Friday

OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde and Ryan Vickers got their Thruxton weekend underway today, with Ryde finished third and Vickers in 15th.

After the steps made at Brands Hatch on Sunday last time out, Ryde wasted no time in getting to work on improving his R1 package at the fast Hampshire venue. Venturing out on his unfamiliar SC1 front tyre, the Nottinghamshire rider focussed on completing laps, whilst making minor tweaks to the set-up as the opening session went on, ultimately concluding the opening 50-minute run in third.

With a further plan in place for the second session, the number 77 rider continued his work forwards, as he chases his maiden Thruxton podium in the BSB class. A run at the end of the session saw him post a 1:15.464, concluding the day running third fastest.

Whilst 15th on paper isn’t ideal for Ryan Vickers, it was a strong opening day for the Brands Hatch victor, who worked tirelessly on his race pace across the two practice sessions. Sitting comfortably at the top of the timesheets during Practice 1, Vickers opted to put in the softer SC0 tyre at the end of the opening session and concluded the running 0.2 seconds clear of the pack with a fastest lap of 1:16.037.

For the second session, the Thetford-based rider continued to focus on Saturday and Sunday’s races. Another strong race run for Number 7 proved promising, sitting at the head of the Practice 2 timesheets. However, opting to carry out his qualifying run in the opening session, Vickers’ Practice 1 time left him just shy of the top 14 cut-off, meaning Qualifying 1 awaits the 25-year-old.

Action resumes on Saturday at 13:10 for Practice 3, before Qualifying gets underway at 13:30. The weekend’s opening 20-lap race kicks off at 16:30.

Kyle Ryde
Practice: 3rd: 1:15.464
“It’s been a better Friday than last time for sure! We started on the SC1 front, the same as Brands Hatch on Sunday and it’s been a good day. We made a plan and stuck to it, we had a few hiccups along the way but stuck to what we set out to do what we needed to. We have a few areas to improve going into tomorrow, hopefully, we can qualify well and have a good race.”

Ryan Vickers
Practice: 15th – 1:16.037
“We were 15^th in the second session but that doesn’t really tell the story because it’s a lot better than that. We opted to go for the SC0 run in the first session and then worked on improving the bike even more in the second. I think the extra work we’ve put in today for the races will pay off because we’re the only riders to do race runs on both tyres. We made a strong step between FP1 and FP2, and overall, I’m really happy. Grid position isn’t overly important at Thruxton because you need to be patient and save the tyre, but we’ll be smart with the one tyre we get in Qualifying and have a good race on Sunday.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“We’ve had a good day in the sunshine at Thruxton. It’s clear Kyle and his side of the garage made some promising steps forward on Sunday at Brands Hatch and they’ve continued to work in that direction today. He’s third fastest, feeling comfortable, but as always, there’s more to come. Ryan’s 15^th going into Qualifying tomorrow, but we’re not too worried. He looks to be one of the main contenders in terms of race pace, so a strong Qualifying 1 and 2 from him tomorrow will put him in a really strong position to fight for the win in the first race of the weekend tomorrow afternoon.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“It’s been a solid opening day for both Kyle and Ryan at Thruxton, both working through some valuable work across both sessions. Kyle worked on his findings at Brands Hatch and looked fast all day, while Ryan focused a bit more on the races which just cost him a place in Q2. We’re not worried because he has some strong pace so far and know he’ll be in the mix.”

Saturday

Kyle Ryde rode his heart out in the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend, securing a sensational race win with team-mate Ryan Vickers following in second.

OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde stormed to a remarkable race victory at Thruxton today, coming out on top of a BSB box office. Team-mate Ryan Vickers bided his time before making a late gasp for the front positions, crossing the line behind his team-mate for a seventh podium of the season.

Aiming to build on a strong start to the seventh round of the season, Ryde hit the track in the ten-minute Practice 3 session, ironing out the finer details with his R1 set-up. Passing directly through to Q2 on Friday, the Nottinghamshire rider set out on a quest for pole position, and that he did. Sitting in the top five in the early stages, the number 77 rider went for one last push in his opening run and looked to capitalise on his strong braking performance into the final chicane. Finding all his time in the final sector, Ryde crossed the line to take pole by just 0.011s over Jason O’Halloran.

Launching from Pole, Ryde didn’t get off to the best of starts, but a strong opening sector saw him slot into second. Chasing O’Halloran, a fierce battle ensued in the 15-bike group, which saw the Yamaha man changing positions every lap. With tyre life the key to Thruxton success, Ryde positioned himself perfectly for a late assault, pulling off some sensational outside manoeuvres into the chicane.

Starting the final lap in fourth, a pass from Vickers on Danny Kent invited Ryde through, slotting into second on the run into the final chicane. A brave late move saw him sweep into the lead, crossing the line 0.168 seconds clear of his team-mate.

Having to go through Q1, Vickers made a strong statement in Saturday’s opening Qualifying session, setting a 1:14.788 on his first lap to see him safely through to Q2. Having to use the same rear tyre, the number 7 rider ventured out for Q2, securing a fourth-place start for the afternoon’s 20-lap race.

Like his team-mate, the Thetford rider didn’t make the best of starts, but that would soon play into his hands. Able to sit in the leading group and save his rear tyre, Vickers positioned himself for a late attack, working his way up to the podium positions with three laps remaining. A last-lap battle with Kent briefly put his top-three hopes in doubt, but a brave final chicane saw him work his way through to second, collecting 16 valuable points.

Ryde’s race victory marked his 30th Bennetts British Superbike podium and moves him up to second in the BSB standings. Vickers heads into Sunday’s two races sitting fifth, 67 points behind Tommy Bridewell. The duo start tomorrow’s 12-lap sprint from 13th and 16th places respectively.

