McAMS Yamaha’s Tarran Mackenzie won a dramatic final Bennetts British Superbike race of the Snetterton weekend on Sunday beating Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Ducati) and team-mate Jason O’Halloran in a short, five-lap sprint.
It also meant Mackenzie added the Race of Aces trophy to the King of Brands and King of Donington titles he’d won earlier in the season.
Eight frantic laps had taken place in the initial race start with Bridewell, O’Halloran, Mackenzie, Danny Buchan and Gino Rea (Buildbase Suzuki) in the leading group but Buchan’s Synetiq BMW blew up along the back straight on the ninth lap and as he tipped into the Esses, he was fired over the highside.
The blow up also deposited fluid on the track and further behind team-mate Andrew Irwin and Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) also crashed out and with bikes, riders and debris strewn across the track, the race was red flagged. Thankfully, all three riders escaped injury.
It all meant the race was re-started over just five laps and it was Mackenzie who grabbed the early initiative from Rea before O’Halloran quickly took over second place.
As they flashed over the line at the end of the first lap, the running order was Mackenzie, Bridewell, O’Halloran, Rea, Ryan Vickers and Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) but second time around Bridewell hit the front at the end of the back straight. Iddon also moved by Vickers and the RAF man then got pushed back to eighth at the final chicane after a tough move by Hickman.
By the end of lap three, Bridewell and Mackenzie had opened up a half second gap over O’Halloran but a lap later, the gaps closed back up once more as Mackenzie re-took the lead from Bridewell at Agostini’s.
Mackenzie and Bridewell remained the favourites as they started their fifth and final lap as they again edged away from O’Halloran but although Mackenzie made a slight mistake at Nelson, Bridewell couldn’t capitalise and he duly took his second win of the weekend.
O’Halloran took the final podium position with Rea, Iddon, Josh Brookes and Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) following him over the line. Dan Linfoot (TAG Honda) and Rich Energy OMG Racing team-mates Bradley Ray and Kyle Ryde completed the top-10.
