Kyle Ryde carried his race-winning form from Brands Hatch to Thruxton as he claimed victory in Race One on Saturday.

After breaking the lap record in Qualifying at Thruxton, Kyle Ryde should have been the favourite for the opening race of the weekend.

However, due to the nature of the Hampshire circuit, it was still anybody's race on Saturday afternoon.

But after controlling his own pace and looking after his tyres for the first 14 laps of the 20-lap race, Ryde began pushing on in the latter laps.

After an intense race against Danny Kent and Max Cook, the reigning Champion was able to return to the top step of the podium.

"I did not get the holeshot, obviously Brad [Ray] was first, so being first you can dictate the pace," Ryde said after Race One at Thruxton.

"We were running a pace that was focused on saving the tyre, which is what we all would have done if we were in first.

"I tried to stay behind Brad until someone passed me, and before I knew it, I was in sixth or seventh place. So, then my pace had to get quicker.

"I would say Danny [Kent] has been my main rival for this weekend because he has been running at the same lap times, has done the same amount of laps, and we finished first and second in that race.

"When he hit the front, I tried to save as much tyre as possible, then with six laps to go I didn't put the hammer down, but I went a little bit faster to try and break the group.

"I was trying to secure myself a podium and put myself in a position to try and win the race. On the last lap, I had +0 on my pit board, but I had no clue who it was.

"I defended really well into the chicane on the last lap, and it is a big bonus to win."