Sunday

OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Ryan Vickers secured his seventh Bennetts British Superbike Championship victory of the 2024 season today, as he completed a Sunday sweep at Thruxton.

Ryan Vickers built upon his podium success in the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend, by securing two superb race victories on Sunday. Team-mate Kyle Ryde secured a brace of strong points, crossing the line in eighth and fourth places respectively.

After a promising Saturday, the team ventured out for the opening ten-minute Warm Up session, which saw Ryde and Vickers confirm their pace ahead of Sunday’s two races.

But as usual at Thruxton, the team’s one-two finish on Saturday was done in the slowest way possible, as tyre conservation took the main role in Saturday’s race, leaving Race 1 winner, Ryde in 13^th and Ryan 15^th on the grid.

A strong getaway for Ryan saw him work his way up to the top ten positions before a crash on the opening lap for Glenn Irwin brought the race to an early halt. Restarting the race from original grid positions, Vickers couldn’t repeat the strong start to the reduced ten-lap dash, slotting into 12^th at the end of the opening lap. A second lap crash in the pack resulted in a Safety Car, meaning any form of tyre management would go out the window in the five-lap sprint.

Getting back underway in tenth, the number 77 rider knew he had to move forward, passing team-mate Ryde before making an assault on the top five with a sensational triple overtake at Church. Sitting fourth with three laps to go, Christian Iddon was next on his target list and quickly dispatched of the Ducati before picking off Josh Brookes for second. With leader Max Cook in his sights, the Yamaha man quickly found himself in the lead after a mistake by the race leader entering the first complex. Managing the small margin he had throughout the final lap; Vickers crossed the line to claim victory by 0.531 seconds.

Posting a sensational 1:14.949 in the Sprint Race, the rider from Thetford would start the final race from pole position. A strategic start in the blistering heat saw Ryan slip to seventh, but quickly looked to work his way forward as he re-claimed the lead on lap five. From there, he proved untouchable, despite pressure from Billy McConnell behind, crossing the line to take his seventh BSB victory of the season and moves within 50 points of the top of the Championship.

Following on from his sensational Race 1 win, Kyle Ryde enjoyed a strong morning Warm Up session, before a trickier sprint race developed. Starting from row four, Ryde picked up one position in the restarted sprint before moving up to seventh at the mid-way stage. Passing and being passed in the thick of the group, the Nottinghamshire rider crossed the line in a frustrating eighth place, collecting important points in his title quest.

Moving up to row three for the 20-lap finale, the number 77 rider settled into fifth in the early stages, as he looked to manage his tyre as best as possible. Another fierce battle developed as he moved into the podium places, but a mid-race dip saw him slip back to fifth. Picking off Lewis Rollo for fifth, he began his charge to catch Nesbitt ahead, crossing the line 0.017 seconds ahead of his rival to claim fourth at the chequered flag.

Ryde’s 38 points haul sees him consolidate his place as second in the BSB standings and moves to 25 points behind Tommy Bridewell. Ryan Vickers heads to Cadwell Park 50 points adrift of the top in fifth. The OMG GRILLA Yamaha team extend their lead in the CERATIZIT teams’ trophy to 32 points, whilst Yamaha heads to the Mountain on top of the manufacturer’s standings. The Race 3 win also marked Yamaha’s 12^th win at Thruxton on the bounce.

The team returns to action on Friday 23^rd August for the pre-event test, before the King of the Mountain hike begins on Saturday across the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Kyle Ryde
Race 2: 8th | Race 3: 4th
Championship: 2nd (223 points)
“We’ve taken a good handful of points but I feel like it should’ve been a little bit more. I just got unlucky in the Sprint Race with the Safety Car coming out after the red flag, reducing the distance and I just couldn’t make the progress forward quick enough. The second race today was really hot and I struggled with the front a little bit but I managed the rear really well and came fourth. Overall, I’m happy and bring on Cadwell.”

Ryan Vickers
Race 2: 1st | Race 3: 1st
Championship: 5th (198 points)
“It’s been a strong weekend for us and the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Team, taking two wins today. It was always going to be difficult starting 15th in what was planned to be a ten-lap race, but it’s even harder to go from 15th to 1st in six laps! I’m really happy with how I rode in that race, I attacked in the right places at the right time and managed to pick up a handful of positions each lap and eventually took the lead when Max Cook had a moment ahead. The last lap I just pushed, hit my markers and brought it home. The final race of the weekend didn’t actually go to my plan because I hit the front early on. I could see Billy was quick but it maybe wasn’t coming quite as easy. I got by and just chipped the laps off. Had a bit of a moment on the final corner, but it’s all good and I’m delighted to take the lucky number seven R1 to a seventh win of 2024. I’m now looking forward to continuing this form on to Cadwell Park over the Bank Holiday weekend.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“Another incredible weekend for the whole team at Thruxton. Three epic races and we won them all which is a credit to everyone. Both riders scored some strong points to consolidate their places in the title fight, so I couldn’t be happier. Kyle and Ryan rode incredible races across both days and it was three really fine race wins. Roll on Cadwell to fight for more trophies and continue to extend the lead in the teams’ standings.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“It’s been a faultless weekend for us as a team at Thruxton, taking all three race wins in what was three awesome races. Ryan rode two very smart races, saving his tyre and attacking in the right places and at the right time. Going from 15th to first anywhere is impressive, let alone at Thruxton. His second race was faultless too. He found his pace and stuck to it, he got to the front and slowly upped his pace, crossing the line first, even if he did have a bit of a moment on the way! Delighted to keep Yamaha’s unbeaten streak at Thruxton going, and both riders clawing points back in the table.”