Snetterton proved to be fruitful for Christian Iddon, after recovering to sixth in the shortened, treacherous race one, the Oxford Products Ducati rider was able to claim third in the second five lap dash, the shortened race two sprint.

Race three saw him take the lead for the opening laps, something he credits his team for with an improved bike, but left him rueful he could not hold on out front after such a positive start:

“The team gave me a vastly improved bike for that last race so I finished in the same place, so I guess that’s my fault because I did feel a lot better on it and when I got the holeshot I was confident enough to try to set a pace and then when Glenn came through it just upset my rhythm a little bit and then obviously Tommy pounced as well, it took me a little bit of time to sort of regroup.

I was really struggling in one particular spot – I was awful onto the back straight – and it was costing me quite a bit of time, and then I was trying to recover it in other places, so I’m happy with the work we’ve done here”.

Although his drop from the lead was a shame, Iddon had no time to dwell as there was another battle approaching behind as Kyle Ryde and Danny Kent duked it out on track, with Ryde ahead of him at one point in the race:

“I’m a little bit disappointed to have gone backwards in the race because obviously to be at the front and then, you know, to peg back a little bit, but you know Kyle got me at one point – I had to get him back, so there was definitely plenty of fight, I was having a good go”.

Though close enough to see what was going on ahead the #21 was not close enough to get involved leaving him to view the battle out front along with the fans at the track and at home:

“I was kind of hoping at the end that I could sort of get myself a little bit closer, to actually sort of be in that battle  – it was kind of like watching it on TV really – I was just there, sort of like watching it from behind and I was almost willing them two to have a bit of a bigger gap at each other than they were doing.

So fair play to Glenn and Tommy, they just had a slight edge on me today, but I think we’ve worked really well, we’ve had a strong weekend, we got away with it yesterday big time and that could have hurt us but championship wise it’s been pretty good”.

Iddon leaves Snetterton with 156 points, still moving up to third overall and reducing his  gap to the lead slightly down from 23 to 21 points.

Tommy Bridewell saw his first five lap dash end in a crash, joining Danny Kent by the Snetterton barriers. Back on track, though feeling underpowered on the straights, the reigning champion was able to pick up two podiums, both second places,  a result only dented by the fact it was main rival Glenn Irwin ahead both times.

The Honda, Bridewell felt was not able to keep up with the Ducatis around him in a straight line, though through the #1 was able to make up ground in other parts of the track:

“I felt good, I felt comfortable on the bike, some areas I was having to work really hard to hang on to Glenn – I could see Christian was there as well so I was just trying to, in all honesty, trying to just save my tyre because I thought I need the grip to drive onto the straights, if I can’t get onto the straights I’m struggling on the straights as it is.

I enjoyed the race, it didn’t feel a long race, it just felt like my hands were tied slightly just because I couldn’t get close enough on the straights to be able to out break on entry – I was sort of losing so much in the straight that then on braking I had to make it up”.

Bridewell felt his #1 bike ran better on Friday, something which he feels he can fix with the team before the next round:

The bike was working absolutely fantastic, just on Friday it felt a bit faster, so we need to analyse – I expect temperature or something – but on Friday I was able to actually catch Christian in the straight line, in slipstream, and pass him. In that race I couldn’t get anywhere near the Ducatis in the straight.
But needless to say I’m happy, really happy – I knew this weekend was going to be a tough one for us.

I’m probably not surprised, but I’m happy we have come away with two podiums for definite”.

Bridewell had plenty of praise for his rivals too, with Iddon setting a strong pace to get the race going and Irwin pulling out all the stops on his wobbling grip-less Ducati to stay ahead in the closing stages, making for a great race:

“Christian, to be fair, rode a fantastic race at the start because I was watching my lap time thinking you know what, fair play, the pace is fast, you know, it’s not like really where we’re just sitting here and , you know, ticking the laps off.

When Glenn got past Christian I knew I had to get through and pass Christian into the last corner and, to be honest, couldn’t get it stopped and we had a bit of a ding-dong but once I got past I could then set about sort of dragging Glenn back in”.

Having arrived leading the championship, Irwin winning twice sees him lose the lead, but the two second places minimized the damage, with just four points between the duo in the overall standings.

Day two at Snetterton saw Glenn Irwin get going in dominant form pulling out a huge lap in the five lap sprint after another red flag, followed by a close battle to the line in race three, both times with Tommy Bridewell his closest rival, echoing the championship.

The PBM Ducati rider has grown to love having such a strong rivalry with the reigning champion:

“What a show for BSB, and you know, to be part of it is really a great feeling, to have the rivalry with Tommy and you, the spectators, really buy into that and because it’s real, you know.

There’s enough respect where we can have a bit of conversation about our race. But it’s really, really real and you look back in history and you know motorsport is littered with rivalries like that and they were always best years and you know I dreamed of winning BSB races one day, you know, and I was fighting to win a championship in an era that is so hotly contested by everyone, but with two people who have that desire”.

Pushing each other to the limit means they both have to race harder, proving a point on track. The changeable track conditions at Snetterton also played a part, with rain continuing to fall sporadically over the course of Sunday, with race three in better weather and the only BSB race to go the full distance at the Norwich track:

“The race was much harder for sure, it was an opportunity you know for the guys to reverse the result form the first race today. We kind of kept the bike the same other than a very small change to the front that I don’t believe hampered what I struggled with.

The warmer temperature I think definitely impacted our settings and tyre pressures and stuff like that. I had no front grip. I felt really good at the beginning, riding quite easy, not pushing. Christian was setting a good pace I was happy to sit there, you know, for a bit”.

Irwin realised the huge lead he built over the five lap sprint was not an appropriate tactic for the full sixteen lap race and was keen to point out that although he managed the conditions best, taking the win, he had his share of issues:

Then when we took the lead I thought okay, we’re in a good position, not like the race earlier, lets not try to break them because sixteen laps, you’ve got to look after your tyre, and I probably saved my tyre a lot, but the grip level in the rear dropped drastically. I was really struggling onto the back straight.

