Brad Ray Maintains Series Lead with Double Thruxton Podium
Brad Ray and Raceways Yamaha turned around what started as a tough weekend. They secured a double podium finish at Thruxton on Sunday.
Arriving at the sixth round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship after a mixed Brands Hatch, Brad Ray and the Raceways Yamaha team were eager to get back on track and showcase Brad Ray’s talent.
They aimed to return to the podium that eluded him in Race 3 in Kent.
Kicking off the weekend with Free Practice Friday, Ray got to work on understanding the unique 2.35-mile circuit as Brad Ray adjusted his strategies. Also, he assessed how the R1 and the rear Pirelli tyre behave around the Hampshire venue.
Safely securing a space in Qualifying 2 on Saturday, and just 0.489 seconds from the top time, the #28 rider ventured out for a scorching Qualifying session. He put his R1 machine on the front row for the opening race of the weekend in second place.
As the opening encounter of the weekend got underway, Ray slipped back through the pack as the typical Thruxton frenzy commenced.
Sitting in amongst the leading group, the Ashford rider kept his cool. He meticulously went about his plan as Brad Ray and other riders swapped positions at every corner.
However, as the pace began to increase, Ray struggled to find a way through. He crossed the line in eighth place at the end of a frantic 20-lap dash.
With tyre drop off in mind, the Raceways Yamaha rider would only make 12th on the grid for Race 2. Still, that didn’t faze the 28-year-old. Together with his crew, he made a big step forward heading into Sunday’s double header.
With a 12-lap Sprint ahead of him, Ray bolted towards Turn 1, working his way up to sixth in the opening stages.
Sitting amongst the leading group once again, Brad Ray began to work his way forward into podium contention. Nevertheless, a Red Flag due to an incident towards the back of the field brought the Race to a brief halt.
As the race got back underway, it was another strong getaway for Ray, who sliced into the lead in Turn 1 ahead of fellow Yamahas Kyle Ryde and Danny Kent. The trio would go on to battle to the very end of what was an eight-lap dash. Ray ultimately crossed the line in third place, marking a return to the rostrum.
With one final 20-lap battle to come, Ray would make another near-perfect start from Pole Position.
He cemented himself in the leading fight. This group contained the Yamahas of Ryde and Kent, as well as Christian Iddon (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) and Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda), who had both worked their way into podium contention.
Continuing his charge at the front, the Raceways rider continued to lead, despite it toing and froing throughout the Race. When it came to crunch time, Ray positioned himself at the front of the field and pushed on as much as the worn Pirelli rear would allow him. Yet, a late move from Danny Kent into the Club Chicane robbed Ray of victory.
He crossed the line second to mark a sensational Sunday for Steve Rodgers’ Raceways crew.
In the Pirelli National Sportbike Championship, Ash Barnes endured a tricky weekend. A mechanical issue limited running in Friday’s Free Practice 2 session, and a slip off his Raceways Yamaha R7 in Qualifying meant Barnes would start ninth for the first of two races.
But further disaster struck as the 19-year-old faced further technical problems ahead of Race 1. This forced the Lincolnshire rider to retire before he began.
Aiming to bounce back in full force on Sunday, Barnes got underway from the back of the grid and immediately got his elbows out. Racing as hard as Brad Ray would, Barney continued his rise through the field.
Ultimately, he worked his way up to 12th at the chequered flag.
Barnes heads to his home round at Cadwell Park eighth in the standings.
With a return to the podium for Brad Ray, his series lead sits at 26 points ahead of Cadwell Park. This is a circuit he has enjoyed prior success at on the R1 in 2022. Raceways Yamaha remains top of the CERATIZIT Team Trophy standings, with Yamaha maintaining control of the manufacturer table.
The Raceways Yamaha team return to action at Cadwell Park across the Bank Holiday August weekend. Action runs on the typical Bank Holiday event schedule from Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th.
Bradley Ray
Raceways Yamaha
Championship: 1st (260 points)
“I’m super happy with how Sunday went here at Thruxton. On Friday and Saturday, we were scratching our heads a lot and struggling to understand why we weren’t as competitive as we anticipated. We made a radical change for warm up and went in the right direction. I felt better immediately, and achieving two podiums today is the icing on the cake for the work the team have done. To end the weekend in a strong way means a lot, I’m looking forward to getting back to Cadwell Park. One week off and we go again!”
Ash Barnes
Raceways Yamaha – Pirelli National Sportbike Championship
Championship: 8th (96 points)
“It was a tough weekend for me, there’s no hiding that, but we continued to push as hard as we could and got a few points in the bag in Sunday’s race. It’s a shame because I think we had potential, we were fast in Free Practice and in Qualifying up until the crash, so I am leaving Thruxton with a bit of a ‘what could’ve been’ feeling. But we’ll regroup and come back swinging for my home round at Cadwell Park later this month.”
Steve Rodgers
Team Owner
“It wasn’t the easiest starts to the weekend for Brad and the team, we were left scratching our heads a bit as to where and why we were lacking those last few tenths to be at the front but the guys worked hard to turn it around on Sunday. All three races were just typical Thruxton, you never really know who’s going to win until they’ve crossed the finish line 20-laps later and Brad did everything he could to be within contention. He was unlucky a bit to miss out on the win in Race 3, but still a very good Sunday with some more trophies and important points collected.
“With Ash, it was a very tough weekend for him with a few technical issues and a crash halting his progress, but he got his elbows out on Sunday and secured a few vital points for his Championship. We’ll focus on Cadwell, Ash’s home round and aim for a strong weekend there.”