2:Jason O’Halloran

3:Rory Skinner

Race Two:

1:Jason O’Halloran

2:Lee Jackson

3:Rory Skinner

Race Three:

1:Jason O’Halloran

2:Bradley Ray

3:Lee Jackson

Last Round – Donington Park:

Pole: Kyle Ryde (2nd Leon Haslam, 3rd Jason O’Halloran

Race One:

1:Kyle Ryde

2:Leon Haslam

3:Tommy Bridewell

Race Two:

1: Jason O’Halloran

2:Ryan Vickers

3:Josh Brookes

Race Three

1:Kyle Ryde

2:Tommy Bridewell

3: Glenn Irwin

 

Where does that leave the championship?

Tommy Bridewell did enough to remain ahead from second moving on to 163, with Kyle Ryde now on 155, just eight behind. Glenn Iwrin is third on 152, still just eleven back to his lead teammate.

Josh Brookes hold on to fourth with a tally of 136, the same points as Leon Haslam after a brave meeting in pain. All Jason O’Halloran’s hard work to catch up came unravelled with another DNF, leaving him on 98 points.

Kyle Ryde bounced back with a performance that echoed his sprint win to double up at Donington and finish the third race weekend of the British Superbike season in style.

Again, nobody could show a wheel to Ryde, who controlled the final race around Donington Park on his LAMI OMG Yamaha.

The local rider lead from his burst away from the line at the lights to chequered flag and really pulled the pin with only Tommy Bridewell, who had started from pole but was instantly passed, able to follow.

It was a turnaround for the duo after a strange fall for Ryde and a mechanical failure for Bridewell meant they both did not finish the second race of the meeting.

The #77 remained untouchable to be the first rider to do a double this season, leading over the line by a final 1.397s as the BeerMonster Ducati rider found his tyres rapidly losing grip, so turned his attention to preserving second, with the race action hotting up behind.

Irwin fights back for third

 

None of the podium finishers saw the rostrum in race two, Glenn Irwin crashed out after dropping to 17th and needing to push to try and feature.

Also making up for his middle race, the PBM rider had been a lowly eleventh on the grid after his early exit, but immediately made waves with some hard passing and a few exits ahead.

Holding the final podium slot after passing Leon Haslam, the #2 came under late pressure from Ryan Vickers  – on fire after scoring his first podium finish earlier in the day.

The second OMG bike had been in a busy, fantic battle for fourth before pulling clear after hitting the front of the group – and was close enough to attack Irwin several times over the final lap, but he could not stay ahead, so had to settle for fourth.

It remains Vickers best race weekend to date.

British Superbikes Round Three Donington Park- Race results (3) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Kyle Ryde GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha 29m 31.214s 2 Tommy Bridewell GBR BeerMonster Ducati +1.397s 3 Glenn Irwin GBR BeerMonster Ducati +3.588s 4 Ryan Vickers GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +3.690s 5 Christian Iddon GBR Oxford Products Ducati +4.999s 6 Lee Jackson GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +5.137s 7 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha +5.581s 8 Leon Haslam GBR Rokit BMW Motorrad Team +9.123s 9 Charlie Nesbitt GBR MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing +9.374s 10 Danny Buchan GBR Synetiq BMW Motorrad +11.351s 11 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +20.282s 12 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha +21.785s 13 Josh Brookes AUS FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +25.736s 14 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +26.579s 15 Hector Barbera ESP TAG Racing Honda +26.975s 16 Tim Neave GBR McAMS Yamaha +38.576s 17 Bradley Perie GBR Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki +38.973s 18 Jack Scott GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +39.332s 19 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +1 lap 20 Danny Kent GBR Lovell Kent Racing Honda DNF 21 Josh Owens GBR Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing` DQ 22 Luke Mossey GBR Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW DNF 23 Storm Stacey GBR Starline Racing Kawasaki DNF 24 Andrew Irwin GBR Honda Racing UK DNF 25 Max Cook GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki DNF 26 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki DNS 27 Davey Todd GBR Milenco by Padgetts Motocycles Honda DNS

Christian Iddon lead the four man battle for fifth over the line, making up a huge ten places to be in contention – a superb, determined performance from the Oxford Products Ducati rider.

The #21 bike held off pressure from a mich improved Lee Jackson, who looked back to his best in sixth for Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki, their best rider again. Race two winner Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) fell into the mix from his front row start after bike issues to finish seventh with Leon Haslam fading to eighth. The Rokit MMW Motorrad racer still featured on the podium as his consistent performace over the Oulton and Donington weekends saw him awarded the Milwaukee trophy.

Charlie Nesbitt passed Danny Buchan late in the race for ninth on the MasterMac Honda, leaving the SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad rider tenth.

Similarly Peter Hickman’s late move on Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) saw him bring home the FHO Racing BMW in eleventh.

Josh Brookes had the kind of race he feared when he was given the gift of the safety car re-bunching the field in race two. This time there was no way back from being off the pace, finishing almost five seconds after his FHO team-mate in 13th.

