Danny Kent takes first win on 100th BSB start - “it feels amazing!”

Danny Kent had been second four times this season and enjoyed a string of third and a run of fourth places, but his 100th time lining up on the BSB grid, for race one of the last round of the Showdown, finally brought him a long coveted win.

Kent had not been on the top step of any championship for nine years, since his Moto3 title winning year, and was feeling great to have arrived:

“It feels amazing, you know, I’ve waited all year to get this first win. Firstly, I just want to say my thank you to McAMS racing, everyone involved for giving me this opportunity - you know without those guys I wouldn’t have been able to get today’s win".

• 2024 British Superbikes: Brands Hatch (Showdown Finale) - Race Results (1)
• 2024 British Superbikes: Brands Hatch (Showdown Finale) - Qualifying Results

The race itself was hard for all with red flags in qualifying and the support races as the weather played it’s part in the title deciding finale. Kent started eighth and wasted no time hitting the front, vying for second behind Ryan Vickers with early contender Lewis Rollo.

Kent took over the lead at the start of lap nine, just before the halfway mark in the twenty lap race, and admitted it felt like a long time to hold on out front:

“It felt like a really long race in those conditions, and I felt really good on the bike, the team gave me a mega bike. Then towards the end I saw on my pitboard that Ryan started to catch me a little bit and I was thinking “oh no” ‘cause I felt my rear tyre dropping off and then I just thought, come on - I’m in the best position to get my first win, I knuckle down for a few laps and then I saw my pitboard - that it got back over a second.

Kent was clearly elated with his first win in the championship, which he hopes will motivate him through the winter before his return with the McAMS Yamaha team next year - the #52 was the first rider to announce his 2025 plans to stay with the Mar-Train crew:

“Over the moon to get my first BSB win, would have been a long old winter, you know- seven months off - without having a win, especially when since round one we’ve been saying that I’ve had the pace to have one, so over the moon - you know, I’m really over the moon for the team too”.

With the points increased for the for the final round, now at 35 for a win, Kent looks assured of fourth for 2024, but a fall for Glenn Irwin opens up a slim chance to finish in the overall top three if things go his way again on Sunday:

"Got my first win - 35 points - you know, and unfortunately for Glenn he had the crash and I think it’s down to 27 points now, so, again, 27 points in two races is a big ask, but it’s not over ‘til it’s over”.