I know my bike is strong but that doesn’t ride itself around the corner and we suffer a lot with edge grip, so on the throttle my rear was moving.

In the corner entry I lost the front at turn four twice, at turn five I lost it in the last lap, the bars had turned in again, two laps before I went onto the curbs so it was really…that was a tough race”.

Two wins was enough to see Irwin take over at the top of the championship standings heading to Brands Hatch, but by just four points over Bridwell.

Storm Stacey picked up his first British Superbike win at Snetterton in a difficult race one at the Norwich track, with the weather playing a massive part in the result.

The LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki rider had worked his way forward, pushing with an intermediate tyre in the race which had been declared wet.

When the Red Flag came out for Rory Skinner’s fall, the race had just passed race distance, bur Stacey was waving like a winner:

“I was so nervous to ruin that last half of the race! When the red flag came out before I was looking at the marshals, I was saying ‘is it finished? Is it finished? Have I won? Have I won?’

Like Kyle said, to go for the inter rear it was a stiff choice – I didn’t know whether to do it or not and I did and it paid off”.

That gamble saw the #79 on pole for the restart. Initially under pressure from Danny Kent before he fell, Stacey was expecting Tommy Bridewell, on the same tyres to join him at the front next, that wasn’t to be as the #1 was the next to fall, hitting Kent on the way:

“I thought Tommy was going to be right with me and Tommy didn’t come with me and I was probably the only inter rider that was actually risking riding with the inter rear tyre really – and it felt good to me.

“I didn’t feel like, I didn’t really have many moments – I had moments in places where I knew I would but, yeah – chipping away and I thought ‘right, we’re on here, we’re on for a win’ and then when the red flag came out I was like ‘oh, I’ve been robbed, I’ve been robbed of my first’ I thought I’ve done it”.

Being able to turn around his attitude to not getting a red flag win was key to Stacey being able to come back and ride at the front again, this time in a fully wet race with low visibility and spray – there was a further delay to the start as it rained again- showing his capability in a range of conditions:

“The delay, it gives us another two laps as well to scrub the tyres in, which made me feel a lot better. Then, when I saw Danny lose the front, I thought ‘right. I just need to keep this all together here now’.

Lewis come and I thought oh, he’s going to win the Pathway class and I’ll end up winning outright. That’s how I thought it worked, so I thought, well if I come second at least I’m still going to win the outright, but then I thought, I’m catching him here, I thought I can do this”.

Thankfully Stacey decided to go all in on the final lap of the five in the shortened distance, taking the win outright from the front:

“So I stringed it all together, got it all good and then I thought ‘right, well if I’m going to win it, I may as well win it outright’!

I passed him down the straight, coming on the brakes and managed to make it stick all the way to the line and we brought it home in P1”.

Stacey has been with the same team, through several sponsor name changes for his 128 BSB races so was quick to credit his work and relationship with his team in the win:

“We’ve spent so long trying to do this and not even just trying to do this – trying to do top fives, a podium – a podium would have been enough two years ago, a year ago, it’s what we’re fighting for . We had a lot of problems back end of last year and it probably wouldn’t have happened last year even if we had a wet race -it’s unfortunate that we’ve had to have a wet race to do it but we knew that was probably going to be the case”.

The irony of winning at last on his least favourite track to ride on the calendar wasn’t lost on Stacey either:

“And what is good is to get my first superbike win is around the track I least – my least favourite. I’m not a massive fan of Snetterton so to get a win around here is amazing, it’s a bit annoying really”!

Tommy Bridewell escaped at the front as his rivals tangled for the remaining podium slots to do a double in a shortened race two at Snetterton, after a red flag.

With a poor start from pole recovered again in the opening laps after dropping back on the receiving end of a tough move from Leon Haslam, the red flag brought a chance to regroup for many riders not having the most ideal of starts and Tommy Bridewell made the most of his opportunity.

Lining up fourth for the restart, the BeerMonster Ducati rider made short work of reaching the front, leading as the third trip around the track drew to a close.

The #46 then benefited from the in-fighting in the group of four behind, crossing the line well clear of his rivals to make it two wins out of two so far at the Norfolk track.

 

Josh Brookes found himself getting a great start again, and lead the opening laps of the restart, the quartet behind split into two battles for position over the closing laps, with the Australian having Haslam for company.

The FHO Racing BMW rider stayed ahead to finish 1.635s behind Bridewell.

Haslam makes the most of the restart

 

Originally fifteenth on the grid with improvements coming on the Rokit BMW all weekend, the restart saw Haslam line up a much elevated sixth after his hard work from the green lights to the red flag and he was also not going to waste a second chance at a podium.

It was Halsam’s defensive line that frustrated Glenn Irwin and split the group, seeing him safe in third.

That left Irwin, who was regularly wide, up the inside and round the outside of eveyone nearby on his BeerMonster Ducati in a desperate attempt to not be run out of a podium finish for the second race in a row. However, that was exactly how it played out, finishing fourth, but holding off Jason O’Halloran through the final few corners to ensure the McAMS Yamaha rider was kept behind in fifth.

