Kyle Ryde and Ryan Vickers show strong showdown form on Friday

Kyle Ryde and Ryan Vickers cemented their place in tomorrow’s Qualifying 2 session, as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship Showdown commenced at Oulton Park.

Two weeks on from the Cadwell Park bonanza, Bennetts BSB action resumed under blue skies at Cheshire’s Oulton Park, marking the second visit to the circuit this season.

Kicking off the weekend in the top ten, Kyle Ryde aimed to get straight to work on replicating his Cadwell Park triumphs, and instantly got in the groove around the 2.6-mile circuit. Sitting inside the top five positions, and running on a used tyre, the Nottinghamshire rider showed his best of the session, concluding the opening 40-minute running in seventh.

Making a step forward in Free Practice 2, the #77 rider shot to the top of the timesheets, posting the first 1:33 lap time of the weekend. However, due to traffic and a red flag, Youth was unable to further improve his time, ending Day 1 in a safe fourth.

Ryan Vickers’ opening day came in mixed fortunes after a mechanical issue ruled him out of the second half of Free Practice 2. Despite a strong start, Vickers ended the morning session in second and just 0.032s off the session-topping time.

Vickers’ 1:34.278 set in the opening practice was good enough to leave the Thetford rider inside the top 14, wrapping the day up in eighth.

Action resumes on Saturday for the opening race of the weekend, following Free Practice 3 and Qualifying 2.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Practice: 4th (1:33.886)
“The first job is to get into Qualifying 2 and we did that straight away with a strong lap time at the start of Free Practice 2. I wanted to then move onto a bit of a race run but honestly, it was too messy. Riders looking for tow, crashes and a red flag made it quite tough to get into a real rhythm, which was a bit annoying, but the grip towards the end was good so another few laps on the tyre won’t be a problem in the races.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Practice: 8th (1:34.278)
“It’s actually been a good day at Oulton Park. I’m pretty happy with how I felt from the off, the bike felt great and I did a strong lap time. In Free Practice 2 we went the wrong way with the bike set up and then had a mechanical issue which cut the session short. Luckily with my time from the morning, I’m straight through to Q2. We’ll work hard tonight to get back out there tomorrow and be back on the pace.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“The opening day here at Oulton Park has been positive for the team, with both Kyle and Ryan securing their place in Qualifying 2 tomorrow. Kyle was quick this morning and put in a really strong lap time at the start of Free Practice 2 to confirm his place in Q2. His race pace looks strong, so a strong grid position will certainly put him in a good place. Ryan was fast this morning, and despite a few small issues at the start of FP2 was fast. Unfortunately, his session came to an abrupt end, but he’s safely through to Qualifying 2 so we’re not too worried.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“It’s been a good day overall for us at Oulton Park. Kyle worked on making the improvements he’s made to his R1 since the earlier visit work around Oulton and looked to be in a really good place straight from the first lap. As always in racing there’s a few areas to improve, but he looks really strong going into the opening race tomorrow. Ryan also showed strong pace and looks to be in the podium battle. It’s a shame his second session came to an early end, but he has the speed to be in the hunt for the victory tomorrow.”

Kyle Ryde takes the series lead with Race One win

OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde secured a sensational pole-to-race win in the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race of the weekend at Oulton Park, and heads into Sunday’s action top of the Championship standings.

Kyle Ryde soared to the top of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship today, turning his pole position into a remarkable victory in Race 1 at Oulton Park.

After working his way into Q2 on Friday, Ryde made the most of the ten-minute Free Practice 3 session, dialling himself and his Yamaha R1 back into the Oulton Park track, all whilst confirming the changes overnight.

Feeling confident, the Nottinghamshire rider posted a strong banker lap, which left him fourth on the standings ahead of his final Pole Position surge. A 1:33.715 placed the Yamaha rider atop of the timesheets, securing a third Q2 pole of the season.

Launching from the front row, Ryde slotted into second in the early stages of the 18-lap race, before a pass from Glenn Irwin demoted him to third. From there, with Irwin out front, the #77 turned his attention on to Josh Brookes, shadowing the BMW rider waiting to pounce at the mid-way stage. But, on Lap 11 a small issue with his dash forced him to lose time. With his head down, it was game on. Three consecutive fastest laps of the race saw him reclaim the time he’d lost, slotting onto the back of the leading duo with three laps to go.

