2024 British Superbikes: Navarra - Race Results (1)

It was a battle of the OMG Yamaha bikes in Spain, with Ryan Vickers finishing the first at the Circuito de Navarra victorious thanks to a bold and brave move late in the first BSB race of the season.

The #7 rider got the best start at lights out to take over at the front, position he held on the Grilla sponsored bike until lap four, where his teammate Kyle Ryde built into his overtake at the end of the previous lap to take over out front.

Vickers sat in behind in the lead group, falling behind pole man Danny Kent for a spell before moving back into second on lap 14 in the gang of four.

The end of lap seventeen saw Vickers ready to return the favour, pulling out a move which was destined not to give him the lead but allowed him to pull alongside Ryde in the run to the line.  A perfectly executed overtake into the first corner saw Vickers back ahead and able to pull away - the penultimate lap was his fastest of the whole race.

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A lack of grip saw Ryde unable to answer leaving Vickers to pick up the first win of the season, with the #77 bringing home a team 1-2.

Like qualifying, the opener was an all Yamaha affair - Kent finishing a clear third for a podium lock-out for the manufacturer.

Glenn Irwin stayed in touch until the very end , bringing home the Hagar Ducati in fourth.

Skinner shows what Moto2 is missing in fifth.

It was another good day at the office for Scottish rider Rory Skinner.

Back in the BSB paddock after just a year in the world championship in the Moto2 class, the rider, with TAS racing BMW, had an impressive qualifying, refusing to leave the Superpole front row box thanks to his early lap after coming through Q1 until the very end of the session.

Never losing his fifth, the Cheshire Mouldings rider was initially able to go with the frontrunners, but ended up lonely on track - five seconds behind the lead four with the same gap back to the chasing group.

That train was lead over the line by Christian Iddon after several changes at the front, sixth for Oxford Products Ducati.

Damage limitation sees Bridewell secure seventh.

The #1 plate has had a tough start to the 2024 season with Tommy Bridewell one of several riders to endure a frustrating qualifying after a mechanical issue left smoke pouring from the rear of his bike, leaving him 13th on the grid.

Bridewell saw his bike gremlins continue into warm-up, where his Honda stopped again, helped back to the pits by Danny Buchan.

A huge push in the race saw him work his way into and through the chasing group to finish seventh right behind Iddon, making up the joint most places in the race.

He passed Max Cook, pushing the top Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki back to eighth, with Charlie Nesbitt a close ninth for MasterMac Honda after a long spell at the front of the group.

Jason O’Halloran did enough to complete the top ten on the second Completely Motorbikes entry.

Leon Haslam also had work to do after his fall in qualifying left him 14th on the grid. After battling with Bridewell when the pair were duelling it out for eleventh, the Rokit BMW rider stayed in position, while the reigning champion continued to pick off rivals.

The remaining points on offer went to a fading Peter Hickman in 12th for FHO Racing, Fraser Rogers in 13th for TAG Racing, Lee Jackson, also heading in the wrong direction for MasterMac Honda in 14th with Billy McConnell picking up the final point for Look Forward Racing.

The only Pathways rider to see the chequered flag was Jaime van Sikkelerus for TAG Racing, in 21st.

Official British Superbike Navarra Records:

There are no historical records available for Navarra as it is a new track for the BSB championship.

Navarra Records in 2024:

FP1 best lap: Ryan Vickers - 1m 36.531s

FP2 best lap: Kyle Ryde - 1m 36.584s

Superpole Lap: Danny Kent - 1m 36.609s

Warm-Up: Danny Kent - 1m 36.253s

Crashes, Injuries and Replacements

Storm Stacey was first out of the race , pulling into the pits on lap two. 

There was no opportunity for first round podium heroics to match his 2023 start, as Josh Brookes slid out of contention from 15th on lap six, pushing hard to make up for a disappointing qualifying.

Tom Neave made it to the halfway mark before succumbing to his third violent turn one crash of the meeting, Neave walked away from the huge, spinning off. Lewis Rollo lost the front soon after.

Alex Olsen retired to the pits on lap 15. Louis Valleley was the final retirement, stopping at turn two on the final lap.

Championship Standings

The first race sees the championship points mirror the race result, with Ryan Vickers picking up 18 maximum points, Ryde’s second netting him 16, with Kent picking up 14 points in third.