Ryde recovers to finish fourth

Kyle Ryde secured a solid fourth-place finish in a delayed opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill today, whilst team-mate Ryan Vickers crashed out of the race, fortunately unscathed.

 After missing the opening practice session on Friday, Kyle Ryde was determined to bounce back as Saturday’s action commenced, and he did, topping Free Practice 3 and then posting a 47.574s to end Qualifying 1 on top. Venturing out for Q2, the Nottinghamshire rider completed his opening banker lap and pushed on for his first proper flying lap. But as the number 77 tipped into turn 2, he lost the front resulting in a hefty impact on his left knee. ‘Youth’ got up on his feet and was taken to the medical centre for a check-up and some therapy on his twisted knee. Team-mate Ryan Vickers, who had secured his place in Qualifying 2 on Friday, worked his way up to speed, ultimately posting the fourth fastest time of the session.

 As expected, an inundation of rain hit moments before the opening race of the weekend, resulting in a lengthy wait for the Superbike riders. However, in true Scottish fashion, the sun quickly returned leaving a dry line forming around the 1.2-mile circuit.

 Opting for both dry front and rear tyres, Ryde launched from tenth on the grid and immediately settled into the shortened 25-lap race. Picking his way through the pack, he was quickly on the tail of his team-mate before Vickers sadly crashed out of contention. With a battle roaring on ahead, the Yamaha rider made his move into the top five positions, first on O’Halloran and then inherited fourth when Glenn Irwin retired from the race, where he ultimately finished.

Ryde said: “My two days here so far have been quite eventful! I missed the first session yesterday after being unwell and then the second day started well, topping Practice 3 and Qualifying 1. In Qualifying 2 I set my banker lap and pushed on for the second lap, but pushed a bit too hard at Turn 2 and crashed. I’m thankful to have the BSB medics and Becky, the team’s Osteopath, on hand who helped me get through this afternoon and take fourth at the flag. It was a lucky fourth, but after the weekend we’ve had so far, I think we deserve it.”

Team-mate Ryan Vickers had an unfortunate end to a largely positive Saturday. The Thetford-based rider qualified in a strong fourth, but sadly crashed out of the race on Lap 17 whilst running inside the top seven.

Words and images courtesy OMG Racing UK