Kyle Ryde took a lights to flag victory in the opening British Superbike Championship race at Donington Park, his second trip to the top of the podium this season.

The LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha controlled affairs from the lights from start-to-finish with Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) and Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad BMW) joining him on the podium in second and third respectively.

Making the strong getaway from pole position, Ryde got the holeshot into Reigate to nose into the lead, the title contender chased by Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha), Haslam, Bridewell, Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) and Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) across the line at the end of the opening lap.

After Jack Kennedy’s race came to an premature conclusion coming round Goddard's at the first time of asking, the Mar-Train Racing Yamaha rider was joined on the early sidelines by Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) and Iddon, the pair coming together at the Melbourne Hairpin and coming down, the pair joined by Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) on the deck seconds later.

Bridewell was on the move though, reeling off back-to-back lap records to ascend to second at the expense of O'Halloran, with Haslam progressing into third shortly afterwards.

O’Halloran was now third from Haslam, Glenn Irwin and a charging Danny Kent (Lovell Kent Racing Honda) but third and fourth soon changed with Haslam overhauling O’Halloran.

Indeed, though Haslam looked to have the pace to overhaul Bridewell quicker than Bridewell and he took the lap record at 1’27.593 whilst further back Glenn Irwin had also moved ahead of O’Halloran. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) was running in seventh one spot ahead of round one winner Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW).

Back at the front and as the riders started lap five, Ryde’s lead remained at three-quarters of a second and Haslam was now applying considerable pressure on Bridewell. Glenn Irwin was now 1.3s adrift in fourth whilst O’Halloran was fading further with Jackson pushing him down another place to sixth.

By lap eight, Ryde’s lead continued to hover around the three-quarters of a second mark with Bridewell now half a second clear of Haslam. Glenn Irwin was running in a lonely fourth as was Jackson in fifth whilst behind Kent, Brookes, O’Halloran, Storm Stacey (Starline Racing Kawasaki) and Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) were only covered by 1.5s.

Going into the final three laps, less than a second split Ryde, Bridewell and Haslam but Ryde always kept his rivals arm’s length and as Bridewell and Haslam battled on the final lap, he duly took his second race win of the season, a second ahead of Bridewell with Haslam in third. 

Jackson came through for fourth, his best result of the year so far, with Glenn Irwin hanging on for fifth ahead of a rapidly closing Brookes and Vickers. Kent, Stacey and Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) rounded out the top ten with O’Halloran dropping all the way back to 14^th after an excursion onto the grass on the final lap.

The excursion came after a coming together with Peter Hickman, the FHO Racing docked two seconds as a result which dropped him from 11^th to 13^th

CLICK HERE to view the latest 2023 BSB standings after 2 Rounds of 11