Cadwell Park was a case of what might have been for Ryan Vickers with the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki rider setting the fastest ever two-wheel lap around the Lincolnshire circuit.

With strong performances at recent rounds, the Thetford rider brought that form with him to Cadwell and Friday’s free practice sessions saw him post a stunning lap of 1’25.816 around the 2.2-mile venue, only to see a crash in qualifying compromise the remainder of the weekend.
 
It put him more than three-tenths of a second quicker than nearest rival and championship leader Jason O’Halloran and he was quickest too in Saturday’s final free practice session which took place in damp, drizzly conditions. With superb pace in both the wet and dry, a maiden BSB podium and, potentially, a win was very much on the cards.
 
However, a small mistake in qualifying saw him clip the grass on the exit of Charlie’s and crash out, the end result being a badly damaged bike and an extremely battered and bruised Vickers.
 
“I’m obviously proud to have set the fastest ever two-wheel lap around Cadwell but one small mistake in qualifying determined our weekend,” a disappointed Vickers said from the paddock on Sunday. "Just being a fraction wide had a lot of consequences and the punishment didn’t fit the crime.”
 
“The team did a great job to get the bike rebuilt from top to bottom – new engine, swinging arm, yokes, loom etc – and everyone worked so hard to get me back on the grid, even my team-mate Lewis (Rollo) was on the spanners, so that gave me extra motivation to do as well as I could for them.”
 
Vickers made it to the grid for all three races but, ultimately, the effects of the heavy crash meant he was unable to replicate his pace. The physically demanding circuit only exacerbated the situation but, nevertheless, he dug deep and still took three top-10 finishes to keep his Showdown hopes alive and kicking.
 
“It’s been an up and down weekend for sure and although it could have been so much better, three top-10’s in the circumstances is a good return. I was really battered and bruised from the crash and sore all over and my right knee was my main issue as I couldn’t put enough weight through the footpeg.”
 
“That meant I was using my upper body more and from a physical point of view, they were three hard races around the most physical track in the UK! Despite that, we were still only a few tenths each lap off the pace which shows just how well the bike was working and we got a top-10 in each race. It’s a case of what might have been but I can’t thank the team enough for all their work.” Vickers now sits in 10th place overall in the championship table, 19 points adrift of eighth and the final Showdown position.