Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde launch 2024 campaign from the front row

Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde kept their cool as Bennetts British Superbike Championship action returned in Navarra today, putting their OMG GRILLA Yamaha R1s on the front row, finishing second and third respectively in the OMOLOGATO Superpole session.

After a strong few days’ testing at the Spanish circuit, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team got straight to work in the opening free practice session, which saw Vickers lead Ryde by just 0.001s, confirming their automatic qualification into Saturday afternoon’s Superpole.

With clear skies above the 2.4-mile circuit, the Yamaha squad continued to impress in free practice two, with the pair once again locking out the top two positions in the final practice and again separated by just 0.093s.

With the exciting Superpole format kicking off the 2024 season, it was all eyes on the number 77 rider who took to the track. A strong lap altogether for Ryde placed him second on the timesheets before Vickers’ flier demoted him to third, completing an all-Yamaha front row for Sunday’s opening race.

The team will return to the Navarra circuit on Sunday morning for Warm Up before two 20-lap races at 12.50 and 16.30.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
SP Position: 3rd | Time: 1:36.798
“It’s been a good day. The Superpole lap wasn’t perfect in places, but the main thing is to get round without making a big mistake or touching the green. Some riders use a delta on their dash but I don’t so I never knew whether I was ahead or behind but after the small mistake at turn six and into seven I knew where I was compared to this morning. I’m happy anyway because I know that without that mistake we could’ve challenged for pole. The hard bit is done now, the pressure was on and my heart rate was through the roof before I started, but now we’re focused on the race and starting third puts us in a strong position.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha SP Position: 2nd | Time: 1:36.648
“There’s always a bit of nerves going into Superpole as you know the risk vs reward factor is high. We’ve not done too many time attacks coming into this season so to go straight into round one with Superpole was exciting. We’ve been doing some really good lap times in testing so we knew the pace was there but I didn’t want to go out and try and find time where there wasn’t any. I rode my lap, made a few tiny mistakes and lost a few tenths here and there but overall it was a solid lap and I’m sure we can turn it into a good race result.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“We know both Kyle and Ryan are fast around here given their performances in testing, but they backed that up again today, especially in Superpole, a session where the pressure is well and truly on. It takes a lot to put everything out there for one lap, but both of my riders did just that and we got both bikes on the front row. Kyle and Ryan have a good race pace, so starting from the front won’t do us any harm!”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“Both sides of the garage performed brilliantly today, so credit to everyone involved. Kyle has been fast all week so he went in to Superpole knowing he had the pace, which can sometimes work against you, but he performed well and secured the front row which round here could be quite a key factor. Ryan has also been extremely happy on his R1 and it’s clear to see the progress his side of the garage has made over winter from what we’ve seen so far. We think both riders will be at the front in tomorrow’s races and hopefully bring the team some silverware back to base.”

Double delight for Ryan Vickers

The OMG GRILLA Yamaha team got their title charge underway in the strongest way today, as Ryan Vickers delivered two sensational victories in Spain, whilst Kyle Ryde secured two podium finishes at the Circuito de Navarra.

Ryan Vickers delivered two champion-esque rides to bag maximum points as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship got underway in Navarra. The rider from Norfolk made the most of his pre-season work to fire himself onto the front row in Superpole, which paid dividends in the first race as he burst into the lead on the run into turn one.

Vickers’ lead was short-lived though, as team-mate Kyle Ryde muscled through on lap four, but the number seven rider didn’t stop believing. A mistake at the same turn just two laps later dropped the 25-year-old into third, but the hard charger that he is, pushed on and reclaimed the runner-up spot by the midway point.

From there, Vickers’ charge to the lead became a reality, passing Ryde on lap 18 at turn one in what was the Championship’s fastest-ever recorded overtake. With two laps to go, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha duo held their ground, eventually crossing the line first and second to record the teams’ first-ever one-two finish in the series.

Starting sixth for race two, Vickers again made a blistering start flying into third behind Ryde and McAMS Racing by Mar-Train’s Danny Kent. The trio engaged in a tough fight, a fight which eventually saw Vickers come out on top by lap ten. Looking to break away from Kent, Vickers pushed on and began the last lap with a comfortable gap. Unaware of the lead he had, he continued to push on, pulling off a miraculous last-corner save to take the win by just 0.277s ahead of Danny Kent.

Kyle Ryde’s Sunday didn’t quite go as he had hoped. The Nottinghamshire rider struggled to replicate the pace he had shown in pre-season testing thanks to the much warmer temperatures across the opening weekend. Pushing till the very end, ‘Youth’ came away with two podium finishes and sits joint second in the standings, just six points adrift of his team-mate.

The OMG GRILLA Yamaha team will now make the long trip back home before returning to action at Oulton Park on the May Bank Holiday weekend, where the UK leg of the championship gets going.

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Race 1: 1^st | Race 2: 1^st | Championship: 1^st  (36 points)
“What a day! I’ve gone from having no dry wins to having two in a day. The bike felt so good in race one and we decided to keep it the same for race two, which paid off. When I was behind Danny in the first race I knew that I couldn’t let him pass Kyle first in case he got away, so I wanted to get by as quick as I could, which is what we did and managed to get the win. The second race was more of the same. Made a good start and got to the front but on the last lap my pit board said +0, so I kept pushing on the last lap and defended the last corner. I went in tighter but at the same pace and lost the front but thankfully it popped back which was the main thing. I had a few glances behind but Danny wasn’t close enough thankfully to steal the win from us. Huge thanks to the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team, as it’s a huge credit to them for giving me that little bit extra this weekend.”

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha

Race 1: 2^nd | Race 2: 3^rd | Championship: 3^rd (30 points)
“I struggled a bit more than I expected in the first race with the higher temperatures and the tyre choice we went with, but all-in-all it’s not been a bad weekend. I’ve got two trophies to take back with us and with the way the points system works, we’re not far behind Ryan. Race one was difficult because I felt like I could have crashed a few times, but race two was better and I’m happy to come away with a few trophies. Thanks to the team for all their hard work and we’ll go again at Oulton.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“Well, what can I say? It’s been a fantastic day for the team with both riders on the podium. Ryan became the first rider to win a BSB race in Spain, his first dry-weather win too, set the record for the fastest-ever overtake, led the team to their first-ever one-two finish, and achieved the double. I couldn’t have asked for more than that! Kyle had a really strong weekend. He’s been extremely fast in every session and backed that up today with two huge podiums, even when the feeling from the front tyre wasn’t quite as he expected. He goes to Oulton Park six points behind Ryan, and we know both will be fast there too.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“Ryan was superb today at Navarra, he showed great character to go out and ride the two races that he did and that’s a huge credit to not just him and his team, but everyone involved who has helped develop and get our R1s to where they are now. Kyle had a few issues brought on by the warmer temperatures which just kept him from his true potential, but to come away with two podiums is far from a bad result. We’ll be driving back to England very happy and already looking forward to Oulton Park!”