The remaining points on offer went to Tom Neave for Honda in 14th and Hector Barbera on the TAG Honda in 15th.

 

Crashes, absentees and injuries

 

Max Cook was the first to exit. Starting from a best so far of tenth on the grid,it was the first time the youngest rider in the class has fallen out of contention for Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki this season.

Andrew Irwin had a Donington to forget after completing a trio on DNFs – this time taking a high flying Storm Stacey with him as he slid out trying to make a pass fit.

 

Irwin was later handed a penalty by race direction –

‘Andrew Irwin has been penalised with 3 penalty points and a drop of three grid positions for his next race, following the incident involving himself and Storm Stacey during BSB Race 3 ‘.

Josh Owens was shown the black flag for not complying with his jump start penalty.

Danny Kent started well but was already fading when he exited form sixth. Luke Mossey also failed to finish while both Dean Harrison and Davey Todd did not feature,

 

Donington Park records:

Old BSB Lap Record – Donington Park: Bradley Ray (Yamaha) 1m 28.597s (2022)
Lap record 2023: Leon Haslam (BMW) 1m27.593s)

2022 at Donington Park:

Round three – pole: Jason O’Halloran (2nd Bradley Ray, 3rd Kyle Ryde)

Race One: 
1:Kyle Ryde
2:Jason O’Halloran
3:Bradley Ray

Race Two: 
1:Jason O’Halloran
2:Bradley Ray
3: Lee Jackson

Race Three:
1:Jason O’Halloran
2:Bradley Ray
3:Lee Jackson

Round Ten (Showdown) – pole: Jason O’Halloran (2ndBradley Ray , 3rd Tom Sykes)

Race One: 
1:Tom Sykes
2:Jason O’Halloran
3:Peter Hickman

Race Two: 
1:Tom Sykes
2:Bradley Ray
3:Glenn Irwin

Race Three:
1:Bradley Ray
2:Andrew Irwin
3:Glenn Irwin

Where does that leave the championship?

 

With the third round of the championship completed it is once again Tommy Bridewell who finds himself in charge in the overall standings with a total of 119 after his podium bounce back.

Glenn Irwin working hard to keep third sees him second but it is very tight at the top – just three points separate himand his Ducati teammate.

Josh Brookes slips to third after his 13th place, with 114 points.

Leon Haslam is not far behind on 110, while race winner Kyle Ryde has just one point left – the top five covered by just a slim nine points difference.

Jason O’Halloran pulled himself back into the conversation after his race two win, but the gaps are beginning to appear. The Australian has 70, the same amount as Lee Jackson, both 49 away from leader Bridewell ahead of the next round at Knockhill in June.

This time the thirty laps were completed, with Glenn Irwin the third different winner of the weekend as race three brought the first British Superbike race weekend to a close at Silverstone.

The weather may have cooled but the racing didn’t – and Irwin did not have instant impact. Early leader Josh Brookes took over at the front almost immediately while the Ducati rider again went the wrong way from the start.

A second row start meant there was less places to make up, and the close competitive racing at the front meant the #2 bike could pick his way forward from sixth as the lead changed hands.

Hitting the front after taking over from Danny Kent on lap eighteen, Irwin tried to pull out a gap on the PBM bike, but behind Brookes and Bridewell could see his plan and moved in behind, removing the defecit.

British Superbike Silverstone- Race results (3) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Glenn Irwin GBR BeerMonster Ducati 26m 55.706s 2 Josh Brookes AUS FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +0.120s 3 Tommy Bridewell GBR BeerMonster Ducati +0.412s 4 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha +1.179s 5 Danny Kent GBR Lovell Kent Racing Honda +1.297s 6 Leon Haslam GBR Rokit BMW Motorrad Team +2.037s 7 Kyle Ryde GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +3.443s 8 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha +3.713s 9 Lee Jackson GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +4.046s 10 Ryan Vickers GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +4.137s 11 Christian Iddon GBR Oxford Products Ducati +5.895s 12 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +6.106s 13 Tim Neave GBR McAMS Yamaha +12.202s 14 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +15.032s 15 Hector Barbera ESP TAG Racing Honda +16.350s 16 Josh Owens GBR Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing` +16.541s 17 Charlie Nesbitt GBR Mastermac Honda by Hawk Racing +17.944s 18 Bradley Perie GBR Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki +17.976s 19 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki +21.947s 20 Max Cook GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +24.614s 21 Storm Stacey GBR Starline Racing Kawasaki +26.577s 22 Davey Todd GBR Milenco by Padgetts Motocycles Honda +29.734s 23 Andrew Irwin GBR Honda Racing UK 3 laps 24 Luke Mossey GBR Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW 21 laps 25 Jack Scott GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki DNS 26 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki DNS 27 Danny Buchan GBR Synetiq BMW Motorrad DNS 28 Luke Hopkins GBR NP Motorcycles Kawasaki DNS

Irwin held on to lead over the line – the third different rider and manufacturer to take the top spot at Silverstone as he claimed a tenth career BSB win.

