Vickers and Ryde secure superpole place on sodden Saturday

Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde ticked off their main objective of securing a Top 12 Superpole place today, as Round 8 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship officially got underway at Cadwell Park.

After a blustery, but dry test on Friday evening for the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team, that saw Vickers end the day fastest and as the only rider in the 1:25’ barrier, it was polar opposite conditions as the riders ventured out for the morning session, with heavy rain battering the Lincolnshire circuit.

With no improvement inbound, Vickers ventured out and immediately found his feet in the treacherous conditions, sitting inside the top three of the session before ultimately deciding enough was enough as the rain continued to fall. Parking his R1, the seven-time victor in 2024 concluded the opening running in 12^th.

As conditions finally improved, false hope lingered at Cadwell Park before another deluge of rain soaked the track moments before the second session. Heading back out, the #7 rider instantly improved his time before a late surge saw him fly to the top spot. Sitting over 1.4 seconds clear, the Thetford rider concluded the day’s running fastest and passed direct into Sunday’s Superpole session.

On the other side of the garage, it was a trickier morning for Kyle Ryde, who battled a lack of rear grip throughout the day. Finishing the opening session in 18^th, the Nottinghamshire rider searched for improvement in the second outing. Like Vickers, Ryde instantly improved his time, taking tenths out of his personal best time each lap. Pitting for one final change, the #77 rider returned to the track at its driest point, posting a solid 1:38.231 time to put him seventh fastest, and inside the top 12.

The action continues on Sunday with Free Practice 3, ahead of the all-important Superpole and Race 1.

Ryan Vickers
Practice: 1st (1:37.026)

“I am feeling really good here at Cadwell Park. We only did a few laps in the first session today as it was really wet and as we went to go for our second run it really started again so it was risk over reward and the rest of the weekend’s forecast is looking dry so we left it until FP2.

“It was wet again this afternoon, unfortunately it started dry and then rained again but we did get a drying track and I was feeling really good and the bike was great. We made some set-up changes between the sessions and the bike felt great. We were top of the timesheets by some margin and finished 0.6 quicker in all conditions so I am happy.

“I got into the 25s last night in the test during the dry conditions and quicker than what I thought we would be at on the first night as last year I was only a tenth quicker last year on the SCX tyre, so I thought it would be a bit harder.

“The bike is feeling great and we have improved it since last year and the team are working fantastic. We are seeing some great performance from both me and the bike so I am enjoying it and being here. The fans are out there no matter what the weather; whether it is 30 degrees or 10 degrees so fair play to them and I love seeing all their posts on social media from the Mountain!”

Kyle Ryde
Practice: 7th (1:38.231)

“Unfortunately, it was a rather wet day here at Cadwell Park. It looked like we were going to get a dry session towards the end of the day, but sadly it rained just before the second practice. There’s not too much to look at as the bike wasn’t 100%, but we managed to get the time in at the end for seventh and pass directly to Superpole on Sunday.

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“It’s been a very tricky day in terms of the weather with both sessions being affected by rain, but both Ryan and Kyle got the job done. They’re inside the important top 12 for tomorrow’s Superpole. We had a really important test session on Friday evening, which showed that both are fast in the dry too. So we’re in a good place going into tomorrow’s Superpole and Race 1. We also would like to send our best wishes to Ryan’s tyre man Boggy, whose partner Shelly, is sadly unwell.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“After a very wet day at Cadwell Park, it’s good to have both riders inside the top 12 and through to tomorrow’s Superpole. The conditions today were really tricky, especially the first session, but both riders ticked off that Superpole objective. The test on Friday night was positive for us also, so we’re confident that if the weather improves, as forecasted, we can be in a strong position for the races.”

Seventh heaven for OMG Yamaha at Cadwell Park

OMG GRILLA Yamaha extended their mighty winning streak to the lucky number Seven today, thanks to a sublime ride from Kyle Ryde. Sadly, after an unfortunate crash in Qualifying, team-mate Ryan Vickers was forced to retire on the second lap due to a technical problem.

