Brands BSB: ‘Frustrated’ Ray ‘continuing the fight’

Having led the Bennetts British Superbike Championship since the opening round, Bradley Ray finally relinquished that position at the weekend after taking three fourth places finishes at Brands Hatch.

It was the first time he’s failed to finish on the podium at least once this year but he was never far off the podium although he admitted the two McAMS Yamahas of Jason O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie had the edge. The off-track wranglings between Rich Energy CEO William Storey and OMG Racing which broke prior to the event must have been a distraction for Ray and team-mate Kyle Ryde but they weren’t used as any form of excuse and the 39 points was still a hefty haul from the three races, with his Showdown position almost certainly secured. “We made a good step for the final race to be fair and the pace was a bit slower at the start of the race than what I was expecting,” the Kent rider said. “The McAMS boys were able to get by Glenn (Irwin) quite easily and just pulled the pin. “For me, it was impossible to get by him and I couldn’t get good enough drive to make the pass and his bike is so, so fast. I was almost a sitting duck really but I did the best job I could and I feel this weekend that I’ve ridden as hard as I have all year. “To come away with three fourths is a little bit frustrating but it’s points on the board and points to help secure our Showdown position that little bit more. Obviously at the minute podium credits are the main thing for me but we just need to find out what those boys have got right now. It’s a bit of a strange one but we’ll keep on working, keep our chin up and continue to take the fight to them the best we can.”