Brookes continued his renaissance at FHO BMW Motorrad, his new home seemingly suiting the Australian former champion as he secured his 150th podium appearance, just 0.120s away from another victory after staging a fightback.

Bridewell had begun the race with work to do – a ride through the pack was needed from eighth on the grid. Picking off his rivals looked effortless as he soon arrived in the frantic lead group for some more solid points – a rostrum visit coming in every race this weekend.

Jason O’Halloran started from pole. Having been there or there abouts his results have been consistent but did not seem able to find that extra needed for the win. Race three was no different as he faded back to fourth, just over a second behind the leader for McAMS Yamaha.

 

A return to form for Danny Kent

 

To hold on for the win was a big ask, but Danny Kent lead a large portion of the middle of the race after forming his own Lovell Kent racing team for the season, with Honda machinery underneath him.

Even in the closing stages a podium looked possible but it was not to be, the number 52 did however look rejuvenated and up for the fight on his way to fifth on his new bike after a barren time on the Buildbase Suzuki, with the manufacturer leaving the championship.

Leon Haslam put his issues earlier in the day with the bike to bed. With no last minute preparation needed for race three, the Rokit BMW Motorrad has also run his own team to compete in 2023, with race three looking more relaxed he was sixth again, marking a solid first round in the circumstances.

Kyle Ryde was in a similar situation to Bridewell – given his wide riding style around the National circuit and his struggle to stay ahead from a good grid position, starting fifth was always going to make the race a difficult one.

Initially making up places along with the Ducati, the #77 saw his run stagnate, finishing seventh for LAMI OMG Yamaha.

Jack Kennedy once again looked comfortable at the front. His Mar-Train bike benefits from support from McAMS, while keeping his team around him entering BSB has offered stability which lead to confidence, running as high as fourth. Always learning, the Irish rider finished eighth.

Lee Jackson completed another improved run on the Kawasaki and was again the manufacturers top finisher as he tried new parts and progressed the machine all weekend. From sixth on the grid the #14 was able to hold his own for much of the race on the way to an improved ninth at the chequered flag.

Ryan Vickers has a suspected broken scaphoid but rode on to bring home a top ten finish on the second Lami OMG Yamaha entry.

 

Points relief for Iddon and Hickman.

 

Both Christian Iddon and Peter Hickman have endured a tough opening to their BSB campaigns.

Iddon had mechanical issues in race one and was taken out in race two – despite looking to have top ten pace there had been no opportunity to put that on show.

Starting eleventh did not give the best chance of a turnaround, but by the end of the race Iddon was in the same positon for Oxford Products Ducati, putting some points into his account.

Peter Hickman was eleventh in race one but nine seconds off the leaders. His weekend rapidly went downhill after crashing in morning warm-up with bike gremlins not cleared by race two – he pulled into the pits as his bike began to slow.

That left the FHO Racing rider last on the grid, while his teammate Brookes has collected a rostrum finish in every race.

An amazing fight through the riders ahead saw the #60 pick up a huge twelve places in the race to finish twelfth in race three and despite the needed comeback he finished just over six seconds off race winner Irwin.

Official British Superbike Silverstone Records:

Old BSB Lap Record – Silverstone: Bradley Ray (Yamaha) 53.102s (2022)

New BSB lap record – Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) 52.953s (2023 – FP3)

2022 at Silversone:

Pole: Glenn Irwin (2nd Kyle Ryde, 3rd Bradley Ray)

Race One:

1:Glenn Iwrin

2:Kyle Ryde

3:Bradley Ray

Race Two:

1:Glenn Irwin

2:Kyle Ryde

3: Rory Skinner

Race Three:

1: Glenn Irwin

2: Bradley Ray

3: Andrew Irwin

Tim Neave (McAMS Yamaha) got the better of his more experienced brother Tom (Honda Racing UK) in 13th and 14th respectively.

The second Honda, with Hector Barbera aboard, passed and just kept back Josh Owens (Crendon Honda by Hawk racing) for the final point.

Andrew Irwin and Luke Mossey both failed to see the finish line.

Luke Hopkins remained absent following his injuries picked up earlier in the weekend. Danny Buchan was also unavailable as he went for checks on suspected broken bones in his foot following his race two exit, which brought out the red flag.

Championship Standings

After round one it is Josh Brookes leading the way on 48 points, just two ahead of Tommy Bridewell after a trio of hard fought races. His win sees Glenn Irwin in close company with a total of 43.

Kyle Ryde was 39 points to his credit following his sprint race win despite a tough race three. Jason O’Halloran’s consistent points hauls sees him fifth overall on 35.

UPDATE: This report now includes a statment on the condition of Chrissy Rouse, made this evening.

Race three had it’s share of drama with Bradley Ray coming out on top to move his championship aspirations a step closer with victory at the third race at Donington Park.

