Donington BSB: Ryde overhauls O’Halloran for race one win

Kyle Ryde won the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Donington Park on Saturday afternoon, the RICH Energy OMG Yamaha rider just getting the better of McAMS counterpart Jason O’Halloran after a thrilling final lap.

Ryde’s teammate Bradley Ray got the jump off the line but Rory Skinner (FS-3 Kawasaki) rode around the outside of everyone at Redgate to take the lead and crossed the line ahead of O’Halloran, Ray, Ryde, Lee Jackson on the second FS-3 and MCE Ducati’s Tom Sykes. Second time around and O’Halloran hit the front and there was further change on lap three with Ray pushing Skinner back to third. His Kawasaki teammate Jackson was right in his wheel tracks with Ryde now fifth and Honda’s Glenn Irwin up to sixth ahead of Sykes. Ryan Vickers was out though having crashed the FHO BMW at the chicane. At the beginning of lap six, Ray nipped up the inside of O’Halloran at Redgate to take the lead and Ryde did similar to the two Kawasakis going from fifth to third in one fell swoop. Irwin and Peter Hickman (FHO BMW) were going with them with 1.5s covering the top seven. Ryde moved by O’Halloran on lap seven to make it a RICH Energy one-two but Leon Haslam was out, pulling in to retire on the VisionTrack Kawasaki. A lap later and it was Ryde’s turn to lead, getting the better of Ray going into the chicane. Jackson was also on the move and got past O’Halloran on lap nine with the two going side by side all the way through the Craner Curves and into the Old Hairpin. Jackson ran wide on the exit and it not only let O’Halloran past but also Irwin. All the battling meant Ryde and Ray were now almost 1.5s clear although the fastest lap of the race, 1’05.933s, by O’Halloran showed how hard he was