Brands BSB: Supersport sprint race win for Perie

Bradley Perie won the Quattro British Supersport Sprint race at Brands Hatch on Saturday afternoon, the Appleyard Macadam Yamaha rider dominating proceedings as he came home at the end of the 12 laps 4.9s ahead of Richard Cooper (BPE by Russell Racing Yamaha) and Rhys Irwin (Astro-JJR Triumph).

Perie grabbed the lead going into Paddock Hill Bend, from his pole position starting slot, and he completed the opening lap three quarters of a second ahead of Irwin, Jamie van Sikkelerus (MPM Routz Racing Yamaha), Damon Rees (Ashcourt Racing Yamaha), Cooper and Lee Johnston on the second Ashcourt machine. Next time around and Perie had almost doubled his advantage as Cooper relegated Rees to fifth with the Kiwi also coming under pressure from his teammate Johnston. By lap three, Perie’s lead was up to 1.5s but the battle for second was hotting up with five riders now disputing the position. Further back, Luke Stapleford was running in seventh from Harry Truelove, Tom Booth-Amos and Eugene McManus with Jack Scott, the leading GP2 rider once more, right in their wheel tracks. By lap five, Cooper was up into third with Johnston fourth as van Sikkelerus slipped back to fifth but there was only one second covering the five-rider battle for second. That soon became six riders as Truelove bridged the gap but Perie, meanwhile, was even further up the road, his lead now up to 2.6s. Cooper moved up to second on lap seven and Johnston soon followed him past Irwin but there was disaster for Truelove as he crashed heavily at Clearways. Perie continued to stretch his advantage, 4.5s with three laps to go, but second place was still anyone’s, the order Cooper, Johnston, Irwin, van Sikkelerus and Rees. Johnston took over second at the start of