Second for Ryde as OMG Yamaha kick off Brands Hatch BSB finale

OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde got his title hunt underway today, wrapping up the final Friday of the season in second place. Team-mate Ryan Vickers sat out the dying moments of Free Practice 2, finishing the day in 11^th. Both riders have secured their place in Saturday’s Qualifying 2 session.

Kyle Ryde got the final round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship underway today, finishing Friday’s two 40-minute sessions in second place.

Ryde got off to a strong start in Free Practice 1, continuing to work on the SC1 front, which aided him to make a step forward in July earlier this season. Setting a rapid pace from the off, the #77 rider continued his work, ending the opening session in fifth, with clear indications of where to improve.

With his crew working hard to improve his Yamaha R1 machine, the Jacksdale-based rider returned to the track for Practice 2, sticking with the same used tyres from the morning session. Improving his lap time to a 1:26.0, he continued to push on, posting a 1:26.2 on the 28^th lap on the tyre. After few minor adjustments for the final ten-minutes, the 27-year-old returned to the track on fresh rubber, improving his time to a 1:25.142, finishing the day 0.243 seconds off the top time.

The Nottinghamshire rider holds a slim four-point advantage at the top of the standings, with three action-packed races to come.

On the other side of the garage, Ryan Vickers began his work on repeating the performances from earlier in the season. Fast from the off in the opening running, the Thetford rider instantly locked himself in amongst the top positions and finished the morning’s session in third just 0.008 seconds behind the fastest time.

Like team-mate Ryde, the #7 camp made further changes to his machine and immediately looked comfortable. Posting a 1:25.850 at the mid-point of the session, a small issue forced him to sit out the remainder of the session which saw him drop to 11^th when the chequered flag fell on the opening day.

Both riders are through to Saturday’s all-important Qualifying 2 session, which will see Friday’s top 12 plus the fastest three from Qualifying 1 battle it out for pole position ahead of the afternoon’s opening 18-lap race.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Practice: 2nd (1:25.142)
“It’s been a good Friday. The bike was really good on used tyres, the only time we put new tyres in was for the final few minutes of Free Practice 2. We’re looking good in all scenarios and the race pace is strong. It’s going to be a fun weekend.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Practice: 11th (1:25.850)
“We’ve had a few small issues today which held me back a little bit, but we had the same problems in the colder temperatures last year. It’s a small problem which we’ll fix and when get it sorted we’ll be back at the front.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“That’s the final Friday of the season done and overall, it’s been a positive day. Everyone knows that it is a big weekend for Kyle, but he got to work like any other Friday, working closely with his crew to improve his feeling on the R1. He was fast in both sessions and has some seriously impressive pace on used tyres which he will have in his locker for the longer races. He’s in the mix on Friday and we’ll look to use that to our advantage for a strong Race 1 result tomorrow. 11^th overall for Ryan looks worse than it is. He was fast again, like he was in July, but was forced to sit out the final moments of Practice 2 when the other riders put in new tyres, so was bumped down from the top five into 11^th. The main thing is, both riders are through to Q2 tomorrow and we know we have two riders and two bikes capable of fighting at the front.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal
“Kyle made a strong start to the final weekend of the season, finishing the day in second place and with a smile on his face. We know that since he made the tyre switch back in July, it’s been a really good run of form ever since, and that trend just looked to continue today. He was quick in both sessions and has put himself in a good position for the races thanks to himself and his crew. Ryan’s position isn’t a true representative of his pace, he’s been a permanent name in the top five places all day but had to miss his final run meaning he was unable to further improve his time.”

Vickers splashes to second as Ryde holds series lead in Brands Hatch opener

OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde delivered a pair of solid results today, with Vickers securing a Brands Hatch podium and Ryde keeping a grip on his Bennetts British Superbike Championship lead in a sodden Race 1.

After a positive opening day of action, which saw both riders qualify directly into the Qualifying 2 pole shoot-out, it was game on for the OMG GRILLA Yamaha squad in the first race day of the weekend.

Dark clouds loomed and it wasn’t long before the morning rain began to fall, dampening the 2.4-mile track enough ahead of the Qualifying shootout.

Completing the tricky Practice 3 session on wet tyres, both riders stuck to their choice for the 15-minute session, but quickly returned to the pits to fit the dry rubber.

Venturing back out together, Vickers pushed on behind his team-mate, with both riders sitting inside the top four, despite two red flags for two separate incidents. Returning to the track following the second red flag, the #7 rider aimed to give Ryde a marker, but a mistake saw him slip behind his team-mate.

