Ryde takes BSB title by single point after battle with Bridewell
Words and images courtesy BSB
Kyle Ryde clinched the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship following a dramatic double dogfight with defending champion Tommy Bridewell across the final two races on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.
The OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider sealed the crown by a single point following a season closing battle royale, in which the final outcome didn’t become clear until the title protagonists exited the final corner on the last lap.
Ryde said: “It been a great day! It was hard fought and close all day between me and Tommy. At least 50 passes were made between us both! I watched the race from this morning and I tried to defend into Stirlings in the last one, but he still managed to find a way past me a few times. But I did something right on the last lap to keep him behind me.
“The pace was incredible, Tommy set a new lap record [even though] it was about six degrees outside. It hasn’t sunk in yet, but what a day. To have become British Superbike Champion, is something we have worked so hard for. It’s going to take a while to sink in!”
Ryde entered the day with a slender one-point advantage after ceding ground to Honda Racing UK’s Bridewell in the first race of the weekend on Saturday. And the rivals duked it out for victory throughout that opening encounter of the season’s final day, changing positions repeatedly – including five times on one single lap.
It was Bridewell who won the first of two races, and that set up for a ‘winner takes all’ closing race in the Showdown Finale, with Ryde trailing by four points. Bridewell appeared to carry the momentum from his earlier win into the deciding 20-lap race, leading early on but Ryde moved into contention as the race built towards its midway point.
Ryde first moved into the lead with quick successive moves on Bridewell and Glenn Irwin, who had climbed through the order to take first place during the opening laps. An on-track dice between Bridewell and the Northern Irishman allowed Ryde to build a small but useful gap too, but the battle for the title only intensified after that.
Bridewell set a new all-time Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit lap record with a time of 1m24.759s just as the race entered its second half and used his pace to rapidly eliminate Ryde’s advantage. And the Honda Racing UK rider was back in the lead on lap 12 with a move at Stirlings which Bridewell seemed to be able to repeat whenever required.
As the race entered its tense final laps, Ryde was several times able to steal the lead through Hawthorn, but Bridewell was repeatedly able to respond, often using his signature move at Stirlings. The game of cat and mouse continued right through to the penultimate lap of the Kent circuit, as the title fight went right down to the final lap for a second year in succession.
Bridewell was in the lead as the final lap started, but Ryde once again used his pace to move past at Hawthorn with just three more corners of the season left to run. Crucially, Ryde managed to defend his position into Stirlings that time around, meaning that Bridewell would have to pass him at the last corner to retain the title.
Bridewell set up what could have been a decisive run out of Clark Curve as they accelerated towards the line for the final time, but he wasn’t quite able to make the move work, allowing Ryde to fire home to take the chequered flag and his first title in the Bennetts BSB class. Ryde took the win by just 0.296s to win the crown by the same one-point advantage with which he’d entered the final day.
The Superbike Championship victory means that Ryde has now won the Bennetts British Superbike, Quattro Group British GP2, Junior Superstock and British 125cc Championship titles.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, Race 2 Result:
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK)
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) +0.257s
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) +4.679s
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +6.312s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +8.057s
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) +8.203s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +8.290s
Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +8.781s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +9.497s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +9.912s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, Race 3 Result:
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing)
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +0.296s
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) +0.839s
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +3.614s
Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +4.984s
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +5.483s
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +6.756s
Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +7.732s
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) +7.803s
Billy McConnell (C&L Fairburn Properties/Look Forward Racing Honda) +12.338s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 487
Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 486
Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 382
Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 373
Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 349
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 261
Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) 261
Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) 249
Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) 228
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) 226