Following the early red flag a whole series of riders seemed determined to make a better fist of their second chance.

Tom Sykes initially lead again, but Ray this time immediately made himself known behind, with Glenn Irwin soon pulling himself into the lead mix.

The trio all had a chance out front, with Jason O’Halloran and Andrew Irwin moving into the hunt.

 

Race and title hopes over for O’Halloran.

 

On lap six of the shortened eighteen lap race the Australian couldn’t get his Yamaha stopped and ran into the back of Tom Sykes at the Melbourne loop.

That accident sent the McAMS rider spinning, while the contact, Sykes’s MCE Ducati lifted the Yamaha clean into the air saw the #66 retire to the pits. O’Halloran left the track by ambulance. 

After an issue for Glenn Irwin, Ray eventually pulled clear out front, but needed several new lap records to do so. His new best of 1m 28.597s helping him to his ninth win of the season on the Rich Energy OMG Yamaha.

 

The results behind ensure the title goes all the way to the last round at Brands Hatch.

Andrew Irwin had been sandwiching the Yamaha with his brother so moved into second for Synetiq BMW Motorrad, 2.226s behind the winner.

 

Heroic Glenn Irwin on podium without a footpeg.

 

After fighting his way back in front, Glenn Irwin had been looking to ride hard and take his first win since Silverstone.

The Honda rider needed to last for four more laps to taste victory when he suddenly ran wide and dropped to third, looking down in disbelief at his bike.

The Northern Irish ride had snapped off his footpeg. Resourcefully he balanced his foot on the exhaust, and although not able to ride as fast as before while checking his foot position constantly, he was determined to hit the podium.

As Tommy Bridewell caught and passed the #2 it looked to all be over, but a wobble by the Oxford Products Ducati man gave Irwin the opportunity to pass back and finish his most remarkable finish on the podium.

Danny Buchan took advantage of the restart to improve his position and moved up to fifth by the close of the race on the second Synetiq BMW Motorrad entry completing a strong day for the team.

British Superbike Donington Park (Showdown) – Race results (3) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Bradley Ray GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha 27m 06.696s 2 Andrew Irwin GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad +2.226s 3 Glenn Irwin GBR Honda Racing UK +2.628s 4 Tommy Bridewell GBR Oxford Products Racing Ducati +3.065s 5 Danny Buchan GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad +4.020s 6 Kyle Ryde GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha +6.028s 7 Lee Jackson GBR FS-3 Racing Kawasaki +6.522s 8 Ryan Vickers GBR FHO Racing BMW with Attis Sports +6.906s 9 Danny Kent GBR Buildbase Suzuki +7.162s 10 Leon Haslam GBR Visiontrack Kawasaki +7.536s 11 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW +11.457s 12 Storm Stacey GBR Team LKQ Euro Parts Kawasaki +14.315s 13 Charlie Nesbitt GBR Buildbase Suzuki +14.588s 14 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +14.861s 15 Takumi Takahashi JAP Honda Racing UK +18.140s 16 Josh Brookes AUS MCE Ducati +21.147s 17 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha +28.440s 18 Leon Jeacock GBR Specsavers Suzuki +32.671s 19 Josh Owens GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +33.352s 20 Ryo Mizuno JAP Honda Racing UK +36.547s 21 Eemeli Lahti FIN Powerslide Racing Suzuki +37.017s 22 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki DNF 23 Tom Sykes GBR MCE Ducati DNF 24 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha DNF 25 Chrissy Rouse GBR Crowe Performance BMW DNF

Kyle Ryde also saw the opportunity to improve, two seconds further back he was sixth on the second Rich Energy OMG Yamaha.

Finishing seventh takes Lee Jackson out of the Showdown equation for Cheshire Holdings FS-3 Kawasaki.

Just behind his green bike was Ryan Vickers (FHO BMW RAcing with Attis Sports). Danny Kent was a much improved ninth for Buildbase Suzuki moments later,

Leon Haslam made a huge comeback after his fall in race two to complete the top tenon the VisionTrack Kawasaki.

Before the red flag Peter Hickman was starting from the back of the grid after failing to make the grid on time as his FHO Racing BMW was worked on. Allowed to start from his original sixth on the restart the #60 went backwards to finish eleventh.

He was clear of Storm Stacey (Team LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki), who made up places throughout the race to climb to twelfth.

Charlie Nesbitt was back in the points on his third outing, this time in 13th as he continued his replacement ride at Buildbase Suzuki, in for Christian Iddon.

The remaining points on offer went to Honda riders Tom Neave in 14th and Takumi Takahashi in 15th.

Josh Brookes missed out in a distant 16th on the remaining MCE Ducati.

 

DNF’s

 

Chrissy Rouse’s crash brought out the red flag with just one lap complete so he could be treated trackside. Unconscious, he was stabilised and transferred to the nearest hospital.

The following staement has been issued this evening:

‘In Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three at Donington Park circuit earlier today (Sunday), Chrissy Rouse crashed heavily on the opening lap of the race, exiting Goddards Corner. The race was immediately stopped.

