2024 British Superbikes: Oulton Park (Showdown) - Qualifying Results
Results from qualifying at the ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, returning to Oulton Park to begin the Showdown, where Kyle Ryde left it late to claim pole.
It was all change as the chequered flag waved as Kyle Ryde snapped up a late pole position at the ninth round of the championship, as BSB made it’s return to Oulton Park to get the Showdown portion of the season underway.
Tommy Bridewell had been sitting at the top of the timesheets and feeling he had done all he could, was off his bike and debriefing in his pit box with two minutes remaining.
Almost as he sat down, Josh Brookes had popped up at the top of the timesheets, but the late changes were not over.
Sitting fourth, Ryde was out for a final run on his OMG Grilla Yamaha and had Danny Kent in the distance to use as a marker after several slow laps in traffic.
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| British Superbikes Round Nine - Oulton Park (Showdown) - Qualifying | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
| 1 | Kyle Ryde | GBR | OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing (Yamaha) | 1m 33.715s |
| 2 | Josh Brookes | AUS | FHO Racing BMW Motorrad(BMW) | +0.040s |
| 3 | Tommy Bridewell | GBR | Honda Racing UK (Honda) | +0.055s |
| 4 | Charlie Nesbitt | GBR | MasterMac Honda (Honda) | +0.072s |
| 5 | Glenn Irwin | GBR | Hager PBM (Ducati) | +0.298s |
| 6 | Lee Jackson | GBR | MasterMac Honda (Honda) | +0.350s |
| 7 | Ryan Vickers | GBR | OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing (Yamaha) | +0.416s |
| 8 | Leon Haslam | GBR | ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad(BMW) | +0.432s |
| 9 | Danny Kent | GBR | McAMSRacing (Yamaha) | +0.539s |
| 10 | Christian Iddon | GBR | Oxford Products Racing (Ducati) | +0.631s |
| 11 | Jason O'Halloran | AUS | Completely Motorbikes (Kawasaki) | +0.659s |
| 12 | Danny Buchan | GBR | DAO Racing (Kawasaki) | +0.696s |
| 13 | Max Cook | GBR | Completely Motorbike(Kawasaki) | +0.758s |
| 14 | Peter Hickman | GBR | FHO Racing BMW Motorrad(BMW) | +0.975s |
| 15 | Storm Stacey | GBR | LKQ Euro Car Parts (Kawasaki) | +1.520s |
| Q1 | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
| 16 | Rory Skinner | GBR | Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad (BMW) | 1m 34.917s |
| 17 | Fraser Rogers | GBR | TAG Racing (Honda) | 1m 34.971s |
| 18 | Andrew Irwin | GBR | Honda Racing UK (Honda) | 1m 35.026s |
| 19 | Luke Hedger | GBR | Whitecliffe CDH Racing(Kawasaki) | 1m 35.839s |
| 20 | Richard Kerr | IRL | Team IWR Honda (Honda) | 1m 35.963s |
| 21 | Brayden Elliott | AUS | DAO Racing(Kawasaki) | 1m 35.964s |
| 22 | Billy McConnell | AUS | C&L Fairburn/ Look Forward Racing (Honda) | 1m 36.035s |
| 23 | Bradley Perie | GBR | STAUFF Fluid Power (Kawasaki) | 1m 36.583s |
| 24 | Louis Valleley | GBR | NP Racing (Kawasaki) | 1m 37.871s |
| 25 | Lewis Rollo | GBR | IN Competition/SENCAT(Aprilia) | No Time |
| 26 | Franco Bourne | GBR | Rapid Honda (Honda) | DNS |
As the flag came out, Ryde crossed the line and took a very late pole with a lap of 1m 33.715s.
Brookes had looked back to his best on Friday finishing the day second for FHO Racing. The BMW Motorrad rider held on to second on the grid, just 0.040s behind after a huge final sector, crediting his team for getting him in the running on the opening day instead of having to play catch-up with the turnaround.
Championship leader Bridewell, by contrast, got off to a slow start on Friday, finishing the day twelfth and only just making the cut to go directly into Q2. FP3 gave the chance to show improvements had been found, finishing second, which gave the promise of a strong qualifying.
