2024 British Superbikes: Thruxton - Race Results (3)

Launching from pole, Ryan Vickers did not have the early stages of the third and final race at Thruxton go his way, but he bounced back, surviving what looked like a certain fall on the last lap to double up on Sunday.

The OMG Grilla rider was quickly dropped back to sixth on the opening laps, which saw Tommy Bridewell leading comfortably from his own front row start.

Tyre management was to be key at a hot Sticky Thruxton, with Vickers slowly working forward again, managing his wheels over the twenty lap distance.

Back nearing the front, it was Billy McConnell leading the way with Vickers sat in second, with the Yamaha rider making his move for the lead stick to start lap six.

Always under pressure, the #7 looked comfortable out front, with the pressure behind changing hands - Danny Kent push forward to sit in second from lap sixteen with a smooth pass through the Club Chicane at the end of the previous lap.

• 2024 British Superbikes: Thruxton - Race Results (1)
• 2024 British Superbikes: Thruxton - Race Results (2)

Vickers was lucky to have a gap behind when on the final corners of the final lap, echoing his finish in the final lap of the final race in Navarra, the bike was wide and off line in the rush to the line with Vickers pulling off a fine save to lead over the line by just 0.150s.

That gave a glimmer of hope to Kent, who is still to record a BSB win but it was not to be, with the McAMS Yamaha rider still seeing improvements in every race in terms of position after his DNF in the first race following contact with Andrew Irwin, with the former Moto3 champion second again to Vickers as he held on again as he did in Spain.

McConnell fell back from the duo but was still a clear third for the privateer style C&L Fairburn/Look Forward Racing Honda team, his best result since returning to the BSB paddock.

Kyle Ryde starred ninth and got as high as third before a late battle with Charlie Nesbitt saw him able to claim fourth by a fine margin at the line on the second OMG Grilla Yamaha.

That left local rider Nesbitt fifth for MasterMac Honda, but able to show more of the pace and ability that made him a triple podium finisher last season at the Hampshire track.

Tommy Bridewell’s strange stop, which saw McConnell go into the back of his bike and evasive measure needed for the rest coming into his path was momentary, but dropped the championship leader to eleventh.

Once he regrouped the Honda UK rider was able to push back to sixth getting the better of Lee Jackson as the pair battled to the line while finding the limits of the track while doing so - both were handed track limits warning s as they fought on.

The #1 bike was able to pull a gap over Jackson on the final lap, with Jackson having his own clear track over Josh Brookes, who was continuing his improved weekend with an eighth placed finish for FHO Racing BMW Motorrad.

Andrew Irwin continued to better his results after his fall in race one, with a hard earned ninth, just behind the Australian.

Leon Haslam gambled on a hard front tyre in fourth on the grid, but was too far back to make the most of it over the final laps, rising to a top ten finish for ROKiT Haslam Racing, moving his BMW up after almost dropping out of the points places.

Pathway rider Lewis Rollo was in podium contention to the middle of the race, where he began to fade, finishing just behind Haslam in eleventh on the Aprilia in a close run to the line.

Peter Hickman brought the second FHO bike home in twelfth, ahead of Christian Iddon, who saw his ill suited Ducati continue to struggle at Thruxton in 13th.

Glenn Irwin was allotted the last spot on the grid after his fall at the start of race two, which lead to a red flag situation. Fighting through the pack the PBM Ducati rider ended up fighting with Storm Stacey for the final points on the last lap with the Kawasaki finishing ahead, placing the Northern Irish rider 15th.

Official British Superbike Brands Hatch Records:

Lap Record: Josh Brookes (Ducati, 2019) 1m 14.655s

Thruxton in 2023:

Round 7
Qualifying:
1: Jason O’Halloran
2: Ryan Vickers
3: Kyle Ryde

Race 1 (Sprint):
1: Jason O’Halloran
2: Charlie Nesbitt
3: Ryan Vickers

Race 2:
1: Jason O’Halloran
2:  Lee Jackson
3: Charlie Nesbitt

Race 3:
1: Jason O’Halloran
2: Lee Jackson
3: Charlie Nesbitt

Crashes, Injuries and Replacements

Max Cook followed up his first podium with an early return to the pits with a mechanical issue.

Dean Harrison spent the weekend in the Supersport class, while Jaimie van Sikkelerus was withdrawn before the weekend with injury.

Rory Skinner pulled out after qualifying to continue his recovery ahead of the next round at Cadwell Park.

Jason O’Halloran was also withdrawn awaiting surgery on the tendon damage to his hand after his warm-up crash, while Franco Bourne was also out after his crash on the restart, transferred to hospital for some precautionary extra scans.

Fraser Rogers was also absent when the grid was formed for the final race.

Championship Standings

Tommy Bridewell increases his lead ahead of the next round at Cadwell Park, arriving with a 19 point advantage he leaves with a 25 point gap over nearest rival - with Kyle Ryde on 223 to the #1 riders 248.

Iddon stays third after a tough round for Ducati on 213, with Glenn Irwin picking up what could be a vital point after 2023’s winning margin, now fourth on 201.

Vickers nears in on last season’s runner-up after his second win of the meeting, now with 198 points, while a podium helps Danny Kent leave in touch on 178 - seventy points behind Bridewell.