Chrissy Rouse sustained a significant head injury. He was stabilised and put in a medically induced coma at the medical centre by the BSB medical team before being transferred to Queens Medical Centre/University Hospital, Nottingham for further investigations and treatment.

Further updates and information will be provided when available’.

Jason O’Halloran was the other big faller, bringing out the safety car while he was moved. Dean Harrison also failed to finish.

Donington Park Statistics:

Qualifying:
1: Jason O’Halloran

Race one:
1: Tom Sykes
2: Jason O’Halloran
3: Peter Hickman

Race two:
1: Tom Sykes
2: Bradley Ray
3: Glenn Irwin

BSB Donington Park Lap Record –   Shane Byrne (2016) Ducati – 1m 28.896s (NEW – Tom Sykes 1m 28.808s Race 2)

Round Three at Donington Park 2022

Qualifying:
Pole: Jason O’Halloran

Race One: Kyle Ryde
Race Two: Jason O’Halloran
Race Three: Jason O’Halloran

2021 at Donington Park

Round One:
Qualifying:
Pole:Jason O’Halloran

Race One (sprint): Jason O’Halloran
Race Two: Tarran Mackenzie
Race Three: Tommy Bridewell

Round Nine(Showdown):
Qualifying:
Pole: Gino Rea

Race One (sprint): Tarran Mackenzie
Race Two: Tommy Bridewell
Race Three: Tommy Bridewell

Oulton Park Results:
Qualifying:
Pole: Bradley Ray

Race One: Bradley Ray
Race Two: Lee Jackson
Race Three:  Tommy Bridewell

Where does that leave the championship?

 

As Donington concludes only three ridrs can now take the 2022 BSB crown.

Bradley Ray added another 25 points in race three, taking him to a total of 1171. He is 66 points clear of Glenn Irwin who took over in second.

His brave footpeg free finish took him one point ahead of Tommy Bridewell, who is the only other rider to remain close enough to have a chance at the title.

With just three races of the season and 75 points on offer, Lee Jackson fell out of contention, even a maximum haul would not be enough as he slipped to 76 points behind Ray. 

Race three was Tommy Bridewell’s time to shine as he fought his way to the front for his first win of the season at round nine of the championship.

Bridewell was handed a penalty requiring him to drop three grid positions for race three (with two points added to his record) in addition to the penalty he already served in race one.

Lining up fourth the Oxford Products Ducati rider was immediately in podium contention. 

Ray initially lead after passing pole man Glenn Irwin, before both Lee Jackson and Irwin then enjoyed a turn out front.

British Superbike Oulton Park (Showdown) – Race results (3) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Tommy Bridewell GBR Oxford Products Racing Ducati 23m 44.970 2 Glenn Irwin GBR Honda Racing UK +0.089s 3 Lee Jackson GBR FS-3 Racing Kawasaki +0.222s 4 Danny Buchan GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad +0.708s 5 Bradley Ray GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha +2.024s 6 Tom Sykes GBR MCE Ducati +2.143s 7 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW +2.390s 8 Josh Brookes AUS MCE Ducati +4.789s 9 Kyle Ryde GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha +10.013s 10 Danny Kent GBR Buildbase Suzuki =10.130s 11 Storm Stacey GBR Team LKQ Euro Parts Kawasaki +11.098s 12 Andrew Irwin GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad +11.813s 13 Ryan Vickers GBR FHO Racing BMW with Attis Sports +12.156s 14 Leon Haslam GBR Visiontrack Kawasaki +14.707s 15 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki +15.795s 16 Takumi Takahashi JAP Honda Racing UK +22.373s 17 Chrissy Rouse GBR Crowe Performance BMW +24.449s 18 Josh Owens GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +25.675s 19 Leon Jeacock GBR Specsavers Suzuki +37.875s 20 Ryo Mizuno JAP Honda Racing UK +48.029s 21 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +6 laps 22 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +10 laps 23 Christian Iddon GBR Buildbase Suzuki DNS 24 Rory Skinner GBR FS-3 Racing Kawasaki DNS 25 Tarran Mackenzie GBR McAMS Yamaha DNS 26 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha DNS

 

 

Moving into second on lap seven he wasted no time getting to the front, forcing the issue at Druids at the end of lap nine.

Once in front the #46 held firm and survived a last lunge from Glenn Irwin to lead over the line by just 0.089s.

The win is Bridewell’s first of the season as he has saved his best form for right as the Showdown kicks in.

Glenn Irwin regards Oulton Park as a ‘bogey track’ so he was already exceeding expectations with two fourth places, building on that with a second ‘felt like a win’ for the Honda rider.

There was a full mix of manufacturers on the podium with Lee Jackson holding third in a tight run to the line for the lead riders, building on his win with round two with Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki.

 

Danny Buchan broke up the remaining showdown riders with a blistering performance to take fourth in the ultra competitive front group for Synetiq BMW Mottorad.