British Superbikes Round Five – Snetterton – Race results (2) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Tommy Bridewell GBR BeerMonster Ducati 14.32.398s 2 Josh Brookes AUS FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +1.635s 3 Leon Haslam GBR Rokit BMW Motorrad Team +1.829s 4 Glenn Irwin GBR BeerMonster Ducati +2.633s 5 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha +2.722s 6 Danny Kent GBR Lovell Kent Racing Honda +5.820s 7 Lee Jackson GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +5.908s 8 Christian Iddon GBR Oxford Products Ducati +6.354s 9 Ryan Vickers GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +6,732s 10 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha +6.784s 11 Kyle Ryde GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +6.883s 12 Charlie Nesbitt GBR MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing +7.019s 13 Tito Rabat ESP McAMS Yamaha +7.422s 14 Max Cook GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +7.968s 15 Josh Owens GBR Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing +15.153s 16 Storm Stacey GBR Starline Racing Kawasaki +15.474s 17 Bradley Perie GBR Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki +15.485s 18 Jack Scott GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +16.566s 19 Luke Mossey GBR Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW +17.038s 20 Hector Barbera ESP TAG Racing Honda DNF 21 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki DNF 22 Franco Bourne GBR Honda Racing UK DNF 23 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW Motorrad DNF 24 Danny Buchan GBR Synetiq BMW Motorrad DNF 25 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK DNF 26 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki DNF

Danny Kent picked up his second sixth of the Snetterton 300 meet with a performance similar to his Saturday sprint as the distance was reduced to an eight lap dash.

Lee Jackson was close behind in seventh for Cheshire Mouldings as the top Kawasaki once again.

 

Improvements after a second chance for Iddon and Vickers

Christian Iddon was in the hunt for a podium after the first lights out but balied out of a move on Irwin and dropped to seventh ,then had just run wide again as the red flag came out, dropping him to sixteenth.

Allowed to restart from where he was before that excursion, the Oxford Products Ducati rider rallied to finish eighth at the chequered flag.

LAMI OMG Yamaha rider Ryan Vickers continues his home round to forget, but managed some damage limitation to claim ninth.

The #7 was only back on track to try and figure out why his bike had sent him off through the grass and out of the race and was running a lap down, but running, along with luke Mossey allowed the duo to rejoin the restart from the back of the grid.

Vickers then set about charging through the field for a ninth placed finish.

Jack Kennedy (Mer-Train Yamaha) completed the top ten in a close battle for position with Vickers and his team-mate Kyle Ryde, who made up places before the race was stopped from his original 17th on the grid, but with no change of tyres allowed, the #77 failed to replicate his progress in the shortened race.

Charlie Nesbitt was the top rookie for MasterMac Honda in twelfth.

Tito Rabat started eleventh this time out. His front row start in the sprint saw him finish in the top ten, this time he was 13th at the chequered flag.

Max Cook finished 14th on the second Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki, clear of the battle for the final point, which was won by Josh Owens (Crendon Honda) ahead of Storm Stacey (Starline Racing Kawasaki).

The only other riders to finish were Bradley Perie, Jack Scott and Luke Mossey.

Reg flags after Buchan crash

The original race start was just six laps old when Danny Buchan crashed out at Hamilton, creating a huge cloud of smoke or dust, with Peter Hickman soon off at the same corner, with debris from the first off from Buchan littered over that section of the track.

Hickman wasted no time in checking on Buchan, who had removed his helmet as his nose was bleeding and was writhing around in pain, seeming slightly in a panic. He attempted to stand with the paramedics, who grabbed the shaky rider to prevent him before falling. He was soon placed in an ambulance for further care.

Official British Superbike Snetterton Records:

Lap Record: Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha) 1m 47.029s (2022)

2022 at Snetterton:

Round eight – pole: Christian Iddon (2ndKyle Ryde, 3rd Tommy Bridewell)

Race One: 
1:Bradley Ray
2:Tarran Mackenzie
3:Kyle Ryde

Race Two: 
1:Bradley Ray
2:Tarran Mackenzie
3:Tommy Bridewell

Race Three:
1:Bradley Ray
2:Peter Hickman
3:Tarran Mackenzie

Last Round – Knockhill:

Pole: Glenn Irwin (2nd Ryan Vickers, 3rd Jason O’Halloran)

Race One:
1:Glenn Irwin
2:Ryan Vickers
3:Jason O’Halloran

Race Two:
1: Kyle Ryde
2:Tommy Bridewell
3:Jason O’Halloran

Race Three 
1:Glenn Irwin
2:Tommy Bridewell
3:Ryan Vickers

Crashes and injuries

Tom Neave crashed out before the red flag, but could not rejoin like Vickers and Mossey.

After the race got back underway Dean Harrison crashed out, while replacement rookie Franco Bourne and Hector Barbera both retired to the pits.

Where does that leave the championship?

Tommy Bridewell extends his championship lead further courtesy of another win and his closest rivals finishing off the podium again.

The #46 now has 199, 23 points clear of Glenn Irwin in second. Josh Brookes moves into third with another podium performance,  now on 168 to Ryde’s 163.

Haslam sits fifth overall on 150, with Jason O’halloran next with 123 points.

 

It was treble joy for Tommy Bridewell after a four way battle, with Josh Brookes electrical problems seeing him retiring from the lead in the final race of the weekend at Snetterton.

Once again from first on the grid Bridewell failed to hold on at the front, with Brookes taking over.

Looking in control, the Australian had his hand up at the start of lap ten into turn one as he desperatley tried to alter his bike and get the electrics working again.

 

It was initially team-mate Glenn Irwin who took over at the front still in the hunt for his first podium of the weekend, with Leon Haslam giving chase.

Bridewell was sat in behind and waited patiently, making his first move for victory on the penultimate lap. The BeerMonster Ducati bikes battled away, bringing the already close Haslam and Ryan Vickers into a four way battle for the win.

Bridewell made his next lunge count. On the final lap he pushed his way past, leading out of the Bomb Hole as the pressure sent Irwin wide. The Northern Irish rider still did not give in and tried the slipstream to the line, but the #46 held on to win by just 0.032s.

