Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde lead the charge at Donington Park

Kyle Ryde and OMG GRILLA Yamaha team-mate Ryan Vickers began the Donington Park weekend in the strongest way today, concluding Friday’s running first and second and secured their place in Saturday’s Qualifying 2 session.

After a deluge of rain across Thursday and into Friday morning, Friday’s opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship session got underway in drying conditions, though the track still far too wet for the Pirelli slick tyres. Venturing out from the off, Kyle Ryde immediately found his feet in the damp conditions, settling into the top three of the timesheets before switching to the intermediate tyres for the final ten minutes. A late surge from the Nottinghamshire rider saw him post a 1:33.079, placing him second on the timesheets.

With no further rain forecast throughout the day, the #77 Yamaha returned to the circuit, picking up where he left off from his one-day test ten days ago. Sitting at the top of the timesheets by half a second at the mid-way stage, further changes to his R1 improved Youth’s feeling which allowed him to set the only sub 1:28 lap of the day, finishing 0.473 seconds clear at the top of the timesheets.

Team-mate Ryan Vickers waited for the perfect moment to head out in Friday morning’s session, only completing five flying laps with a best time of a 1:36.020. The afternoon session brought Vickers more delight. Working hard with his side of the garage, the #7 rider steadily improved his times throughout the 40-minute session, wrapping up the day’s action in second place.

The team returns to the Donington Park circuit for the first Race Day of the weekend on Saturday.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Free Practice: 1st (1:27.651)
“Despite having two different track conditions today, it’s been a really solid day. The first session was a bit like Oulton Park’s last race where I won, but it was a good session which highlighted a few areas to improve. The last session was good too, we had a bit of a head start thanks to Alan and Paul giving me the opportunity to get a few hours on the bike here ten days ago, but it was a good start with a good few laps on the tyres and I’m pretty happy with the lap times ahead of the first race tomorrow.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Free Practice: 2nd (1:28.124)
“I decided to sit out most of the first session given the conditions, waiting for the driest part of the session before heading out. I managed a few laps to just make sure the bike was working OK. Free Practice 2 wasn’t bad either. P2 is a strong start but we’ve a few areas to improve to make the lap time come a bit easier. Overall it could be worse and the overall feeling is positive ahead of Qualifying and Race 1 tomorrow.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“First and second is a really good way to start the weekend here at Donington Park, so I’m really happy with that. It’s an important weekend for Kyle, given it’s his home round but he’s started superbly. The only rider today to be in the 1:27’s bodes well ahead of tomorrow. Ryan made it a one-two for OMG GRILLA Yamaha in Free Practice 2, putting in a strong run of laps and improving his lap time and position at the end to jump up to second.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal
“We’ve had a strong opening day for both our riders at Donington Park, finishing at the top of the timesheets. Kyle was flying all day, in all conditions, which sets him up for a strong weekend and Ryan had a strong Practice 2 also, finishing second. There’s a few more improvements to come for both bikes, which will only improve them further come tomorrow. We’ll need to see what the conditions will be like over the weekend, but today’s shown that both Kyle and Ryan are fast come rain or shine.”

Kyle Ryde secures Race One victory at Donington Park

Kyle Ryde completed the perfect Saturday at Donington Park, as he turned his pole position into a crucial Race 1 win at Round 10 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde converted his sensational pole position into a seventh race victory of the season, holding off Tommy Bridewell’s pressure throughout the 20-lap affair.

Starting the day strong in the ten-minute Free Practice 3, Ryde remained confident ahead of Qualifying, as he looked for a 13^th BSB pole of his career. Heading out on track, the home hero instantly impressed, setting the fastest time before consistently improving into the mid 1:27’s, ultimately setting a 1:27.428 which left him 0.120 seconds clear of Danny Kent behind.

Launching from pole, the Jacksdale rider made a strong start, holding the lead on the opening lap. With Bridewell locked in behind, the #77 rider aimed to hit his markers, reeling off laps in the high 27’s. Settling into his rhythm, he kept his rival at bay before a late surge saw him break clear, crossing the line 2.071 seconds ahead, taking a second Donington Park victory of the season.

After a promising start on Friday, Ryan Vickers hoped for a little more on Saturday, despite a strong ride from 11^thon the grid to seventh.

Struggling with rear grip throughout the 15-minute session, Vickers pushed on but could only secure a 1:28.224 which left the Thetford rider in 11^th.

Confident of his race pace, he made a strong start, making up places and quickly settled into the group, running from third place down to 11^th. Sitting seventh at the midway stage, Vickers quickly dispatched of Josh Brookes, before a late-charging Danny Kent demoted him back to seventh.