Ray dropped back with tyre issues again. Coming from first he slipped off of the frontrunners but their buffer back to the chasing pack meant he was safe in fifth for most of the closing stages, though Tom Sykes caught the Rich Energy OMG Yamaha man in the closing stages to give him a run for his money.

The Ducati man couldn’t quite make a way through once on his back wheel so had to settle for sixth.

Peter Hickman ended an eventful weekend seventh for FHO Racing BMW and was right behind Sykes at the line.

Josh Brookes brought the second MCE Ducati home in eighth. It was a lonely ride as he was gapped by the riders in front, but clear of Kyle Ryde in a distant ninth.

Ryde was the lowest placing of the Showdown riders to start the race, but had to come through from 21st on the grid after his double crash from his Rich Energy OMG Yamaha in race two.

Danny Kent also made forward progress, improving on his twelfth placed start to complete the top ten on the only remaining Buildbase Suzuki.

Storm Stacey ((Team LKQ Eori Car Parts KAwasaki) completed a strong meet in eleventh holding off Andrew Irwin after he fell back to twelfth for Synetiq BMW Motorrad.

The remaining points on offer went to Ryan Vickers (FHO Racing BMW with Attis Sports) in 13th Leon Haslam , who slipped back after running straight on on the VisionTrack Kawasaki and Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki).

 

Injury Update

 

Rory Skinner didn’t start after damage to his hand. Christian Iddon also went to hospital after race two to have his head injury checked. Tarran Mackenzie is reported to have a broken femur. Jason O’Halloran was also too injured to start race three.

Oulton Park Statistics:

Qualifying:

1:Bradley Ray 1m 32.945s (new record)

2:Tommy Bridewell

3:Jason O’Halloran

Race One:

1: Bradley Ray

2: Tommy Bridewell

3: Leon Haslam

Race Two:

1: Lee Jackson

2: Tommy Bridewell

3:Bradley Ray

Round Two at Oulton Park 2022

Qualifying:

Pole: Kyle Ryde

Race One: Bradley Ray

Race Two: Bradley Ray

Race Three: Lee Jackson

2021 at Oulton Park

Round One:

Qualifying:

Pole:Tommy Bridewell

Race One (sprint): Jason O’Halloran

Race Two: Jason O’Halloran

Race Three: Jason O’Halloran

Round Nine(Showdown):

Qualifying:

Pole: Josh Brookes

Race One (sprint): Tarran Mackenzie

Race Two: Tommy Bridewell

Race Three: Tommy Bridewell

Where does that leave the championship?

 

Despite a difficult day Ray still leads the way on 1113 points. It is all change behind with Tommy Bridewell having all the momentum to move up from eighth to second over the course of the weekend on a total of 1073 points and now just 40 shy of Ray’s haul.

Jackson is now third on 1065, just ahead of Glenn Irwin on 1062. With no points in any of the races the McAMS yamaha riders amounts remain unchanged, with O’halloran dropping to fifth and Mackenzie sixth. Kyle Ryde added to his tally in race three to move on to 1027, with Rory Skinner also out of action in eighth.

Danny Buchan was the best of the rest in the Rider’s Cup now on 208 points, with Hickman behind on 198 and Haslam next in the order on 192.

Tarran Mackenzie proved it is possible to defeat Jason O’Halloran at Thruxton, with Bradley Ray again fighting for the podium as the trio provided another exhilerating finish in race three of round six of the championship.

The race ran to a similar pattern to the first of the day, with the trio pulling away. This time it was Mackenzie out front on the McAMS Yamaha as his team-mate O’Halloran tried to conserve tyres as the weather became sticky and humid at the Hampshire track.

Church was once again the scene of of most of the action. The #22 revisited his favoured overtaking spot after Ray had pulled ahead at turn two on lap sixteen.

 

 

With two laps to go the defending champion showed his cards and retook the lead. The Australian tried Church again on the penultimate lap with a huge lunge which moved him to first, with Mackenzie unable to use the slipstream to pass.

All three bikes were squirming all over the track on the final lap, as their tyre grip deserted them in the heat. That allowed all three to again pull alongside each other for an explosive finish.

Ray looked to pull clear of the drama, but Mackenzie was soon right back on the rear of his Yamaha, the duo slid to the line together, with another photo finish placing Mackenzie ahead at the line.

Ray was just behind on the Rich Energy OMG Racing bike, a tiny gap of 0.019s all that stopped him visiting the top spot on the podium.

That prevented another McAMS 1-2 with O’Halloran taking his twelfth consecutive podium finish in third.

Peter Hickman had his battery terminal strap break, he had ran the same plan as in race two and was keeping pace again to gap the field on his FHO Racing BMW before grinding to a halt.

Glenn Irwin was leading the race for position behind and inherited fourth and held it well to take the flag, once again, as the top Honda.

