Pole position for Ryan Vickers and a race win for Kyle Ryde

Kyle Ryde secured a near-lights-to-flag race victory today, taking victory in Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race 1 at his local Donington Park.

The OMG GRILLA Yamaha team enjoyed a largely positive Saturday at Donington Park today, as Ryan Vickers secured Pole Position in an OMG Racing one-two and Kyle Ryde flew to his first victory of the season.

On the back foot after Friday, it was normal service resumed for Ryde’s side of the garage, who confirmed their changes were positive in the short Free Practice 3 session this afternoon. Heading out for Superpole, Ryde put together a near-perfect lap, pinching pole until team-mate Ryan Vickers, who was the last rider to take to the track, piped the Nottinghamshire rider by just 0.026 seconds.

Launching from the middle of the front row for Saturday afternoon’s 20-lap race, the number 77 rider stood his ground on the opening lap, settling in behind his team-mate Vickers, who maintained his position on Lap 1. However, a crash a lap later at the Melbourne Loop for the Thetford rider brought his race to an early end, leaving Ryde at the head of the field.

From there, ‘Youth’ managed the gap to the riders behind, leading every lap as he kept the BMW of Leon Haslam behind before a Red Flag on Lap 14 brought the race to an early conclusion.

Ryde’s race victory sees him jump to third in the standings and will start tomorrow’s 12-lap Sprint from sixth, with team-mate Vickers just behind in seventh.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Superpole: 2nd | Race 1: 1st
“A very good Saturday for us! It was a bit of a lonely race on my part but one we can be proud of. We struggled a bit on Friday, and we hadn’t managed to complete a run on used tyres so we went into Race 1 with a lot of unknowns. It was a hot race, and the track was quite greasy. I wasn’t particularly fast, but I was consistent and fast where I needed to be. I also hope Iddon is OK who brought out the Red Flag.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Superpole: 1st | Race 1: DNF
“The pole was great, and it was nice to start from the front row. Unfortunately, the full tank caught me out early on as I was settling into the race. It is what it is, and we’ll take that into tomorrow’s races and try to hold the pace back a bit. It’s easy when you’re riding around setting strong lap times to get a bit overconfident and I think I did that a bit today with the limited knowledge with the high fuel load. We’ll take it a bit steadier tomorrow, wait for the fuel to drop and be in the mix come the last lap.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“Well, what can I say? Kyle showed his local knowledge by delivering a sublime ride to take the victory and jump up to third in the standings ahead of tomorrow. He was on the back foot after Friday, but he didn’t let that faze him and secured a well-earned victory and his first of the season. Ryan had a day of two halves. His Superpole lap was fantastic, and it was great to secure a 1-2 there. He was fast at the start of the race and felt confident but unfortunately crashed out. The main thing is, he’s OK and we know he’s got the speed to fight at the front tomorrow.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“We’re really pleased for Kyle and his side of the garage after a difficult start to the weekend. They were a bit in the dark for the race today after the small issue on Friday, but the team showed their talent to once again give Kyle a bike he can perform on. We know that when Kyle’s comfortable, he’s fast and he proved that today at his local track. For Ryan, after a sensational Superpole lap, it was a shame he couldn’t show his potential, but he’ll be back to fight for the trophies tomorrow.”

Kyle Ryde finishes in the top 5, but Ryan Vickers suffers a crash on Race 2

The OMG GRILLA Yamaha team endured a mixed Sunday afternoon under the glorious Leicestershire sunshine today, as Kyle Ryde delivered two top-five finishes whilst team-mate Ryan Vickers crashed out of Race 2, also ruling him out of the weekend’s final race.

After his victory on Saturday, Kyle Ryde was hunting for more success on Sunday but came just short when the flag dropped on Sunday’s two Bennetts British Superbike races, securing a brace of fifth-place finishes to strengthen his third place in the standings further.

Starting Race 2 from the second row, the local rider made a strong start, muscling his R1 up to fourth before battle commenced. A mistake as two riders battled ahead gifted the number 77 rider a way through to third but was short-lived as he slipped back to fourth at the midway stage. Trying to hold on to his position across the 12-lap race, a move from Danny Kent on Lap 10 confirmed Ryde’s top-five finish, crossing the line just behind his Yamaha counterpart.

The second race of the day saw ‘Youth’ launch from seventh and burst his way through to third in the early stages. But, just like the 12-lap dash earlier in the day, battle commenced as he was muscled back through the pack. Determined to fight till the end, Ryde made his move on Leon Haslam with two laps to go, rewarding him with another solid top-five finish and 11 more championship points secured.

Ryan Vickers’ Sunday came to an early end following a crash on Lap 2 of the second race. Vickers suffered injuries to his left chest and shoulder area and, after stabilisation in the medical centre, where he was able to talk to his family and team; he was transferred to the Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham for further assessment and treatment.

A three-week break awaits the BSB paddock before heading north of the border for Round 4 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Race 2: 5^th | Race 3: 5^th
Championship: 3^rd (95 points)
“It’s been a solid weekend overall, to be honest. A win on Saturday and two top-five finishes after missing a lot of data from Friday is nothing to be disappointed about. It’s the hottest I think I’ve ever seen it at Donington and that meant I struggled a bit more in Race 2, but the bike in the third race was amazing. I struggled a bit with the brakes in the longer race which meant I couldn’t quite push on to the guys in front, but 40 points across the weekend is a good points haul.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“It’s been a mixed Sunday for us, unfortunately. Kyle was fantastic yesterday to take the victory and set out for more strong results today, and he did just that. Two top-five finishes reward him with some solid championship points which cements his third place in the standings and gives him a little boost of confidence going to Knockhill where he’s also strong. Unfortunately, Ryan had a crash in Race 2 and sustained an injury to his left chest and shoulder area. We’ll know a bit more in the coming days, but it’s a great shame because we knew he could have battled for some strong results this weekend. We hope to see him back fully fit soon.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“After his win yesterday, it was two solid rides from Kyle today. 22 points along with his 18 from yesterday is a good points haul and a nice way to head into the short break. He couldn’t quite show his full potential in the third race with a small brake issue, but he battled on and we’re proud of how he rode this weekend. Ryan was also fast all weekend, it’s a shame his weekend ended how it did because we knew he’d have been in the mix. Hopefully, he’ll be back soon and challenging for more top results.”