2024 British Superbikes: Cadwell Park - Qualifying Results

A neat lap in unfavourable conditions saw Jason O’Halloran pick up his first pole of the season at the eighth round of the championship, held at Cadwell Park.

Qualifying on a Sunday over the bank holiday weekend, it was Jason O’Halloran who ended the session on top with a best of 1m 25.916s - the first sub 1m 26s lap of the weekend as championship leader Tommy Bridewell and form rider Ryan Vickers both crashed out of contention.

The Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki rider is still wrestling with the finger injuries picked up at the last round after being thrown from his bike at Thruxton.
 

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Unsure of his participation if wet, the Australian was fighting on with his fingers still splinted, unable to remove his glove when exiting the bike, but was feeling confident after practice.

Qualifying was revised  rom Superpole to the wet procedure, which saw all the riders in the session out on track together.

A steady start to Q2 saw the #22 up to fourth, moving into pole position just before the chequered flag for his first pole of the year and a first with Kawasaki since moving to the manufacturer for 2024.

Second went to Kyle Ryde, who saw improvements in FP2 after advice from OMG Grilla teammate Vickers, at the time riding high and provisionally flying.

Able to cut his time, a measured neater final run elevated the Yamaha rider to what was then pole, later bested by O’Halloran, but just 0.138s slower.

The final front row slot for race one went to Charlie Nesbitt, his first time there since joining BSB. The MasterMac Honda rider was comfortably fourth early in the session after a sold banker lap, improving to third after dropping to seventh in the closing stages.

That saw teammate and early session leader Lee Jackson drop to fourth.

Hagar Ducati’s Glenn Irwin kept his momentum going to recover a hard start to the weekend by finishing Q2 fifth, with fellow Q1 graduate Leon Haslam only just behind in sixth for his ROKiT Haslam Racing team.

Danny Buchan was a much improved seventh for DAO Racing Kawasaki, with Josh Brookes the best of the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad riders in eighth, after a frustrated Peter Hickman failed to make it out of Q1, angry and waving his hands at the traffic on track.

McAMS Racing Yamaha rider Danny Kent found enough improvements to his pace to complete the top ten at a round where he didn’t feature at last year when his team folded.

Christian Iddon illustrated there may still be issues with the Ducati as he was over a second off the pace in eleventh for the Oxford Products team. Iddon had earlier impressed in the rain, and went faster twice at the end of FP2 to move up to eighth overnight and ensure his direct move to Q2, pushing Haslam into Q1.

Vickers and Bridewell crash out of Q2

Ryan Vickers had topped the dry-to-wet second practice, which decided the riders straight to Q2, setting what had then been the fastest lap of the weekend.

The OMG Grilla Yamaha rider had also been fastest in the test at the track on Friday, building on his treble back at Brands Hatch, followed by two wins at Thruxton.

His intent was shown when back out on track the #7 topped FP3, the first dry session since the test before the race weekend.

Qualifying saw a rapid change in fortunes as Vickers was almost immediately out of action - a huge fall at turn seven, the Gooseneck, seeing him last in the session with no time set. He was given a lift back to pitlane by Ryde.

Championship leader Tommy Bridewell also had session to forget. Almost immediately after Vickers had been shown sliding off track it was the #1 bike’s turn to hit the deck, flying off at turn one, at Mansfield, near the bottom of the hill.

A heavy fall for Andrew Irwin in FP3 right before qualifying saw him miss the session, he has also been ruled out of race one later on Sunday. Danny Kent was the rider Irwin had been trying to avoid ahead on track, so for his part in the fall he was handed a three place grid penalty for 'riding in a manner not compatible with general safety'.

Official British Superbike Cadwell Park Records:

Lap record: Bradley Ray (Yamaha, 2022) 1m 25.858s

Cadwell Park in 2023:

Round Eight
Qualifying (superpole): 
1: Ryan Vickers
2: Leon Haslam
3:  Glenn Irwin

Race 1 (Sprint):
1:  Glenn Irwin
2: Kyle Ryde
3: Ryan Vickers

Race 2:
1: Glenn Irwin
2: Kyle Ryde
3: Jason O’Halloran

Race 3:
1: Tommy Bridewell
2: Glenn Irwin
3: Leon Haslam

Q1- Irwin just makes the cut

Q1 was awash with talent with several riders that are no stranger to Q2 needing to find a way forward, notably Glenn Irwin.

The one time championship leader, and last years title runner-up started the session in the worst way possible, running straight on through the grass, re-joining and heading straight to the pits.

Already spitting , the rain flags came out while Irwin had not set a time, with further panic in the PBM garage when Haslam went top in tricky conditions, with a rain sprinkled visor.

Returning the the track the #2 recovered to move through to Q2, in the last of the progression slots.

Billy McConnell went though with the top time, with Haslam also ahead for a shot at pole.

Peter Hickman set the fastest last sector but it was not enough, the FHO Racing BMW rider will fill 16th on the grid after finishing Q1 fourth.

Alex Olsen was the best of the Pathway riders for Cumins by Team IWR Honda, so will be 20th on the grid, just ahead of the Aprilia of Lewis Rollo in 21st.

There are several personnel changes as the season nears the showdown and injury woes continue.

Richard Kerr (24th) returns at Cheshire Mouldings BMW, having already deputised for Rory Skinner earlier in the season. The Scottish rider had tried to mount a comeback at Thruxton but return too soon and withdrew from the weekend. The Irish rider needed to be passed fit before FP3 but went on to finish

Bradley Perie makes a BSB return to allow more recovery time for Tom Neave at Stauff Fluid Power Kawasaki, and came close to moving out of Q1 after topping the session twice, finishing fifth for 17th on the grid.

Over at Rapid Honda, Tom Ward (19th)- currently in the National Superstock Championship - does the same job for Franco Bourne, who is in the paddock but not race ready.