Christian Iddon took a thrilling final Bennetts British Superbike Championship race at Brands Hatch on Sunday with the VisionTrack Ducati rider getting the better of the McAMS Yamaha of Tarran Mackenzie in a seven-lap dash.
The Tyneside-based rider also reclaimed the lead in the championship with earlier race winner Jason O’Halloran, on the second McAMS Yamaha, finishing in third on this occasion.
The original 20-lap race started in mixed conditions which saw an equal mix of tyre choice amongst the field, Josh Brookes surging into the lead with full wets on his VisionTrack Ducati as those with slicks, including the BMW trio of Andrew Irwin, Peter Hickman and Bradley Ray dropped down to the bottom of the top twenty.
As the race wore on, the track dried and Danny Buchan (Synetiq BMW) took over the lead before Iddon started to claw back his advantage hand over fist primarily due to the Ducati man having a slick rear.
However, at the beginning of the 12th lap, Gino Rea’s Buildbase Suzuki expired in a plume of smoke along the start and finish straight bringing out the red flags.
Slicks were the only option for the seven lap dash with the riders lining up in the positions they were running which put Buchan, Iddon and Brookes on the front row ahead of Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing), O’Halloran and Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki).
Buchan seized the early initiative from Glenn Irwin and the Ducatis of Iddon and Brookes but the Honda man led a race for the first time this season when he overtook Buchan into Westfield.
His lead didn’t last long though with Iddon taking over as they crossed the line from Buchan, Irwin, O’Halloran, Andrew Irwin and Brookes but there was disappointment for double podium finisher Tommy Bridewell as he went out on the second lap with the chain coming off the Oxford Products Ducati.
Iddon and Buchan were making all the running at the head of the field, just 0.088s between them after three laps, whilst Brookes was back up to third after moving up the inside of Glenn Irwin at Clearways. Just a few corners later, Andrew Irwin’s good ride came to an end as he slid off the Synetiq BMW at Druids.
The front four were beginning to close up again though, just over half a second covering them after four laps and at the start of lap five, Mackenzie got ahead of Brookes with O’Halloran also closing in.
Buchan re-took the lead on the penultimate lap and as they started the final lap, it looked to be a three-way fight between the lanky Essex man, Iddon and Mackenzie.
Three abreast exiting Paddock Hill, Mackenzie got into a tank slapper and Iddon got back ahead of Buchan at Druids before Mackenzie reclaimed second at Westfield. O’Halloran then put a forceful move on Buchan at Stirlings to get up to third.
It was Iddon who held on for the win though as they dashed for the line, his advantage over Mackenzie just 0.075s. O’Halloran made it two Yamahas on the podium in third with a disappointed Buchan in fourth ahead of Brookes and Glenn Irwin.
Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW), the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki pairing of Lee Jackson and Rory Skinner and Danny Kent (Buildbase Suzuki) completed the top ten.