	British Superbikes Round Five – Snetterton – Race results (3) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Tommy Bridewell GBR BeerMonster Ducati 28m 58.851s 2 Glenn Irwin GBR BeerMonster Ducati +0.032s 3 Leon Haslam GBR Rokit BMW Motorrad Team +0.410s 4 Ryan Vickers GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +0.763s 5 Christian Iddon GBR Oxford Products Ducati +2.504s 6 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha +3.230s 7 Lee Jackson GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +3.616s 8 Kyle Ryde GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +7.089s 9 Danny Kent GBR Lovell Kent Racing Honda +9.214s 10 Tito Rabat ESP McAMS Yamaha +10.183s 11 Charlie Nesbitt GBR MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing +11.357s 12 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha +11.639s 13 Max Cook GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +12.683s 14 Josh Owens GBR Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing +19.771s 15 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +28.548s 16 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki +31.966s 17 Hector Barbera ESP TAG Racing Honda +42.676s 18 Luke Mossey GBR Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW DNF 19 Jack Scott GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki DNF 20 Josh Brookes AUS FHO Racing BMW Motorrad DNF 21 Bradley Perie GBR Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki DNF 22 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki DNF 23 Storm Stacey GBR Starline Racing Kawasaki DNF 24 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW Motorrad DNF 25 Franco Bourne GBR Honda Racing UK DNF 26 Danny Buchan GBR Synetiq BMW Motorrad DNS

It is Bridewell’s first ever triple win and the first by anyone so far this season.

Behind the duo, Rockit BMW’s Leon Haslam managed to hold off Ryan Vickers for the final podium spot.

Vickers just misses out on home podium

Ryan Vickers started on the wrong foot, and was gifted a second chance in race two when the safety car came out.

Being able to rejoin allowed him to set the second fastest lap and start the third race from the front row, with less work to do and more hope of success.

The LAMI OMG Yamaha rider got such a good start he lead into the first corner, though he eventually faded back into the chasing group, then hunting down Brookes.

A permanent fixture at the front, his reversal of fortunes in the Snetterton 300 was complete with fourth but couldn’t quite land a home rostrum visit. As Haslam escaped he had pressure coming in from behind to deal with.

That was from a rapidly approaching Christian Iddon, who was almost back in play as he took advantage of all the in-fighting ahead to catch the leaders on his way to fifth on the Oxford Poducts Ducati.

Jason O’Halloran won his battle with Lee Jackson for sixth on the McAMS yamaha, with the #14 once again the best placed Kawasaki rider for Cheshire Holdings.

Kyle Ryde once again found himself having to make up places from his grid slot, this time rising to ninth by the chequered flag on the second OMG Yamaha in a tough meet for the title hopeful.

Danny Kent fell back after a good start over the closing laps to finish ninth for his Lovell Kent Honda team, while Tito Rabat closed out the top ten completing a solid first time racing Snetterton with McAMS Yamaha.

Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) was the best of the rookies, holding off Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) in the run in to the line for eleventh.

The remaining points on offer went to Max Cook (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) in 13th, who was clear of Josh Owens (Crendon Honda) in 14th who in turn had his own gap over Tom Neave (Honda Racing UK) in a distant 15th.

Dean Harrison and Hector Barbera were the only other finishers.

Official British Superbike Snetterton Records:

Lap Record: Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha) 1m 47.029s (2022)

2022 at Snetterton:

Round eight – pole: Christian Iddon (2ndKyle Ryde, 3rd Tommy Bridewell)

Race One:

1:Bradley Ray

2:Tarran Mackenzie

3:Kyle Ryde

Race Two:

1:Bradley Ray

2:Tarran Mackenzie

3:Tommy Bridewell

Race Three:

1:Bradley Ray

2:Peter Hickman

3:Tarran Mackenzie

Last Round – Knockhill:

Pole: Glenn Irwin (2nd Ryan Vickers, 3rd Jason O’Halloran)

Race One:

1:Glenn Irwin

2:Ryan Vickers

3:Jason O’Halloran

Race Two:

1: Kyle Ryde

2:Tommy Bridewell

3:Jason O’Halloran

Race Three

1:Glenn Irwin

2:Tommy Bridewell

3:Ryan Vickers

Crashes and injuries

Danny Buchan was absent for the final race after his race two crash,with an update that he had been transferred to Norfolk and Norwich Hospital for further scans and assessments after suffering a concussion.

Franco Bourne and Peter Hickman had an early exit, leaving Hickman visibly frustrated after also crashing out of race two.

Storm Stacey soon followed, as did Liam Delves and Bradley Perie. Josh Brookes only has six laps left when he was forced to retire from the lead, while Jack Scott slid off at into Murray’s on the penultimate lap. Luke Mossey also failed to finish.

Where does that leave the championship?

Tommy Bridewell had his best ever race weekend and that was reflected in the title table, with the 34 year old once again extending his lead, now with a total of 217, a gap of 25 back to Glenn Irwin.

Despite his struggles Kyle Ryde moves back into third after Josh Brookes retired, they sit on 171 and 168 respectively.

Another podium from Leon Haslam sees him close in on the duo, now with a tally of 164.

 

 

Jason O’Halloran put in the fastest lap of the weekend to secure pole position at round five of the British Superbike championship at Snetterton.

Quickest after practice, the McAMS Yamaha rider wasted no time in getting up to speed and put in a lap that came close to the circuit record early in the session to earn pole with his 1m 47.111s run.

The Australian put to bed his last race at Knockhill which saw him sat in the gravel again after a positive start.

Second on the grid for the Snetterton 300 will be Glenn Irwin. Bike issues on Friday which saw him off the pace were all fixed and that allowed the BeerMonster Ducati rider to get the hammer down and chase down the benchmark time from O’Halloran, falling just 0.262s short. Irwin showed his pace when he topped the FP3 session earlier in the day in similar humid conditions.

 

Rabat Returns with front row start.

The second seat at McAMS Yamaha is filled for this round and the next at Brand Hatch by Tito Rabat. With BSB experience already under his belt at Thruxton last season, and race ready straight from a World Superbike appearance at Donington, the former MotoGP rider and 2014 Moto2 world champion has made a return to the paddock fresh from more success as the most recent Spanish Superbike championship winner.

