Ryde Doubles up at BSB Donington Park 

Words and images courtesy OMG GRILLA Racing

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.

Ryde said:  “It wasn’t quite the perfect weekend, but I was certainly close to having one. I’m a bit disappointed with coming third in the sprint race, but you can never really grumble with two wins and a third at the home circuit in front of all the fans. We’re heading to Brands on top of the standings and taking some more pots back up the road to Jacksdale. Thanks to all the team, sponsors and fans for their support, it’s been mega all weekend from start to finish.”

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 11th.

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.

Vickers said: “Overall, the weekend was quite tricky, but I’m glad to have ended it on a high. We got a bit lucky in Race 3 with a technical problem, but I will take the result. We’ve had to work hard this weekend, but we all kept our heads, and I’m pleased to get a decent result in the last race. I’m really happy with that and can’t wait to get to Brands now.”

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.

Alan Gardner, OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner, said: “It’s been a great weekend for us at Donington Park! Two wins and two more podium finishes for Kyle, Ryan and the team made it even better. Kyle was fantastic all weekend and showed us exactly why we announced that he’s staying with us next year. He rode three superb races and was unlucky really to not come away with three wins. Still, he now heads into the final round on top of the standings. It’s game on going into Brands Hatch. Ryan turned his weekend around thanks to himself and his team. He made steps forward across the three days and we’re really proud to see him back on the podium in Race 3.”

Paul Curran, OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal, added: “Another really strong weekend for the whole team at Donington Park. Kyle was fantastic from start to finish and was unfortunate to not come away with three wins. All three races were great for the fans, but Kyle made them special for us with his two victories and a third place. He now leads the standings with it all to play for at Brands Hatch. It was nice to see Ryan back on the podium in Race 3. He’s had a few minor struggles this weekend and a podium finish was the least he and his team deserved for their hard work.”

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