Leon Haslam doubled up in this afternoon’s second Bennetts British Superbike battle, holding off nearest title rival Jake Dixon in the closing moments of the race.
The JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider sat comfortably behind race one runner-up Bradley Ray for much of the 18-lap scrap, but slipped into a fight with Dixon in the final stages before the latter ran off track on the final lap, giving the series leader his third double victory at Cadwell Park.
Buildbase Suzuki’s Ray got the best start just like he had earlier this afternoon, leading race one winner Haslam, RAF Regular and Reserves’ Dixon, Glenn Irwin and Peter Hickman away from the line as Tommy Bridewell dropped from second on the grid to ninth.
McAMS Yamaha’s Josh Brookes had worked his way up to fifth before Hickman squeezed through and Bridewell recouped to tuck in just behind the Aussie. But Bridewell wasn’t hanging around and moments after passing Brookes he out-braked Hickman into Park to take over fifth place.
Ray, Haslam and Dixon had stretched a gap of over a second on the ensuing pack by lap four, but Irwin clawed back ground in fourth as Bridewell, just behind, set the fastest lap of the race at 1’26.632s, 0.15s off Lee Jackson’s race lap record from last year.
Moto Rapido Ducati’s Bridewell continued his charge and stuck the same Park corner pass on Irwin on lap six, but the Devizes rider binned it at Barn and put paid to his podium chase.
Back in 13th, Be Wiser Ducati’s rookie Andrew Irwin hit the deck at Charlie’s and moments later, Gino Rea’s OMG Racing Suzuki expired heading down Mansfield, leaving Martin Jessopp in a cloud of smoke in 15th.
Some three seconds behind the leading trio, Glenn Irwin fell into the clutches of Smith’s Racing’s Hickman as the local man moved through into fourth on lap nine.
Just seconds after passing Richard Cooper to slot into the top-10, Taz Mackenzie joined the younger Irwin brother in the Charlie’s club as he crashed out.
But Mackenzie’s team-mate Brookes was making moves of his own as he levered Glenn aside for fifth at the Hairpin. The Aussie’s race was over just a few laps later, however, after he pulled into the pits with problems.
Back at the front, Ray was still leading Haslam and Dixon, but seven laps from the end Haslam out-braked Ray to hit the front at Park, and the Suzuki man took another hit as Dixon went up the inside exiting Chris Curve.
The very next lap, Dixon made the same move on Haslam as he out-braked him at Park and took the lead. But as Ray fell out of winning contention into a distant third with a possible technical issue, the battle was on for the top spot.
Just over a lap from the finish, Haslam made a pass at Park once again but on the final lap of the Lincolnshire circuit, Dixon braked too deep trying to repeat the move on Haslam at Park and ran off track, putting paid to his campaign for victory.
While Haslam cruised to his second win of the weekend, Ray crossed the line second while Dixon managed to get back on track and salvage third, just over a second clear of Hickman.
Irwin snatched fifth less than half a second back ahead of the Tyco BMWs of Christian Iddon and Michael Laverty.
FS-3 Racing Kawasaki’s Danny Buchan, who had started 17th on the grid, took eighth while Richard Cooper and Luke Mossey rounded out the top 10.