Back in BSB, the Spaniard, once again running his trademark #53, immediately impressed at his temporary home and made a good first impression with fifth in FP1, though as the pace intensified, he just missed out on moving directly to Q2, finishing day one 14th.

Moving up  with the fastest time in Q1,Rabat went on to lower his lap time further and collect a front row start alongside his teammate, just 0.345s slower on his first visit to the Norfolk track.

	British Superbikes Round Five – Snetterton – Qualifying           Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha 1M 47.111s 2 Glenn Irwin GBR BeerMonster Ducati +0.262s 3 Tito Rabat ESP McAMS Yamaha +0.345s 4 Tommy Bridewell GBR BeerMonster Ducati +0.608s 5 Josh Brookes AUS FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +0.643s 6 Leon Haslam GBR Rokit BMW Motorrad Team +0.921s 7 Charlie Nesbitt GBR MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing +1.051s 8 Danny Kent GBR Lovell Kent Racing Honda +1.104s 9 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha +1.138s 10 Danny Buchan GBR Synetiq BMW Motorrad +1.196s 11 Christian Iddon GBR Oxford Products Ducati +1.200s 12 Max Cook GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +1.240s 13 Lee Jackson GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +1.296s 14 Luke Mossey GBR Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW +1.317s 15 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +1.339s 16 Kyle Ryde GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +1.582s 17 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +1.870s 18 Ryan Vickers GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +3.969s     Q1     Pos Rider Nat Team Time 19 Bradley Perie GBR Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki 1m 48.964s 20 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki 1m 48.972s 21 Josh Owens GBR Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing` 1m 48.980s 22 Hector Barbera ESP TAG Racing Honda 1m 48.991s 23 Storm Stacey GBR Starline Racing Kawasaki 1m 49.192s 24 Jack Scott GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki 1m 48.510s 25 Franco Bourne GBR Honda Racing UK 1m 49.750s 26 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki 1m50.440s

Tommy Bridewell, who enters the Snetterton weekend with a small championship lead of eight points, will start fourth on the second BeerMonster Ducati.

He is joined on row two by Josh Brookes, already in race mode as he rode under and tore past a struggling Kyle Ryde on his way to the fifth best time. The Australian is the top BMW on the grid for FHO Racing.

That move pushed Leon Haslam, who was in close proximity, out wide and onto the grass. The Rokit BMW rider regrouped and bounced back for the sixth best time.

Charlie Nesbitt impressed after moving through Q1 on his way to seventh, the best of the Honda riders in seventh for the MasterMac Team.

Danny Kent (Lovell Kent Honda) lead much of Q1 but sat out the final moments of the session, along with Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) both feeling they had done enough to progress, allowing for some fine tuning to their bikes.

That paid off with the duo securing eighth and ninth respectively.

Danny Buchan snatched up the final spot inside the top ten with his final run for Synetiq BMW Motorrad.

Christian Iddon lead the way in FP1 but could not move his times on quite as well as the rest of the field, leaving him eleventh for Oxfrod Products Ducati.

A session to forget for LAMI OMG Yamaha.

Ryan Vickers arrived with high hopes ahead of his home race, after scoring podiums in the last two rounds. The local rider crashed early in the session, at Agostini, leaving him unable to compete, finishing 18th and last with his only time on the board almost four seconds adrift.

With the same bike that won the triple at Snetterton in 2022 (with Bradley Ray aboard) fellow OMG rider Kyle Ryde, currently second in the title hunt after a strong Knockhill- including a race two win –  came ready to make progress in the title race.

The #77 was never really on the pace and was passed with ease by Brookes. Struggling to find a competitve lap, Ryde qualified down in 16th -over one and a half seconds adrfit of the pole time.

They were not the only names putting in an unexpected shift at the lower end of the timesheets. Peter Hickman still has bike issues to deal with. Following a tough Knockhill meet, bringing him down to earth with a bump after the elation of his Isle of Man TT wins, the FHO Racing rider continued to struggle, working out his bike gremlins. The #60 crashed late in the session, another victim of the left at Agostini, leaving him 17th at the chequered flag.

Official British Superbike Snetterton Records:

Lap Record: Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha) 1m 47.029s (2022)

2022 at Snetterton:

Round eight – pole: Christian Iddon (2ndKyle Ryde, 3rd Tommy Bridewell)

Race One: 
1:Bradley Ray
2:Tarran Mackenzie
3:Kyle Ryde

Race Two: 
1:Bradley Ray
2:Tarran Mackenzie
3:Tommy Bridewell

Race Three:
1:Bradley Ray
2:Peter Hickman
3:Tarran Mackenzie

Last Round – Knockhill:

Pole: Glenn Irwin (2nd Ryan Vickers, 3rd Jason O’Halloran)

Race One:
1:Glenn Irwin
2:Ryan Vickers
3:Jason O’Halloran

Race Two:
1: Kyle Ryde
2:Tommy Bridewell
3:Jason O’Halloran

Race Three 
1:Glenn Irwin
2:Tommy Bridewell
3:Ryan Vickers

What happened in Q1?

Bradley Perie was shuffled out of the six progression places by a last fast lap from Luke Mossey, so he will start 19th for Lee Hardy Racing.

Dean Harrision (DAO Racing Kawasaki) is one place further back – he was comfortably in the top six when he became the only faller in Q1, off at the only corner to claim any fallers,Agostini, and needing to hurdle out of the way of the next bike approaching.

Rabat is not the only replacement rider, with Superstock rider Franco Bourne (25th) making his debut with Honda Racing UK, in for the injured Andrew Irwin.

Tommy Bridewell gave himself a lot of work to do in the sprint race at Snetterton to come out in top. Starting third from the front row, the BeerMonster Ducati immediately went backwards, eighth at the end of the first lap.

After contact with Tito Rabat on his way back, it was an exciting duel between the teammates on the red bikes that thrilled to the line.

 

‘Same bike, same team, let the best man win!’