OMG GRILLA Yamaha continued their winning ways on Sunday as Kyle Ryde stormed to an impressive victory in the Bank Holiday weekend’s opening race.

After putting a lap together in Saturday’s sodden practice, Ryde ventured out for Qualifying, which thanks to a short downpour was run in the usual 15-minute format, rather than the one-lap Superpole shootout.

Setting a strong early pace, the Nottinghamshire rider sat at the top of the timesheets, before being bumped to second as he made a stop for a tyre change. Heading back out on fresh rubber, ‘Youth’ instantly bettered his time, slingshotting himself back to the top before Jason O’Halloran pipped him for pole position, finishing second ahead of the opening race.

Making a strong getaway to the 18-lap Race, Ryde launched into the lead but was quickly demoted back to second at turn two. A good run out of Charlies set the #77 rider up for a move into Park, passing O’Halloran and taking the lead. From there, the Yamaha rider proved untouchable, managing the gap to the riders behind before upping his pace to stretch the lead to over a second. Managing the gap till the end, he crossed the line to take a third win of the season, and the team’s seventh consecutive Bennetts British Superbike Championship win.

After topping the official test and Saturday’s practice, it was a Sunday to forget for Ryan Vickers, who suffered an unfortunate crash in Qualifying before a technical problem ended his race early. Confident of the pace shown, Vickers is hopeful of making places up in Monday’s 12-lap Sprint Race, which he’ll start from 20^th.

The team returns for one last assault of the Mountain on Monday, with Warm up and two further races.

Kyle Ryde
Qualifying: 2nd (1:26.054)
Race 1: 1st

“With the outcome of Qualifying, we had a good chance to claw back some points with Tommy Bridewell starting further down the order. We took some points out of his lead and managed to take the win, so it’s been a good day. We’re in a good place going into tomorrow so let’s make it count.”

Ryan Vickers
Qualifying: 14th (No Time Set)
Race 1: DNF

“I crashed in Qualifying and had a technical issue after a good start. It is what it is! We know that we have the pace and we’ll get our elbows out tomorrow, get a strong Sprint Race under our belts, improve the starting position for Race 3 and fight for some strong results.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“A super Sunday for Kyle and the team at Cadwell Park! After a strong test and getting through to Superpole yesterday, we knew he’d be in the mix in the race, and what a race it was. He hit the front early on and used his and the Yamaha’s strengths in the second half of the lap to just gradually extend his lead, before managing to bring home a third win for him this year, and our seventh in a row. It was an unfortunate day for Ryan, but days like today only make you stronger and I know he’ll be out swinging tomorrow for two strong results and show the pace we know he has.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“It’s been a bit of a mixed day for us, but we’re over the moon with Kyle’s victory and our seventh win in a row. Kyle rode fantastically all day, he put together a good lap in Qualifying to secure a front row, and showed his form in the race. Ryan was unfortunate to slip off in Qualifying which left him with work to do. He made a strong start and was making progress, but a technical problem forced him to retire at the end of the first lap, which is a shame. We know he’ll be back tomorrow in full force to end the weekend on a high.”

Ryde delivers the double on historic Cadwell weekend

OMG GRILLA Yamaha celebrated 90 years of Cadwell Park in the greatest way, as Kyle Ryde backed up his Sunday performance with a second and a win on Bank Holiday Monday. Ryan Vickers delivered a sensational ride from 20^th to sixth in the sprint race, but sadly crashed out of the 20-lap race whilst leading; thankfully, unhurt.

After a stylish ‘Ryde’ to victory on Sunday, Kyle Ryde delivered two more solid rides, as Bennetts British Superbikes partied in the park on a glorious Bank Holiday Monday.

After a strong morning Warm Up, which saw Ryde lead team-mate Vickers by 0.077s, the Nottinghamshire rider made a strong getaway to the 12-lap sprint, holding onto his third place on the run into Turn 1. Sitting behind the leading duo until Lap 4, Ryde then made his move, passing Lee Jackson, not once, but twice into Park corner, eventually making it stick before setting after Tommy Bridewell. Shadowing the Honda rider for the remaining laps, the #77 rider looked to launch his attack, but was just unable to find a way through on his rival, crossing the line for a fine second in front of the cheering fans.

