Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes took advantage of a crashing PBM Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne to bag his first MCE British Superbike win of the season, in the opening race at Brands Hatch.
The Bringelly rider was up the sharp end from the start, and had the pace to hold off eventual second place finisher, Anvil Hire TAG Racing’s Richard Cooper and JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s James Ellison, who completed the podium line-up.
At first it was Byrne who got the best start and went into the lead at Paddock Hill, followed by Brookes and Cooper, but the quadruple-champ fell at Hawthorns while fighting for first with the R1 of Brookes on lap eleven. With Byrne out of contention the Australian now closes the gap on the current series leader by ten points.
But the whole race was filled with drama. On the opening lap at Druids Hill Bend there were a tangle of bikes between title challenger, Honda Racing’s Jason O’Halloran, RAF Reserves BMW’s Peter Hickman and local rider Danny Buchan. But on a positive note all riders were declared OK at the trackside.
PBM Kawasaki’s Stuart Easton was fighting for a possible podium position but had a high speed crash coming out at Hawthorns, in the early part of the race. The Scotsman was taken to the medical centre for further assessment.
The wee haggis was not the only rider to fall, veteran racer Michael Rutter took a tumble at Westfield’s, and Riders Motorcycles BMW’s Martin Jessopp also fell, and the safety car came swiftly out on the sixth lap of twenty. When the safety car did retreat to the pits, Brookes, Byrne and Cooper powered on ahead. But on lap eleven Byrne crashed in exactly the same spot as his team-mate, Easton while dicing for the lead with Brookes.
But as Byrne went down the safety car made its second appearance. The reigning champ was assessed at the side of the circuit, and early reports indicate that Byrne hasn’t suffered any fractures.
Four laps later the racing commenced once again and the leading trio stormed ahead of Tyco BMW’s Bridewell and Michael Laverty. At the flag, Bridewell had a three second advantage over his team-mate to hold on to take a comfortable fourth place finish. The Wales-based rider on the penultimate lap had to contend with returning BSB rider, John Hopkins onboard his Moto Rapido Ducati who crossed the line in a respectable sixth.
Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Luke Mossey, Honda Racing’s Dan Linfoot, Westmoreland and Smiths Racing’s Billy McConnell completed the top ten. Cooper’s garage buddy, Filip Backlund was the last of the points finishers, just ahead of Buildbase BMW’s Ryuichi Kiyonari who narrowly missed out on taking home a point for his team.
