OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Ryan Vickers has secured his place in Saturday’s Qualifying 2 session, finishing the opening day of Bennetts British Superbike Championship action at Brands Hatch third fastest. Team-mate Kyle Ryde faced a few challenges in Friday’s second session, ending the day in 13^th position respectively.

Following the deluge of rain at Knockhill and Snetterton, it was a scorching opening day of action, as Round 6 of the Bennetts BSB championship roared into life at Brands Hatch.

Eager to get his weekend underway, Ryan Vickers made a bright start, posting the fastest time in the early stages of the opening session. Following a few changes to his R1 machine, Vickers ventured back out on track, further improving his time to a 1:26.561, ending the first 40 minutes on top.

With a strong pace, the second session gave the number 7 side of the garage the chance to experiment with the R1, making unprecedented changes to his machine and experimenting in the 30-degree heat. Feeling confident after his first run, which once again left him on top of the standings, another big change to the rear of his Yamaha, allowing the Thetford rider to break into the 1:25 barrier, ending the day third overall and through to Saturday’s Q2 session.

On the other side of the garage, Kyle Ryde endured a tough day in the office. Making a promising start in the slightly cooler Practice 1, the Nottinghamshire rider faced a challenge in the second session, as track temperatures soared to 42.5c. Despite sitting inside the all-important top 12 for most of the session, ‘Youth’ pushed on, but was unable to find the feeling with the front tyre to improve his time, forcing him to narrowly miss out on a Q2 position.

The action resumes on Saturday from 10:30 for Practice 3 and qualifying, before the first of two full-length, 20-lap races at 16:15.

Ryan Vickers
Practice: 3^rd (1:25.997)
“I’m really happy with today at Brands Hatch. I’m feeling really strong on the bike and used Practice 2 as an opportunity to try something new. It wasn’t the best bike we could have, but there certainly were positives which we can take to the bike we had in Practice 1 which will put us in a strong place come tomorrow’s first race.

Kyle Ryde
Practice: 13^th (1:26.509)
“P13 isn’t ideal, but I felt like I was riding the bike as best as I could. I’m not that far off but there are a few places I’m struggling at compared to last year in these warmer temperatures. We know where they are and where to improve which is a positive to take into this evening to make the changes for tomorrow. If anything, we’re lucky to be where I am as we get an extra session to evaluate things and head into the first race as strong as we can be.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“It’s been a strong start to the weekend for Ryan, who topped the opening practice and put in a really strong lap time to finish third in the second session. He’s feeling good already, which is a real positive. On Kyle’s side, they had a bit of a struggle when the temperature came up, but he’s still looking good. He really isn’t far off and when the temperatures come back down as forecasted, it should play back into his hands.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“Ryan was really fast out there today, and that showed across both sessions. It gave his side of the garage the chance to experiment a little bit with their set-up and try things they haven’t done before, which resulted in some positives and some negatives as you’d expect. They have a really clear direction for tomorrow and Sunday’s races and will work to improve that further tomorrow morning. For Kyle, he rode well compared to Practice 2 last year, but he’s just lacking a little bit of feeling from the front tyre in the heat we’ve had today at Brands Hatch. He’s not far from the top and will have an extra session tomorrow to fine-tune his R1 in what looks to be slightly cooler temperatures.”

Ryan Vickers returned to the top of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship podium today, as he took his OMG GRILLA Yamaha R1 to a dominant pole-to-flag victory at Brands Hatch. Team-mate Kyle Ryde pushed through a few small issues to secure a solid top six.

After a promising Friday, Vickers returned to the 2.4-mile venue with a point to prove, as he began his quest to get back to winning ways and become the 2024 King of Brands, a quest that was put on halt for Saturday’s Practice 3 session due to a small technical issue. Returning to the track for Qualifying 2, Vickers laid down an early gauntlet, holding provisional pole in the early stages. A mesmerising 1:25.061 confirmed back-to-back pole positions after storming to the top spot in Snetterton a round prior.

Launching from pole, the Number 7 rider held the lead into Paddock Hill bend and instantly found his groove. A crash for Danny Kent behind left the 25-year-old clear at the front of the pack and continued to extend his lead lap-by-lap. The only rider to consistently lap in the mid 1:25’s up until lap 18, and with a comfortable nine-second lead, he brought his Yamaha R1 home 7.334 seconds clear of the field, marking his first victory since Navarra at the start of the season.

On the other side of the OMG GRILLA Yamaha garage, Kyle Ryde had his work cut out in Saturday’s morning sessions. However, as normal, the Nottinghamshire rider delivered, topping Qualifying 1 and progressing through to the second session. Having to use the same set of tyres, he secured a third-row start in eighth.

Enduring a tricky start which saw him drop to 12^th on lap one, Ryde began his charge forward, working his way back up to eighth in the early stages. Kent’s crash promoted ‘Youth’ up to seventh before a last-lap pass on Leon Haslam confirmed a strong top six for the Number 77 rider.

The duo returns to track action on Sunday for two more races, with Vickers starting the 12-lap Sprint Race from pole and Ryde 10^th.

Ryan Vickers
Qualifying: 1st (1:25.061) | Race 1: 1st
“A good day! It was nice to start it with a pole this morning. The team have worked hard to give me my bike back and I feel really good on it. I knew I had to go hard from the start, but I didn’t think it would happen. I managed to break away and set some really strong lap times. I saw I had 8.5 seconds in my pocket and slowed it up a bit for the last lap, enjoyed the moment and took the win. Roll on tomorrow.”