The #46 was certain he had the pace to be at the front, and after a false start it was that speed that brought him back into play, and pole for race two:

“It was a tough race. It was harder than I wanted it to be, it was harder than I expected, purely because, I felt really nervous on the grid, I knew I had race winning pace… I expected myself to win.

With that comes anxiousness, nervousness, you want to win by ten seconds!

That made that race so much harder than it needed to be. The ideal scenario was a nice clean start, get away at the front, conserve a bit of energy, save my tyre and off I go at the end and that was the plan and it worked out the opposite”.

Running solo meant Bridewell was unsure of the best place to use the power advantage of his Ducati to overtake, with mostly clean passes until he met Tito Rabat, in at McAMS Yamaha, on track:

“I knew I could make passes but I didn’t know where, I’ve rode on my own all weekend do I didn’t know where I was fast or slow compared to other riders.

So as I was chipping away, getting through the riders, then obviously there was a fair coming together with Tito, to be honest I didn’t feel like it was my fault, purely for the fact is he ran wide, I then tried to get in coming wide out of the chicane, not quite there but then he turned in and lost the rear, as he lost the rear I just hit the side of it and then obviously it got a little bit messy, I thought I was down, I thought to be honest we were both down, so sorry to him for that but I had one target and that was to win the race”.

There was more passing to come as he searched for a way to catch teammate Glenn Iwrin, who lead for much of the race, with Jason O’halloran to deal with on the way:

“As soon as I get on Jason I knew I could do him up the start/finish straight. The Duke, she’s got some ponies under her, so that was kind of quite easy for me..but the Yamaha is a lot stronger in other areas – you have to utilize and maximise what you’ve got under you.

Glenn dug deep and had a go,down the back straight again, but I knew I was so much stronger in that last sector than him, so I sat patient but to be fair, he upped his pace and I had to work really hard, coming onto the last lap I said to myself ‘lets go toe to toe, same bike , same team,may the best man win’, I just got a good run onto him on the back straight”.

 

‘I thought I would just have to settle for third at one point’.

With Bridewell away, things went from bad to worse for Glenn Irwin with Josh Brookes having hunted the frontrunners down.

The FHO Racing BMW Motorrad rider first had some bike issues to deal with to be competitive:

“The start of the weekend wasn’t going well, the opening laps of the first practice and the bike had an issue, with some sensors, it was playing up and had to spend a fair bit of time in the garage.

Fortunately for FP2 we made a good step forward, I felt we had some momentum but then late in FP2, every change we made went the wrong way. We tried again in FP3 but didn’t really make any improvements with the bike, I kind of ended up with a combination of what we had.

That’s what I went out in qualifying with and I qualified fairly strong, the bike felt good. Starting that race I wasn’t really confident with the bike under me and then the early laps I kind of lost a few places, wasn’t really forcing my position on people – and you need to do that here.

Brookes seemed to ease into the race and as he visibly became more comfortable the Australian went from strength to strength:

“As the race went on I got more relaxed with the bike and understood it better. It was staying really consistent and the tyre grip was good, I had a few moments, like we all do, spinning the tyre but nothing that I couldn’t manage.

I thought I would just have to settle for third at one point. When I got past Jason,Glenn and Tommy were too far away, but I managed to close them up because they were fighting each other as well,my pace was good at the end, so in the final turn I didn’t have that planned… I could see the opportunity, so rode around the outside of Glenn”.

 

‘I just hang in for as long as I can, get as close as I can, you never know what can happen’.

Not even third place was guaranteed for Irwin, as another Australian, Jason O’Halloran, was back after falling behind with a bike issue and hunting for the final podium spot:

“It was a good race for us, I had an issue on the first lap – into turn two I went back to first gear and the rear of the bike just locked up on me, so I don’t know what was going on with that.

Starting from pole and the fastest man all weekend leading up to the race, the #22 had great one lap pace, and knew the best way to utilise that would have been to get up front and try to lead and break, but it wasn’t to be:

“Settled back in and it seemed to come good, but I knew my best chance was being in front, once Glenn came by, Tommy came by and Josh I knew it was going to be a bit tough, but I could see everyone was struggling a little bit, maybe with the front tyre…so I though if I just hang in for as long as I can, get as close as I can, you never know what can happen.

Josh passed Glenn at the last corner – he got a bad run out – and I managed to pass him, so really happy, I’ve said it before – NOT normally happy with third but I’m really happy with third here!”

That left Irwin off the podium in fourth.

After the first race Tommy Bridewell increased his championship gap from eight to 17 points, with 181 – Irwin is now back in second after Kyle Ryde (158) was off the pace all weekend so far, finishing the sprint down in 13th.

The #77 now has Josh Brookes right behind him in the overall standings with just six points between the pair.

It was all change over the last two laps with Tommy Bridewell fighting his way to the front to win the BSB sprint race on Saturday at Snetterton.

The race didn’t begin in Ducati’s favour. Polesitter Jason O’Halloran got the best start off the line with his teammate Tito Rabat in pursuit. 

Starting fourth, Bridewell initially slipped back to eighth, but worked his way into the race. A series of strong overtakes brought him further forward – his move on Rabat to hit the front three was incredibly aggressive but served it’s purpose – unfortunately it sent Rabat in the opposite direction.

The #46 continued his forceful run, running a wide confident line which saw him hug the grass at Brundles most laps. That saw him to the front of the race by lap seven, though he remained under constant pressure from the man he took over from, teammate Glenn Irwin, with Josh Brookes catching the duo.

As the penultimate lap began it was still unclear who would come out on top in the lead trio, with the run to the line on the final lap proving crucial.

It was Bridewell who put in the moves to be ahead before they reached Brundle as Irwin ran wide allowing him to hold on to lead over the line by 0.679s for his second win of the season, from Brookes who found his own way past Irwin.

The last lap saw O’Halloran rally and have the #2 bike, who had just been passed, in his sights. Seizing his opportunity, the Australian snatched away the final podium spot in the run to the line for McAMS Yamaha.