British Superbike Thruxton – Race Results (3)   Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Tarran Mackenzie GBR McAMS Yamaha 25.28.047s 2 Bradley Ray GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha +0.019s 3 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha +0.293s 4 Glenn Irwin GBR Honda Racing UK +10.573s 5 Lee Jackson GBR FS-3 Racing Kawasaki +11.846s 6 Leon Haslam GBR Visiontrack Kawasaki +11.900s 7 Tommy Bridewell GBR Oxford Products Racing Ducati +12.018s 8 Andrew Irwin GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad +12.156s 9 Rory Skinner GBR FS-3 Racing Kawasaki +12.232s 10 Tom Sykes GBR MCE Ducati +16.767s 11 Christian Iddon GBR Buildbase Suzuki +17.139s 12 Ryo Mizuno JAP Honda Racing UK +18.707s 13 Ryan Vickers GBR FHO Racing BMW with Attis Sports +18.909s 14 Takumi Takahashi JAP Honda Racing UK +19.719s 15 Danny Kent GBR Buildbase Suzuki +20.861s 16 Josh Owens GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +29.337s 17 Chrissy Rouse GBR Crowe Performance BMW +29.771s 18 Storm Stacey GBR Team LKQ Euro Parts Kawasaki +30.637s 19 Leon Jeacock GBR Specsavers Suzuki +31.173s 20 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +34.445s 21 Luke Hopkins GBR Black Onyx Security Honda +37.257s 22 James East GBR Kawasaki – NP Racing +40.301s 23 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +49.562s 24 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW 14 laps 25 Tito Rabat SPA TAG Racing Honda 10 laps 26 Kyle Ryde GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha 6 laps 27 Josh Brookes AUS MCE Ducati 3 laps 28 Danny Buchan GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad 3 laps 29 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki 0 laps 30 Dan Jones GBR Iforce Lloyd & Jones BMW DNS

Lee Jackson was next to see the chequered flag for Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki, only just ahead of Leon Haslam in sixth for VisionTrack Kawasaki.

Tommy Bridewell finally found some form on his home circuit as he made a determined climb to seventh as the top Ducati finisher for Oxford Products.

Andrew Irwin again made big gains, making his way up to eighth by the close of the race for SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad.

He had Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings FS-3) in close company but kept ahead.

Thruxton Race One Result:
1: Jason O’Halloran
2: Tarran Mackenzie
3: Bradley Ray

Thruxton Race Two Result:
1: Jason O’Halloran 
2: Tarran Mackenzie
3: Bradley Ray

2021 at Thruxton

Race One (Sprint): Jason O’Halloran
Race Two: Jason O’Halloran
Race Three: Jason O’Halloran

Tom Sykes at one stage held fifth, which would have been a seasons best, but he faded back into the chasing group and then onto the front of the next one to lead the race for tenth over the line instead for MCE Ducati.

Christian Iddon had hoped to challenge for fifth of sixth too and showed he had the pace to do so in the early stages before he dropped to eleventh for Buildbase Suzuki.

Ryo Mizuno again had a strong finish to his grand prix, climbing up to twelfth over the final laps, his best finish of the season for Honda.

Ryan Vickers (FHO Racing BMW with Attis Sports) was 13th with the remaining points going to  Honda’s Takumi Takahashi in 14th and the Buildbase Suzuki of Danny Kent who slipped back to 15th.

Thruxton DNF’s

 

Peter Hickman was not the only rider to exit the race early.

Dan Jones was a non-starter, with Dean Harrison also out before the race was really started.

A frustrated Danny Buchan had an issue on lap three and coasted off the track, right before Josh Brookes did the same.

Kyle Ryde was a faller after six laps, while Tito Rabat retired to the pits.

Where does the race three results leave the championship?

 

The same eight riders hold the Showdown slots, with the already confirmed Jason O’Halloran at the top with a total of 331. His rostrum finish sees him with 48 podium points.

Ray remains second overall with 307, and his second podium on Sunday sees him now also book his place for the Showdown. He holds 35 podium points.

Lee Jackson remains third overall  thanks to his consistent run, his podium points remain unchanged on 14.

Skinner, Glenn Irwin and Ryde hold onto 4th – 6th while his win sees Mackenzie move up to seventh, with the third biggest podium points tally with 24 to his name.

Hickman is ninth behind Bridewell, his DNF making it a much bigger task to make the top eight as the rounds count down.

 

Danny Buchan put on a repeat performance to win by an even greater margin, with Bradley ray once again behind with Tommy Bridewell completing the same podium trio in race three  at Cadwell Park, round seven on the championship.

Danny Buchan once again got the better of the polesitter early to get out front and dominate race three at the Lincolnshire track.

The SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad rider once again got a strong start and took over from pole man Ray on the first lap and gave a masterclass of how to rider the twisty track and mountain session, this time leading over the line by 1.864s.

After becoming the seventh different winner of the season earlier in the day, Danny Buchan continued his comeback and charge for a Showdown place. His second win of the day was also BMw’s second of the season and the sixth of his BSB career. 