Kyle Ryde
Qualifying 8th (1:25.468) | Race 1: 6th
“It was a good day all-in-all. We made progress with the bike, not enough to fight for the podium but we weren’t too far there. I’m proud of myself for digging in deep and taking a top six. It’s clear Ryan has a bit more, but I think if we can improve a few more areas we can get closer tomorrow and bring some trophies home.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“Well, there are very few words to describe Ryan’s today, it was simply superb. To win a BSB race from pole position in that fashion is incredible and he made it look easy! The work his side of the garage has put in shone through today and we’re all delighted to see him back on the top step. Kyle had to work hard this morning to make it through to Qualifying 2, which he did superbly. His side of the garage have worked hard to try and improve the feeling he has with the front tyre, and he managed to put together a strong race to take important points with a sixth-place finish.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“We’re over the moon with Ryan’s win today, and what a way to do it! He secured a brilliant pole position in Qualifying and didn’t look back from there. He held the lead into Turn 1 and from there just extended his lead whilst posting some incredible lap times. We’re so happy to see him back on the top step. For Kyle, he rode a strong race and managed to work his way through to sixth. We know it isn’t where he wants to be, but it’s strong points for the Championship and valuable data for tomorrow’s two races.”

The OMG GRILLA Yamaha team celebrated a brace of double podium finishes today, as Ryan Vickers completed his mission of becoming the King of Brands, taking two more stunning victories at Brands Hatch. Team-mate Kyle Ryde bounced back from his sixth-place finish on Saturday to secure two podium places.

Ryan Vickers put his name in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship history books this weekend, as he stormed his way to three sensational victories on his way to becoming the ‘King of Brands’.

The Saturday Race 1 winner made a strong start to the opening race of the day, launching well from his pole position grid slot. Holding the lead into Turn 1, Vickers immediately got into his groove and looked to extend his advantage as soon as possible in the shorter 12-lap race. However, an incident on the opening lap brought out the Safety Car, meaning his charge had to wait.

Getting back underway, the Thetford rider began to battle with Tommy Bridewell and Christian Iddon, dropping behind the duo before a sensational double pass into Hawthorn’s bend gifted him the lead back.  With a clear track ahead, the Yamaha rider continued his charge until a Red Flag, as a result of an accident for Luke Hedger brought the race to a temporary halt. Another strong launch from pole saw Vickers escape once again, not looking back until he crossed the line to take a second win of the weekend.

It was more of the same in Sunday’s final race too. Another holeshot into Paddock Hill bend left the group behind chasing the number 7 rider. Opening his lead lap-by-lap, he crossed the line to take another dominant victory, completing the hat-trick in Kent.

After a tougher Saturday, Kyle Ryde’s side of the garage worked hard to transform his R1, and despite a damp morning Warm Up, it was clear the changes worked. Starting the shorter race from 10^th, Ryde knew he had to get his elbows out, managing to work his way up to sixth by lap five before moving ahead of Andrew Irwin for fifth before the Red Flag. Starting in the middle of the second row for the 5-lap restart, the Yamaha rider muscled his way up to the podium positions on lap one, and held his place till the chequered flag, marking the teams’ first double podium since Navarra in April.

Starting the final 20-lap effort from second, Ryde again made a strong start, putting himself in podium contention from the start. Having to pass (Andrew) Irwin on lap four, he began to set after his team-mate but quickly came under fire from Christian Iddon behind. With the pair trading places, Ryde began his final lap on the back of the Ducati rider, but couldn’t work his way through, securing a second podium finish of the day.

Vickers’ dominant treble sees him leap up to sixth in the standings, 71 points adrift of the head of the table. Kyle Ryde’s haul of 38 points sees him cut the gap to the top to just 32 points.

The team will enjoy a short break before heading to the fastest circuit on the calendar, as Thruxton hosts Round 7 of the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

Ryan Vickers
Race 2: 1st | Race 3: 1st
Championship: 6th (146 points)
“It’s been a fantastic weekend at Brands Hatch! Started the weekend strong on Friday, winning on Saturday and then winning two races on Sunday. There are not many riders who’ve done the treble here, so it’s nice to be included in that list! Thank you to the team, because they gave me an amazing bike this weekend. I’m going home a very happy guy!”

Kyle Ryde
Race 2: 3rd | Race 3: 3rd
Championship: 4th (185 points)
“A great Sunday! After Friday I’d have taken one podium, never mind two. We took a gamble with the setting and it paid off today. I would’ve liked second, but third is not bad at all. We’ve got loads of data for October, and a weapon in our arsenal for the next few rounds. Thanks to the team and all the fans who came to cheer us on this weekend.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“What a weekend! Ryan was simply unstoppable across the three races and he showed that with three incredible wins. It’s been said over the weekend, but his side of the garage really took another step and was able to get the feeling of his R1 back to how it was in Navarra, and when Ryan’s at one with his Yamaha, this is what he does. Kyle also rode fantastically today. He had a lot of pressure from his rivals over the races but managed to put together two solid rides to take two well-earned podiums. Both riders have made inroads in the standings, which sets us up for another full attack at Thruxton. I’m absolutely delighted with the pair of them, and everyone who makes it happen, so thank you to them.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“It’s been a fantastic weekend for us at Brands Hatch. Ryan’s treble was incredible to watch, and what a way to do it than three dominant rides. Luck hasn’t been on his side recently, so it’s great to see him, his crew and his Yamaha back to how they started the season. The same can be said about Kyle and his team. He had a strong race yesterday and backed it up with two even better rides today. They got themselves back in the podium fight and Kyle did the job on the track, and just missed out on second in both races. The next round has been a happy hunting ground for the Yamaha R1, and we now carry a lot of confidence with both bikes to keep that trend going at Thruxton.”