Tyco BMW’s Tommy Bridewell clinched his first MCE British Superbike race win of the year for both himself and his team and snatched the race one win from Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes at Oulton Park.
The former team-mates were locked in a battle for the number one spot on the podium, but the Devizes rider had that extra pace to hold on to take only his only second BSB win and maximum points today. But it is not all bad for Brookes as he broke his own lap record on the way to second with a 1’35.107, going four tenths under his own record that he set last year. PBM Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne got third from his team-mate Stuart Easton and completed the rostrum.
Initially it was Easton who got the hole-shot but he had a slight wobble coming out of the opening corner allowing Brookes, Bridewell and Byrne to go through. Then Bridewell edged ahead of his former team-mate to go into the lead at the end of the first lap. On the third rotation Bbuildbase BMW’s Ryuichi Kiyonari set a new lap record – but that only lasted a few minutes as Brookes fought back while in second to lap a 1’35.188, but on lap ten of eighteen the Bringelly rider went one better to lap a 1’35.107.
On lap seven Bridewell and Brookes pulled away and there was a three-way fight for the final podium spot between Byrne, Easton and Kiyonari. Slightly further down the field Kiyo fell off the pace and the two PBM machines were fighting it out between each other for third on the twelfth rotation.
On the penultimate lap Bridewell and Brookes pulled away from the duelling PBM Kawasaki’s and were two seconds ahead, but however hard Brookes tried he couldn’t make a move that stuck to snatch the win. Byrne then upped his pace to get third followed by Easton and Kiyo rounding up the top five.
At the flag JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s James Ellison and Honda Racing’s Jason O’Halloran came across the finishing line in sixth and seventh respectively. Tyco BMW’s Michael Laverty had his best result of the year do far – an eighth place finish ahead of Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Howie Mainwaring and Anvil Hire TAG Racing’s Richard Cooper. Buildbase BMW’s Lee Jackson was the last of the point finishers in fifteenth.
There were a few incidences out on track; Milwaukee Yamaha’s Broc Parkes and Team WD-40’s Jack Kennedy crashed out at Hizzys on lap one, both riders were declared OK at the trackside. Then Be Wiser Kawasaki’s Danny Buchan high-sided at Druids but was able to walk away from the crash. Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Luke Mossey suffered a technical problem and retired to the pits, as did Zanotti, McFadden and Anvil Hire TAG Racing’s Filip Backlund.
