British Superbikes, Snetterton: Ryde makes “big steps forward” in wet
Kyle Ryde had started his Saturday with a big fall in qualifying but in the wet race after the red flag he shone, making a dent into his title chase deficit with a podium at Snetterton.
Tyre choice was wet all round but it was the earlier conundrum of what tyre to use when the race originally started on a drying track that propelled riders forward, with Ryde making progress forward as one of the fastest riders on track when the race was halted for Rory Skinner, with a red flag allowing the Scottish rider to be moved.
As the tyre gamble came into play they lost their advantage from risking an intermediate for a race declared wet, something that made Ryde proud that he and the other podium finishers fought back for their placings:
“I’m not sure what tyres Lewis was on to start but me and Storm was on the same and I think obviously we deserve to be here right now, ‘cause we rode really good to stay on the first five laps and then we chipped away.
- 2024 British Superbikes: Snetterton - Qualifying Results
- 2024 British Superbikes: Snetterton - Race Results (1)
I was kind of following Storm - it was a couple of seconds in front, but I just tried to copy the speed he was doing and obviously when it got red flagged I was pretty gutted because I think we both really deserved a podium in that race - he thought he’d won with the big celebrations!”
Ryde had a meeting to forget at the last round in Knockhill, which was also wet. Riding with a stomach bug and an injury his chance to gain points despite the conditions was limited, something the OMG Grilla Yamaha rider was happy to put to bed with his race one performance:
“The wet race was very difficult - I think with the track drying out and then raining again - it was very greasy. Managed it best I could. I think the two best wet riders today finished in front of me, so I’m glad to finish just behind them ‘cause obviously at Knockhill I only managed to scrape a few points in the wet, so big steps forward”.
When pressed on the changes needed to ride to third in the wet the #77 revealed work on the bike played as big a part as his condition:
“My knee is a lot better! At Knockhill I don’t know how I managed to race on the Sunday, so I was obviously glad to manage a few points but we changed the bike yesterday in the dry and I kind of said … that it was probably going to work in the wet as well and we started off the day in the wet with in sixth, crashed in qualifying, qualified sixth and then I got a good start, then managed to figure out from these pair where to go fast and where not to and pulled a gap to fourth place”.
Third sees Ryde move in considerably in the title hunt, fifth but only one point behind Danny Kent in fourth, four points away from Christian Iddon in third and seventeen off joint leaders, Tommy Bridewell and Glenn Irwin.
