Ryan Vickers was an unstoppable force in today’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship races at Thruxton as the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider stormed to a double victory, holding off the his title rivals to celebrate his seventh win of the season in race three.
Kyle Ryde had given the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing team the first victory of the weekend in Saturday’s race, but Vickers delivered a high-speed masterclass in Hampshire to take the double in two very different contests.
Vickers stormed from his fifteenth place grid position to take the victory in a dramatic second Bennetts race as he continued the team’s winning momentum.
Max Cook had fired off the Omologato Pole position to take the lead on the opening lap ahead of Storm Stacey and Glenn Irwin, but there was drama for the Hager PBM Ducati rider who crashed out after a huge highside at Campbell, which meant the race was red flagged.
On the restart, Stacey launched the Team LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki into the lead ahead of Cook and Josh Brookes, but on the second lap, Alex Olsen and Franco Bourne crashed out at Village and the BMW Safety Car was deployed.
When the race got back underway, it became a five-lap sprint to the finish and Cook was holding the lead until the penultimate lap when Vickers gained two places to return to the front, making his move into the Complex.
Cook then had Brookes and Danny Kent for company, as the McAMS Racing Yamaha rider carved his way through the pack and he was pushing for a return to the podium. Cook was able to hold second to the line to celebrate a career first podium finish in Bennetts BSB.
Brookes narrowly missed out on his first podium of the season for FHO Racing BMW Motorrad as Kent stole third on the final lap.
In race three, Kent launched to the front of the field ahead of Tommy Bridewell and McConnell and on the opening lap the lead changed three times with the trio all having a spell before the reigning champion held the edge.
Bridewell was holding the advantage from McConnell when he dramatically slowed on the exit of the chicane caused by a quickshifter problem and the pack concertinaed and the Honda Racing UK rider lost ground that dropped him down the order before he recovered to sixth at the chequered flag.
The podium for the Australian marked the C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda team’s first since joining the championship this year as he became the 14th different rider to take a top three finish in 2024, whilst the achievement marked the eleventh different team to celebrate podium success.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
1. Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 248
2. Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 223
3. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 213
4. Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 201
5. Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 198
6. Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 178
7. Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) 145
8. Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 142
9. Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) 119
10. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) 118