Ray was once again in touch on the Rich Energy OMG Yamaha, still succeeding when the manufacturer did not dominate this weekend as they have previous race meets. Second brings up his 16th rostrum visit of the year and more valuable podium points.

Tommy Bridewell was once again third for Oxford Products Ducati as he was dropped by the pair ahead before Buchan turned up the pace and Ray seemed happy to sit in behind. 

	British Superbikes Cadwell PArk – Race Results (3)   Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Danny Buchan GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad 25m 59.505s 2 Bradley Ray GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha +1.864s 3 Tommy Bridewell GBR Oxford Products Racing Ducati +3.628s 4 Leon Haslam GBR Visiontrack Kawasaki +11.854s 5 Rory Skinner GBR FS-3 Racing Kawasaki +11.999s 6 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW +12.362s 7 Andrew Irwin GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad +13.023s 8 Glenn Irwin GBR Honda Racing UK +13.928s 9 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha +14.773s 10 Tarran Mackenzie GBR McAMS Yamaha +14.962s 11 Josh Brookes AUS MCE Ducati +15.801s 12 Lee Jackson GBR FS-3 Racing Kawasaki +23.097s 13 Ryan Vickers GBR FHO Racing BMW with Attis Sports +24.443s 14 Danny Kent GBR Buildbase Suzuki +24.886s 15 Takumi Takahashi JAP Honda Racing UK +25.173s 16 Kyle Ryde GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha +25.636s 17 Storm Stacey GBR Team LKQ Euro Parts Kawasaki +26.636s 18 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki +31.713s 19 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +39.817s 20 Tom Sykes GBR MCE Ducati +39.068s 21 Ryo Mizuno JAP Honda Racing UK +46.322s 22 Luke Hopkins GBR Black Onyx Security Honda +50.329s 23 James East GBR Kawasaki – NP Racing +59.257s 24 Leon Jeacock GBR Specsavers Suzuki 7 laps 25 Chrissy Rouse GBR Crowe Performance BMW 8 laps 26 Christian Iddon GBR Buildbase Suzuki 14 laps

The group behind were hard at battle again with Leon Haslam making his move for the front count again for his second fourth of the day for VisionTrack Kawasaki.

Rory Skinner was fifth again too, after moving up the inside of Haslam earlier in the race. Keeping Andrew Irwin behind before Peter Hickman passed him late in the race, fifth was enough to see the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki rider become the third rider confirmed for the showdown.

After a race filled with moves on each other Peter Hickman bounced back from dropping to ninth on the first lap to set the fastest lap of the race and bite back for sixth. SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad rider Irwintook the chequered flag seventh.

Glenn Irwin bridged the gap to his brother but couldn’t find a way through so finished eighth as top Honda.

Jason O’Halloran once again dropped through the field like a stone, ninth at the line, just ahead of his McAMS team-mate, reigning champion Tarran Mackenzie, who made up seven positions on his grid placing for a top ten finish at a track he does not favour.

Josh Brookes was a much improved eleventh for MCE Ducati.

A weekend to forget for Lee Jackson

 

Local rider Lee Jackson continued his meet of ups and downs. Following his crash in race one and comeback from 27th to 14th in race two, The Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki rider made a jump start in race three, resulting in a ten second penalty being added to his time.

On track Jackson was at the back of the group that were fighting for fourth, just behind Irwin who finished eighth, but with the penalty added he finished twelfth, having looked assured to make it to the showdown this weekend after a solid season.

Race One (sprint) result:

1: Bradley Ray

2: Rory Skinner

3: Danny Buchan

Race Two:

1: Danny Buchan

2: Bradley Ray

3: Tommy Bridewell

2021 at Cadwell Park

Race One (sprint): Peter Hickman

Race Two: Peter Hickman

Race Three: Jason O’Halloran

Round Six (Thruxton)

Race One (sprint): Jason O’Halloran

Race Two: Jason O’Halloran

Race Three: Tarran Mackenzie

 

The final points on offer went to Ryan Vickers (FHO Racing BMW with Attis Sports) in 13th , Danny Kent (Buildbase Suzuki) in 14th and Takumi Takahashi (Honda Racing) in 15th .

Kyle Ryde was out of the points in 16th on the second Rich Energy OMG Yamaha, after a poor run of form he remains eighth overall, but he now has just a 14 point advantage over race winner Danny Buchan.

Tom Neave ran over the grass right at the start of the race, he finished 19th for Honda Racing.

Leon Jeacock, Chrissy Rouse and Christian Iddon all crashed out over the course of the 18 laps.

Championship standings after race three

 

Bradley Ray now leads overall with 372 points, with Jason O’Halloran now second with 359. The Australian remains ahead on podium points despite not picking any up at Cadwell Park while Ray bridged the gap with a win and two second places – O’Halloran has 48 and Ray two less.

Rory Skinner remains third but now guaranteed a seat in the Showdown. Team-mate Lee Jackson will have to wait until Snetterton after his off form weekend.