With the Thetford rider holding provisional pole, and the Jacksdale man on the front row with a minute to go, a late charge from Josh Brookes saw Ryde drop to fourth for the opening race of the weekend.

As yet more rain fell moments before the 20-lap affair, it was all hands-on deck in the OMG GRILLA Yamaha garage ahead of lights out.

Launching from pole, Vickers maintained his lead at the front of the pack, splashing his way around the Brands Hatch venue as he opened a gap at the front. Mid-way through the race, the leader was forced to relinquish his P1 to McAMS Racing’s Danny Kent, who hit the front at Paddock Hill Bend.

Sticking to the rear wheel of his Yamaha counterpart, up until the final few laps, the OMG rider crossed the line in second place, collecting 30 valuable points in the series table.

Kyle Ryde got off to a strong start to the afternoon’s action, maintaining his fourth place in the opening lap scrap. Working his way into the rhythm, “Youth” slipped back through the pack before finding his feet and surging back forward.

Picking off Lewis Rollo, then a crash for Glenn Irwin ahead, Ryde was back inside the top six before chasing down Max Cook and making a final lap pass on Peter Hickman to secure fourth place at the chequered flag. 24 important Championship points sees the Nottinghamshire rider maintain his advantage at the top of the standings, heading into Sunday one point ahead of title-rival Tommy Bridewell.

Action resumes on Sunday with morning Warm-up before two more nail-biting races to crown the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Champion.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Qualifying: 4th (1:25.515)
Race 1: 4th
“It was a long race, 20 laps around Brands Hatch in those conditions. I tried my best to get back to fourth and enjoyed fighting back through in the last few laps. I saw Tommy was ahead and in the podium positions and I knew I had to push on to get as many places as possible. I was happy with how I rode up until the final few laps, then I got some consistent lap times in towards the end and finished fourth, so I’m happy with the race and I’m still Championship leader going into Sunday. Hopefully, we’ll have some strong races in good weather tomorrow and give it my all to get the job done.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Qualifying: 1st (1:25.324)
Race 1: 2nd
“I’m pretty happy with today, can’t complain about a podium but Danny had a bit more at the end. I managed to stay ahead of Tommy and with Kyle finishing fourth it means he continues to lead the championship. We’ll see what the weather’s like and fight for more tomorrow.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“There are always twists and turns in the tale, and we had a few in one day today. The weather played a big part in the running today, with a downpour in the morning leaving conditions far from ideal for Qualifying. Both of my riders got the job done in Qualifying, Ryan on pole and Kyle in fourth which was a good position to be in going into the opening race. Another downpour soaked the track for Race 1 and left the track far from ideal. Ryan made a strong start and looked to control the pace from the start, but Danny came through and Ryan managed his race from there to take second. Kyle rode fantastically once again. He slipped back a little in the early stages, but he let the race come to him and fought back to fourth which sees him hold the series lead going into tomorrow.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal
“It’s been a very busy and challenging day with track and weather conditions changing all the time, but we came out of it retaining the series lead ahead of Sunday. Ryan rode a strong race after taking pole position. It wasn’t an easy race in those conditions, but he kept concentrating and crossed the line second, so huge congratulations to him for his podium. Kyle limited the damage done in the Championship with a brilliant fourth, which sets up the fight tomorrow. I know everyone will give it their all to become British Champions.”

Kyle Ryde and OMG Yamaha are crowned 2024 British Superbike Champions

OMG GRILLA Yamaha and Kyle Ryde etched their name into the history books today, becoming 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Champions in a nail-biting, action-packed finale at Brands Hatch for the first time since Bradley Ray’s triumph in 2022.

Youth’s Championship-reign went down to the wire in a final lap thriller against Championship rival Tommy Bridewell, with the Yamaha rider coming out on top in the final 20-lap battle.

After splashing his way to fourth in a wet opening encounter on Saturday, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha rider knew that every point mattered, and set out with one objective on Sunday, becoming Bennetts BSB Champion.

Launching from Seventh for the 12 lap sprint, the Jacksdale rider got straight in the mix, blasting to fourth in the opening few corners. Picking his way through the pack, the #77 rider quickly found himself in second, on the back of rival Tommy Bridewell before a titanic battle began.