An attempted move ahead gifted the opportunity to make his move, first passing Brookes on the run to the line, then Irwin at Hislop’s chicane, leaving Ryde with a clear track ahead of him. From there, the Jacksdale-born rider didn’t look back, crossing the line to take victory following an earlier crash for his Championship rival.

Team-mate Ryan Vickers had a positive second day of action. The Thetford rider recovered from losing valuable time on Friday afternoon to race to a strong fifth. Finding another step on Saturday morning, Vickers made the most of Qualifying, securing seventh before muscling his way up to fifth in the 18-lap race, demonstrating podium pace throughout the opening encounter.

Action resumes on Sunday for two further races, with the 12-lap Sprint Race at 13:15, followed by the second 18-lap race at 16:15.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Qualifying: 1st (1:33.715)
Race 1: 1st
“Pole position, fastest lap of the race and a race win is a good day, and a Nottingham Forest win in the Premier League makes it a super Saturday! I’ve had a great day, my bike was working really well and the race was good too. I felt comfortable and was sitting back then I had a small issue which cost me a lot of time. I managed to recover really well, setting the fastest lap and got to the front, holding on till the end. I’ll enjoy the night and give it a go to get two more trophies tomorrow.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Qualifying: 7th (1:34.131)
Race 1: 5th
“We struggled a bit in Free Practice 3 this morning and a bit in Qualifying, but we did manage to get some good data and a bit of a direction to follow. We made a few changes for the race and managed to get back to nearly where we need to be, so with a few more changes in certain areas we’ll be able to be in the fight tomorrow for the victory.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“What a ride it was from Kyle in Race 1. He made a really strong start to the weekend and then backed it up with another sensational pole position, and a race win. His victory today also puts him at the top of the BSB standings, so he’s now in a really good position to just gradually extend that lead, and that starts again tomorrow with two more races. I couldn’t be happier for him and the team. Ryan made inroads today with his set-up. He lost a bit of time in FP2 on Friday which has put him on the back foot a little, but he’s worked hard and a fifth is a really strong result for him today.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“It’s been a good day once again for the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team, with Kyle’s fantastic ride in Race 1. He put together a great lap in Qualifying to take pole, and put together an excellent race despite the small problem towards the mid-stage. His next three laps were superb and caught the leading duo to put himself back in the fight for win. Pulled off a few strong moves to get to the front and managed to put enough time into the pack behind to take the win. Ryan managed to make up for lost time in Race 1, he made the most of Practice 3 and Qualifying to make a step forward and his race was really strong. It sets up an exciting day tomorrow, and we’ll aim to now extend Kyle’s lead in the standings.”

Kyle Ryde battles to Sunday victory at Oulton Park

Kyle Ryde secured his second-ever Oulton Park Bennetts British Superbike victory in fine style today, taking his OMG GRILLA Yamaha R1 to a commanding victory in a red-flagged Race 3.

After victory in the opening race of the weekend, Kyle Ryde aimed for repeated success on Sunday, despite challenging conditions hitting the Cheshire circuit.

Heavy rain throughout the morning forced a wet opening session, with the lunchtime warm up session taking place in wet conditions, with Ryan Vickers fastest and his team-mate 13^th.

With heavy rain continuing to cause havoc, teams faced a lengthy delay with the sprint eventually getting underway, with a new race distance of 10 Laps and a shortened Race 3.

Launching from pole for the 10-lap sprint race, Ryde made a strong start, slotting into the lead on the run into turn one. But from there it would prove tricky for the #77 rider, who braved the challenging conditions but slowly slipped his way through the pack. Lapping four seconds faster than his warm up time, the Nottinghamshire rider continued to push on in a bid to limit the damage to his series lead, but couldn’t keep the fierce group behind him, eventually crossing the line in 13^th.