Kyle Ryde will look for a second win of the weekend in the Sunday sprint race, which he’ll start from the middle of the front row in second.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Qualifying: 1st (1:27.428)
Race 1: 1st
“So far, it’s been a good weekend. I topped practice, put it on pole and led every lap of the race so hopefully with one more day to go we can make it a perfect weekend. The race was actually really tough, the pace was high and having plus-zero on the board to Tommy for 18 laps wasn’t encouraging! I managed to stick to my lap times and eventually break free at the end and managed to claw back a few points at the end. We’ll try to get some more back tomorrow!”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Qualifying: 11th (1:28.224)
Race 1: 7th
“It wasn’t the day that we wanted really! Starting P11 wasn’t great, but it was OK. I managed to go forward a little bit, but I really struggled to get the feeling I’m used to. We’ll analyse the data tonight to try to recover some feeling and hopefully push on for some stronger results to end the weekend.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“That was another great ride from Kyle to take the victory today. He’s looked faultless all weekend and showed that again with an inch-perfect ride, despite having Tommy glued to his rear tyre for 18 laps. His side of the garage will work on the few areas of the track where he can improve slightly to come out fighting for two more wins tomorrow and continue to reduce the gap to the front. For Ryan, it was a bit more of a difficult day, but he showed good pace throughout the race. He had a strong start, made up places early on and kept himself in the group for the podium for the majority of the race. He can be happy with his race, and we know he’ll be back at the front tomorrow.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal
“We knew Kyle was going to be in the fight for victory after Friday’s practices, but that was a really strong and mature ride to withstand the pressure from behind. Tommy’s clearly found something, but Kyle was able to keep him at bay. It was a strong ride and he looks super strong on the R1 so far this weekend. Ryan had a few difficulties, but his race was strong, running mid 28’s. We know he’ll be working hard with his crew tonight to find a few tenths which will bring him right in the mix tomorrow.”

Sunday sees both Kyle and Ryan share the podium

OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde repeated his Saturday success at Donington Park, taking an emphatic victory in the third Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend on Sunday. Ryan Vickers battled through a challenging weekend to finish Round 10 on a high, ending his weekend with a podium finish.

Kyle Ryde secured a double race victory at Donington Park, as he flew to victory in the final race of the weekend.

With the Craner Curves bank filled with Yellow, the local hero aimed high for Sunday’s two races, in which he’d start second for the 12 lap sprint.

Following a promising start to the day in morning warm-up, the Jacksdale rider made an electric start, settling himself in the front pack from the off. Aware of the Yamaha riders’ pace, it was clear the chasing pack were keen to get ahead, and a tasty battle broke out. Falling behind Tommy Bridewell, Glenn Irwin and his Yamaha counterpart Danny Kent, Ryde kept his cool and used his advantage in the second half of the lap to his advantage, picking off his rivals into the Melbourne Loop lap-by-lap.

Taking the lead at the start of Lap 11, a pass from Ducati’s Irwin demoted him to second before Bridewell took advantage. Unable to find a way back through, the 27-year-old crossed the line in third.

Starting the final race of the weekend from sixth, it was another bold and brave start to position himself in the front four as the field steamed down Craner Curves. Clear that his team had made a step with his R1 in the opening half of the lap, Ryde looked to use that to his advantage, hitting the front on Lap 5, after a magnitude of ‘trademark Kyle Ryde’ Melbourne Loop moves.

Leading the pack, and breaking away from the field, it quickly became a two-horse race, with Danny Kent sitting behind the Yamaha rider. Pushing on till the very end, a red flag for an incident at the Loop brought the race to an early conclusion, rewarding Ryde with 25 Championship points which sees him return to the top of the standings.

Ryan Vickers’ weekend ended on a high as he battled his way from seventh on the grid to third in the final race of the weekend.

After a strong Friday, Vickers endured a much more difficult Saturday performance but remained hopeful of a fighting return on Sunday.

Clearly making a step forward overnight, the Thetford rider instantly looked comfier aboard his machine and set sights on two strong results. Making a strong getaway from his tenth position grid slot, Vickers settled into the 12 Lap sprint. Battling his way through to seventh, he was unable to make a pass on Christian Iddon and was forced to settle for the position before a track-limits time penalty pushed him back to 11^th.

With another change made for Race 3, Vickers made a strong getaway from seventh and immediately looked racier. Up for the fight, the #7 rider continued his surge forward, picking off Leon Haslam, Iddon and Andrew Irwin by Lap seven. With Bridewell in his sights, he muscled his way through and began working his way towards the leading two before the red flag halted his progress.

Ryde’s strong form sees him head to Brands Hatch atop of the Championship Standings, extending his podium record to four rounds on the bounce. Yamaha remains 56 points atop of the manufacturer’s standings, with OMG GRILLA Yamaha 44.5 points clear in the CERATIZIT Teams Trophy.

Action resumes for the final round of the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch on 11-13 October.