That looked likely to be pole before the late drama, leaving the Honda UK rider third.
Glenn Irwin was sat in second when he stopped on track late in the session with an issue on his Hager Ducati.
The PBM rider attempted to restart, but oil by the tyre saw flames spray out of the side of his bike, leaving the Northern Irish rider out of action as he dropped to fourth.
Arriving on fine form after topping both Friday sessions, Charlie Nesbitt was looking to build on a strong performance at the last round at Cadwell Park, which saw him pick up a front row start, a podium finish and two fourth places.
The MasterMac Honda rider then topped the morning FP3 session right before qualifying, but was pushed back in an incredibly close Q2, just 0.298s off the pole lap in fifth.
The whole team brought the Cadwell run of form to Oulton Park, with teammate Lee Jackson just behind in sixth.
Ryan Vickers was seventh quickest on the second OMG Grilla Yamaha, with eighth placed Leon Haslam also within half a second of pole for his ROKiT Haslam BMW Motorrad team.
McAMS rider Kent was ninth quickest, with Christian Iddon completing the top ten in the session for Oxford Products Ducati.
Jason O’Halloran was the best of the Q1 graduates in eleventh for Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki.
Official British Superbike Oulton Park Records:
Lap record: Bradley Ray (Yamaha, 2022) 1m 33.626s
Oulton Park in 2023:
Lap record: Bradley Ray (Yamaha, 2022) 1m 33.620s
Oulton Park in 2023
Round 2
Qualifying:
1: Josh Brookes
2: Leon Haslam
3: Storm Stacey
Race 1:
1: Josh Brookes
2: Leon Haslam
3: Glenn Irwin
Race 2:
1: Tommy Bridewell
2: Glenn Irwin
3: Leon Haslam
Race 3:
1: Glenn Irwin
2: Leon Haslam
3:Kyle Ryde
Round 9 (Showdown)
Qualifying:
1: Tommy Bridewell
2: Glenn Irwin
3: Kyle Ryde
Race 1:
1: Glenn Irwin
2: Lee Jackson
3: Leon Haslam
Race 2:
1: Glenn Irwin
2: Lee Jackson
3: Kyle Ryde
Race 3:
1: Tommy Bridewell
2: Glenn Irwin
3: Lee Jackson
Main Season 2024:
Qualifying:
1: Kyle Ryde
2: Glenn Irwin
3: Ryan Vickers
Race 1:
1: Glenn Irwin
2: Christian Iddon
3: Kyle Ryde
Race 2:
1: Glenn Irwin
2: Tommy Bridewell
3: Christian Iddon
Race 3:
1: Glenn Irwin
2: Christian Iddon
3: Ryan Vickers
Q1- O’Halloran safely through as Cook and Stacey make late lunge for progression
Jason O’Halloran had sat at the top of the timesheets in the first session, and was comfortable enough to be sat in the pits, with fellow provisional place fillers Rory Skinner and Fraser Rogers.
Their confidence was misplaced as a late run from Max Cook (13th) saw him into second, followed on track by Storm Stacey (15th) who moved into third. Stacey tried the same tactic in Q2, but was shut down each time by Cook.
That left Skinner as the first rider to miss out, so he will fill 16th on the grid, with Rogers, who is still recovering from his double leg break, 17th.
Andrew Irwin was on the limit, surviving a rough trip over the kerb at Britten’s that almost unseated the Honda rider. Unable to tidy his lap, Irwin starts 18th.
Franco Bourne took part in FP3 but was due to be assessed after the session, with qualifying straight after. Bourne and the Rapid Honda team made the decision to withdraw from the weekend, with limited feeling in his hand due to his scaphoid injury.
Richard Kerr (20th), after deputising for Rory Skinner at Cheshire Mouldings BMW, makes the switch to Team IWR, on more familiar Honda machinery - the manufacturer he took his Superstock title on - this time filling in for the injured Alex Olsen on the Pathway bike.
Lewis Rollo, who already has the top Pathway entry title secured, is looking to be the top rookie in 2024 overall. His IN Competition/SENCAT Aprilia bike had an issue leaving him last on the grid.