Starting the final 15-lap race of the weekend from 19^th, the Yamaha rider knew he’d face an uphill battle but was prepared to give it his all on the intermediate tyres. A strong start instantly saw him claim a handful of positions, crossing the line in 12^th on the opening lap before moving his way inside the top ten on lap three. A pass on the two Ducatis of Christian Iddon and Glenn Irwin promoted the Jacksdale rider into the top five, before a red flag due to debris on the circuit following a crash for Fraser Rogers as the rain began to fall halted Youth’s surge.

With a 5-lap restart in place, Ryde made another strong start, taking the holeshot but found himself beaten back to fourth in the opening corners. Unfazed, he pushed on, passing Leon Haslam at Druids before picking off Tommy Bridewell on the following lap. A brave pass into Turn 1 left him at the head of the pack and was able to use his hard wet tyre (changed during the Red Flag) to his advantage, crossing the line 5.965 seconds clear of Tommy Bridewell, and reduces the Championship lead Bridewell reclaimed to just six points.

It wasn’t the weekend Ryan Vickers had hoped for. The #7 rider came into Sunday full of confidence, topping warm up and hoped to make a mark in Sunday’s wet races. But luck wasn’t on his side in the sprint race after a moment on the opening lap demoted him to 15^th after starting seventh. Muscling his way back through the field, Vickers sat on the cusp of the top ten, but a highside for Charlie Nesbitt forced the Yamaha rider to take evasive action, hitting his rival’s bike, sending him onto the grass. Rejoining the circuit in 18^th, Vickers soldiered on, crossing the line in an eventual 12^th to claim four points.

Starting the final race from fifth, Vickers made a lightning get away on the intermediate tyres, hitting the front and instantly found his groove. But disaster struck on lap three, with the Thetford rider running into the gravel at Lodge corner, tumbling out of the race.

Ryde’s double victory sees him cut the series lead down 13 points, trailing Bridewell by six ahead of his home round at Donington Park. Ryan Vickers sits sixth in the standings on 228 points. Yamaha remains atop of the constructor standings with OMG GRILLA Yamaha continuing to lead the team’s standings.

The Bennetts British Superbike Championship showdown continues at Donington Park in two weeks for the penultimate round of the 2024 season.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 13th
Race 3: 1st“
The goal this weekend was to claw a few points back and we did that in a massive fashion yesterday. The 13^th I had in Race 2 wasn’t ideal, but the team and I came back to win a tricky Race 3. Thank you to the Bennetts BSB fans for voting me as Rider of the Round, my second in a row, and thank you to the team for giving me a great bike. I’m looking forward to Donington Park, my home round and we’ll continue to fight for the title.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Race 1: 5th
Race 2: 12th
Race 3: DNF
“The first race today was quite messy, I got caught up in a few incidents but managed to recover from 18^th to 12^th, which all-in-all was a strong showing. I’m disappointed with how the last race went, for sure, but sometimes that’s how it goes. I felt really good, and I think that was clear to see in the first few laps, but unfortunately, I ran into the gravel at Lodge corner and crashed. I’m sorry to the team because I think we had a win on the cards in that one. As always, I’ll regroup and come back fighting at Donington Park for the final two rounds of the season.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“Well it’s been an interesting day, for sure! The weather threw us a curve ball, but the team dealt with it like the professionals they are – despite the lengthy delay before Race 2. The first race didn’t quite go our way, but Kyle managed to secure a few very important points for his Championship. Ryan was lucky to avoid a few incidents and made his way back through to 12th. The final race of the weekend was another testing one with the rain and red flag, but Kyle worked his way through the pack to put himself in a strong position when the red flag came out. His ride in the 5 Lap sprint was remarkable. He had a great feeling with his R1 and was able to extend the lead from the off and cut the gap to the front back down.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“What a day, and what a weekend. Two wins for Kyle and we leave Oulton Park closer to the Championship leader, which is always the goal. It wasn’t an easy two races with the tricky conditions but the team managed it well and made the right calls. Kyle bagged a few valuable points in Race 2 and his performance in both parts of Race 3 were really good to watch. He was really strong in the last 5 Lap sprint and opened up a lead to take what was a comfortable win in the end. Ryan didn’t have the day we and himself would’ve wanted, but again he showed speed over the weekend and can build on that for the final two rounds.”