With the pair trading places corner after corner, Bridewell emerged onto the final lap ahead, with Ryde not giving up just behind. Looking every which way to get by the Yamaha rider was forced to settle for second, crossing the line just 0.257 seconds behind the race winner.

Four points behind going into the final race of the season, there was one clear objective for the Nottinghamshire rider, and that was to win the race.

Making another blistering start to the final race of the year from the middle of the front row, Ryde maintained his position on the run into Paddock Hill bend, before being shuffled back to third amongst the opening lap scrap.

Keeping his cool, the Yamaha rider slipped behind Glenn Irwin, who charged through at Hawthorns before doing battle ahead. With Ryde in the hot seat, “Youth” showed experience, and chose his moments to fight back through the pack.

Passing Andrew Irwin on lap seven, he then set his sights on Bridewell ahead, making his move at Dingle Dell before taking the lead two laps later. As a monstrous battle took place behind, the Yamaha man’s lead opened out to just under a second but was quickly reeled back in as he looked to save his rear tyre.

From there, a carbon copy of the sprint race took place, with the two title protagonists trading places at every opportunity. Eventually passing, and holding the lead on lap 18, Ryde put together two perfect laps to keep Bridewell at bay, despite him throwing everything at it.

But ultimately, Ryde held his nerve and crossed the line 0.296 seconds ahead of his rival, which saw him secure the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship crown by one point.

After a podium finish on Saturday, team-mate Ryan Vickers aimed for a strong finish to his time in BSB, and with the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team.

Starting his final day of race action from second, Vickers looked to get in the early fight, but struggled to maintain the electric pace the two riders ahead were setting. Able to extend a lead to the riders behind, the Thetford rider crossed the line for a second podium of the weekend, finishing the 12-lap race in third.

Getting off to a strong start to the final BSB race, the 25-year-old looked set to battle amongst the leading group, but a huge moment on the exit of Graham Hill Bend when passing Andrew Irwin left him detached from the leaders.

Working his way to third, the Yamaha rider began closing the gap to the battling duo ahead, but crossed the line for another superb podium, rounding off his weekend with three podiums aboard the Yamaha R1 machine.

Kyle Ryde’s 2024 season has seen him take nine trips to the top of the podium, and nine further finishes inside the top three, with Vickers taking seven victories and six podiums this year, seeing him round out the season in fifth overall. The OMG GRILLA Yamaha Team also ended the year on top of the CERATIZIT Team’s trophy, whilst Yamaha were crowned manufacturer’s champions.

The OMG GRILLA Yamaha team and Kyle Ryde now head to Jerez to take on their FIM Superbike World Championship wild-card in the series’ final round.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Race 2: 2nd
Race 3: 1st
Championship: 1st (487 points)
“It was a good day. Well hard fought and it was 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 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. Pace was incredible, Tommy set a new lap record [even though] it was about six degrees outside. Great day. British Superbike Champion. Not sunk in yet, but it will do.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Race 2: 3rd
Race 3: 3rd
Championship: 5th (349 points)
“2024 has been a great year for me. Unfortunately, I fell a little short of being able to challenge for the championship title, but I’m impressed with the form that the team and I had throughout the year. I’d like to say a big congratulations to Kyle and the team on securing the Championship title. It’s been great to be Kyle’s teammate this season. We’ve pushed each other to the limit at times and it’s been a great challenge to try and beat him throughout the year. Thanks to the team for all of their effort over the years, I feel lucky to have been part of the journey.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“From a team point of view, I am absolutely ecstatic. They are so dedicated to what they do here, and without them, Kyle couldn’t do what he does. Kyle has been tremendous this year, I think at Knockhill he had a turning point, he was really unwell and managed to score a couple of points which there and then he knew they were important for the Championship. From there he believed in himself as much as we have over the years and today he’s reaped the rewards, becoming Bennetts BSB champion. Ryan’s moving away from the British Championship, heading off to the World Series which has been his aim and the team and I wish him nothing but the best. He’s shown again how much of a quality rider he is this weekend with his podium finishes, and we’re very proud to have had him with us.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal
“Kyle has done what he’s done this weekend, but Championships come from a whole season. Kyle’s preparation, results and the whole effort of the team week-in-week out at the track and the workshop. Without them and all of our partners, nothing would be possible and we wouldn’t be Champions again. Ryan is leaving us, but I’m so pleased he ended on a high. Next year we have Brad coming back and a really exciting talent in Joe, so it’s going to be an exciting year. Now we’ll enjoy this moment, head to Jerez and see what we can do.”