Posting the second quickest time of the race, it was another lighting start for him, flying into the lead on the run to Coppice Corner. Leading at the end of the first lap, he proved untouchable as he withstood the ongoing pressure from Bridewell behind. Using the same strengths that played into his hands on Sunday, Ryde managed to break a few tenths ahead, and maintained the advantage to the flag, crossing the line 0.702 seconds ahead.

After a tough Sunday, Ryan Vickers was determined to turn his luck around on Monday, after what has been a strong run of form for the #7 Yamaha. A strong morning Warm Up boded well for a strong sprint race, despite starting the 12-lap battle from 20^th. A usual strong start saw Vickers leap into 16^th at the end of the first lap before making his way through to the top ten places by the mid-way stage.

With Josh Brookes ahead, the Yamaha rider muscled his way through before taking another two places in as many laps. Passing Jason O’Halloran on Lap 9, the gap to the top five ahead proved to be too much and crossed the line for a fine sixth with a front row lap time in his pocket.

Launching for the final 20-lap race from third, Vickers held his ground on the opening lap before picking off Charlie Nesbitt on the second lap. A move on his team-mate three corners later saw him take the lead, but as he pushed on crashed out of the race on Lap 3 at Turn 1, thankfully unhurt.

The team now head into crunch time as the points return to the traditional 25 for the victory, as the series heads into the final three rounds of the season. Two wins and a second place for Ryde sees him claw valuable points back in the standings, heading to Oulton Park 19 points adrift of the series leader. Ryan Vickers remains in fifth, 86 points from the top.

The team return on the 13-15^th September as the series resumes at Oulton Park.

Kyle Ryde
Race 1: 1st
Race 2: 2nd
Race 3: 1st

“From what started off as a bit of a struggle, it ended up being pretty easy, weekends like that don’t come very often but when they do you have to take the most from them. I would’ve liked to have taken all three wins but when it’s 12-laps everyone is pushing to the limit and the risk wasn’t quite worth it going wrong. The last race was probably the best race I’ve done, I was consistent and only made one mistake in the 20 laps. I got as many trophies as I could and was crowned Bennetts Rider of the Round – so thank you to the fans and of course my team for it.”

Ryan Vickers

Race 1: DNF
Race 2: 6th
Race 3: DNF

“We were strong all weekend and showed that from the first night at the test. We then had bad luck from there, crashing in the first race and having to start 20^th for the sprint. We came through the field in the 12 lap race, which was good, finishing sixth and bagged a front row start. We had a plan to get to the front and try to break away, the plan went to perfection but as I was upping the pace I sadly hit the bottom of the forks and crashed. I have to apologise to the team because they’ve worked really hard all weekend, but we have to bounce back now. Congratulations to Kyle and the team on a strong weekend for him, winning King of the Mountain and the Cadwell 90 Trophy.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“What a weekend it’s been! Kyle rode superbly to take two wins and a strong second place, bringing home a haul of trophies for his efforts. His side of the garage worked hard from the first test and Kyle finished the job off on the track, I couldn’t be prouder. Ryan had an unlucky weekend. He was really strong in the test on Friday and topped the wet Saturday practices, but it sadly didn’t go as we all hoped from there despite riding really well in the sprint race and up until his crash. Luckily he’s only battered and bruised after his crash today, so he’ll be back to full fitness at Oulton Park in a few week’s time. It’s an important time in the season now, as the points go up from here, but Kyle cut the gap down in the standings and we’re ready to give it everything to keep the momentum going and be in the hunt come Brands Hatch.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“It’s been a great weekend for Kyle and the team, two wins and a second place are three amazing results. He rode really well in all three races, showing his form and managed to cut the gap down in the Championship. Ryan had an unfortunate weekend, crashing out of Race 3, but his ride in the sprint race was really strong. Coming from 20th to 6th is positive and he was looking good in the lead up until he crashed. There’s lots of positive to take away as we head into crunch time with the final three rounds.”