That left Irwin, who lead for much of the race, off the podium in fourth.

Christian Iddon made up the most places in the race to cross the line next in fifth for Oxford Products Ducati, a lonely solo run with the leaders out of sight and clear of the chasing pack.

Danny Kent was next to finish on his own Lovell Kent Honda bike, just shy of a seasons best finish after running as high as third in the early part of the race.

Lee Jackson was again the top Kawasaki in seventh for the Cheshire Holdings team, ahead Jack Kennedy in eight for Mar-Train Racing Yamaha and the battle for ninth.

	British Superbikes Round Five – Snetterton – Race results (1) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Tommy Bridewell GBR BeerMonster Ducati 21.42.695s 2 Josh Brookes AUS FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +0.679s 3 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha +1.136s 4 Glenn Irwin GBR BeerMonster Ducati +1.192s 5 Christian Iddon GBR Oxford Products Ducati +4.607s 6 Danny Kent GBR Lovell Kent Racing Honda +9.646s 7 Lee Jackson GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +10.848s 8 Jack Kennedy IRL Mar-Train Racing Yamaha +11.694s 9 Charlie Nesbitt GBR MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing +12.534s 10 Tito Rabat ESP McAMS Yamaha +12.936s 11 Max Cook GBR Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki +12.962s 12 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +15.257s 13 Kyle Ryde GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha +18.933s 14 Luke Mossey GBR Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW +20.838s 15 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki +22.848s 16 Storm Stacey GBR Starline Racing Kawasaki +23.117s 17 Jack Scott GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +24.443s 18 Josh Owens GBR Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing` +25.030s 19 Franco Bourne GBR Honda Racing UK +26.572s 20 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW Motorrad +27.918s 21 Hector Barbera ESP TAG Racing Honda +35.251s 22 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki +35.644s 23 Ryan Vickers GBR Lami OMG Racing Yamaha DNS 24 Leon Haslam GBR Rokit BMW Motorrad Team DNF 25 Danny Buchan GBR Synetiq BMW Motorrad DNF 26 Bradley Perie GBR Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki DNF

Rabat secures top ten finish after contact

After a brilliant qualifying on his first time around Snetterton saw Rabat line up on the front row, the Spaniard kept up his good performance in the early laps of the race, but could not recover from the incident with Bridewell at the end of lap three.

Lucky to stay on at all as the Ducati front wheel connected with his rear the #53 survived a run across the grass but lost drive – losing a handful of places at once and starting the next lap seventh.

Fighting in the next group, the Spaniard held on to a top ten finish for the McAMS Yamaha team, crossing the line in a close battle with Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) just ahead in ninth and Max Cook (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) behind in eleventh.

Tom Neave was twelfth for Honda Racing UK, while Kyle Ryde continued to struggle in 13th for LAMI OMG Yamaha and Luke Mossey (Tactix by Lloyd & Jones) picked up 14th .

The battle for the final point involved all the riders from 15th to 20th and was lead over the line by Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki).

Superstock rider Franco Bourne was in the group on his debut with Honda, finishing 19th ahead of Peter Hickman in 20th, who remains all at sea at a track where he was a podium finisher last season.

Official British Superbike Snetterton Records:

Lap Record: Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha) 1m 47.029s (2022)

2022 at Snetterton:

Round eight – pole: Christian Iddon (2ndKyle Ryde, 3rd Tommy Bridewell)

Race One: 
1:Bradley Ray
2:Tarran Mackenzie
3:Kyle Ryde

Race Two: 
1:Bradley Ray
2:Tarran Mackenzie
3:Tommy Bridewell

Race Three:
1:Bradley Ray
2:Peter Hickman
3:Tarran Mackenzie

Last Round – Knockhill:

Pole: Glenn Irwin (2nd Ryan Vickers, 3rd Jason O’Halloran)

Race One:
1:Glenn Irwin
2:Ryan Vickers
3:Jason O’Halloran

Race Two:
1: Kyle Ryde
2:Tommy Bridewell
3:Jason O’Halloran

Race Three 
1:Glenn Irwin
2:Tommy Bridewell
3:Ryan Vickers

Crashes and injuries

Bradley Perie was the first to exit after contact at the first corner. Danny Buchan also fell out of contention on lap four.

Leon Haslam had just put in an overtake on Tito Rabat when he was seen touring and slowing and was forced to retire.

Ryan Vickers also retired to the pits.

Where does that leave the championship?

Riding hard for the win paid off for Tommy Bridewell who extends his lead at the top from eight to seventeen points, with a total of 181 to his credit.

It is his teammate Glenn Irwin who is now closest to his total in second, on 164.

13th sees Kyle Ryde slip to third now 23 points behind Bridewell. Josh Brookes is closing him down – he moves on to 152 compared to Ryde’s 158.

Leon Haslam’s first DNF of the season sees him stay put on 136, with Jason O’Halloran still sixth on 112.

 

Bradley Ray doubled up after snatching a late win from Tarran Mackenzie in the second race at Snetterton, which decided the Showdown places at round eight.

Bradley Ray enjoyed a clean battle at the front with fellow Yamaha rider Tarran Mackenzie which saw him come out on top around the Snetterton 300 layout for the second time at Snetterton.

The Rich Energy OMG racing rider started on pole but was immediately put under pressure from the defending champion.

