Josh Brookes’ dream start to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship season continued at Silverstone on Sunday afternoon with the FHO Racing BMW taking victory in the second race of the weekend.

The Australian kept it neat to repel the attentions of various rivals who rotated in second behind him, Brookes eventually coming out on top from the BeerMonster Ducati pairing of Tommy Bridewell and Glenn Irwin in a race stopped three laps early following a fast crash for Danny Buchan.

Pole sitter Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) grabbed the lead off the line to lead into Copse and remained in front as he completed the opening lap with Bridewell, Brookes, Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW), Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) and Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) following him over the line. Peter Hickman, a faller in morning warm-up, was up against it though as he had to start the race from pit lane.

Lap three saw Bridewell hit the front for the first time and Brookes soon followed him past Ryde as his FHO team-mate Hickman pulled into the pits to retire. O’Halloran was up to fourth having overhauled Haslam, but further back Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) made contact with Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) at Luffield with both crashing out.

Brookes took over the lead on lap five with Ryde moving up the inside of Bridewell at Copse only for the Ducati man to nose back ahead at Becketts and Kennedy was also on the move, relegating fellow Yamaha man O’Halloran to fifth.

By lap ten, one thirds race distance, Brookes continued to lead as Ryde and Bridewell regularly swapped places and O’Halloran had fought his way back past Kennedy with Haslam keeping a watching brief in sixth. Danny Kent (Lovell Kent Racing Honda) was again running strongly in seventh with Glenn Irwin up to eighth after a poor start had seen him drop back to 12^th.

Brookes briefly eked out a small advantage of three tenths of a second as the group behind him continued to squabble, O’Halloran pushing Ryde back to fourth on lap 14, but the latter was quickly back up to third. Indeed, lap 17 saw him get ahead of Bridewell at Copse only for the Ducati man to return the favour at Maggotts. Irwin was very much the man on the move and was now up to fifth.

With ten laps to go, just 1.3s covered the top seven with the running order Brookes, Bridewell, Ryde, Irwin, O’Halloran, Kennedy and Haslam but it was Australian ace Brookes who continually led despite the pressure he was under.

The closing stages saw Brookes and Bridewell edge away as Irwin, now third, Ryde and O’Halloran did battle but just as we were set up for a grandstand finish, the red flag came out due a big crash at Woodcote involving Buchan, the Synetiq BMW man limping away.

That meant the result was taken at the completion of 27 laps, Brookes getting the win from Bridewell, Irwin, Ryde and O’Halloran. Haslam took sixth from Kennedy with Kent, Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) and Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) completing the top ten.

Tom Neave bounced back from his Race 1 DNF to collect 11th place on the factory Honda, while Ryan Vickers found himself in a 'twin Neave' sandwich in 12th place, the OMG Yamaha rider ahead of Tim Neave, who was top rookie on the McAMS Yamaha in 13th. Luke Mossey (L1 BMW) and Josh Owens (Crendon Hawk Honda) completed the points.

BSB Silverstone | Rd.1 | Race 2 Results