British Superbike Snetterton – Race results (2) Pos Rider Nat Team Time 1 Bradley Ray GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha 28m 56.976s 2 Tarran Mackenzie GBR McAMS Yamaha +0.267s 3 Tommy Bridewell GBR Oxford Products Racing Ducati +7.201s 4 Glenn Irwin GBR Honda Racing UK +7.896s 5 Peter Hickman GBR FHO Racing BMW +9.450s 6 Kyle Ryde GBR RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha +11.526s 7 Danny Buchan GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad +12.037s 8 Lee Jackson GBR FS-3 Racing Kawasaki +12.945s 9 Jason O’Halloran AUS McAMS Yamaha +13.622s 10 Tom Sykes GBR MCE Ducati +16.974s 11 Rory Skinner GBR FS-3 Racing Kawasaki +22.084s 12 Josh Brookes AUS MCE Ducati +29.359s 13 Storm Stacey GBR Team LKQ Euro Parts Kawasaki +32.655s 14 Tom Neave GBR Honda Racing UK +36.648s 15 Ryo Mizuno JAP Honda Racing UK +39.244s 16 Liam Delves GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki 1 lap 17 Leon Haslam GBR Visiontrack Kawasaki 3 laps 18 Dean Harrison GBR DAO Racing Kawasaki 10 laps 19 Christian Iddon GBR Buildbase Suzuki 12 laps 20 Leon Jeacock GBR Specsavers Suzuki 12 laps 21 Josh Owens GBR Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki 12 laps 22 Andrew Irwin GBR SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad 14 laps 23 Danny Kent GBR Buildbase Suzuki 0 laps 24 Takumi Takahashi JAP Honda Racing UK 0 laps 25 Chrissy Rouse GBR Crowe Performance BMW DNS

The #28 stayed out front until he ran wide on lap six, where he ran wide at the hairpin and Mackenzie, who had put in a new record lap while behind, took advantage of the error.

Keeping in close company, Ray played a waiting game, going for the win on the last lap. Lining up Mackenzie in the run to the straight, he passed and managed to hold the move and stay ahead, with it the the #1 rider needing to find away around.

Not near enough to make a move in the final corner and without enough slipstream to try and overtake to the line, Mackenzie shook his head as Ray punched the air in victory.

There was only 0.267s between the duo, with Tommy Bridewell quickly regaining third after a slow start where he remained for Oxford Products Ducati, holding off a late challenge from Honda’s Glenn Irwin.

Peter Hickman benefited from Christian Iddon having an issue ahead, but put excellent passes on fading Tom Skyes and Kyle Ryde to claim fifth for FHO racing as the best BMW on track.

Showdown places confirmed

 

Ryde halted his fall through the field, having been as high as fourth in the race, guaranteeing his Showdown slot from sixth on the second Rich Energy OMG machine.

Bridewell’s third saw him also make the showdown, with Lee Jackson’s eighth in the race enough for the Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki rider to also make it in before the third race.

Ryde had the biggest competiton as he was eighth overall before the race, with Danny Buchan willing to put everything on the line to try at grab the final spot.

Having pulled himself back into contention with a double win at Cadwell Park, the Synetiq BMW Motorrad rider had his back against the wall again after a poor qualifying left him down the grid, leading to being the victim of a three-way carsh right at the start of the sprint race.

That fall saw Buchan down the gird again – starting race two in 20th. Aggressive riding saw him pick up five places on the first lap and he kept the momentum going. On reaching Tom Skyes and Lee Jackson he forced his way underneath and then had Ryde in his sights.

With finishing ahead of the #77 the only chance to keep his Showdown hopes on track he made a final lunge to pull closer on track but ran too wide, that saw the #83 drop back a place. He fought back to finish the race seventh, but it was not enough with Ryde ahead in sixth.

Jason O’Halloran was ninth as an off-key weekend continued for the Australian. The McAMS Yamaha rider was riding in the top five when he was hit from behind by an impatient move from Andrew Irwin, he crashed after contact with his front tyre and O’Halloran’s rear wheel. The #22 lost positions as he recovered from the incident.

Tom Sykes completed the top twn for MCE Ducati.

After missing the sprint race to recover after a big crash in qualifying Rory Skinner was back in action as started stone dead last on the grid.

The Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 rider pushed his Kawasaki to the limit, and was just outside the points places by the end of the first lap.

Skinner continued his forward trajectory to finish eleveth, making up an incredible fourteen places over the course of the race.

Josh Brookes was a distant twelfth on the MCE Ducati, with his own gao back to 13th placed Storm Stacey (Team LKQ Euro Car PArts Kawasaki).

Honda’s Tom Neave crossed the line 14th , with his team-mate, Japanese rider Ryo Mizuno, picking up the final point.

The only other riders to see the chequered flag were Liam Delves in 16th for Rapid CDh Kawasaki and Leon Haslam , who had pulled into the pits after running off track but returned to be classed as three laps down.

Dean Harrison, Christian Iddon, Leon Jeacock and Josh Owens all pulled into the pits and retired. Takumi Takahashi took out Danny Kent when he fell on the first lap.

Chrissy Rouse missed the race after an issue on the warm-up lap.

Snetterton Statistics

Qualifying:
1:Christian Iddon (1m 54.591s)
2:Kyle Ryde
3:Tommy Bridewell

BSB Snetterton Lap Record – 2017 Shane Byrne (Ducati) 1m 47.143s

Race One (Sprint):
1: Bradley Ray
2:Tarran Mackenzie
3:Kyle Ryde

2021 at Snetterton

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

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

Round Six Results (Thruxton) 

Qualifying (superpole format):
1: Bradley Ray
2: Rory Skinner
3: Lee Jackson

Race One (sprint): Bradley Ray
Race Two: Danny Buchan
Race Three: Danny Buchan

 

Where does that leave the championship standings?

 

After the second race of the weekend Bradley Ray increases his overall lead, now with 422 points and a extended 52 point advantage over Jason O’Halloran.

Ray also extends his podium points advantage with a total of 56, with the Austarlain still holding 48, while Mackenzie’s second moves him onto 30.

The Showdown places confirmed the top eight now stands as 1:Bradley Ray, 2:Jason O’Halloran, 3:Rory Skinner, 4:Lee Jackson, 5:Glenn Irwin, 6:Tarran Mackenzie, 7:Tommy Bridewell and Kyle Ryde now confirmed in eighth.