Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes eased to his second MCE British Superbike race win of the season so far, after he took the victory with a 4.3 second advantage from Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne, in the opening race at Thruxton.

Brookes dominated and pushed ahead of Byrne and Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Dan Linfoot to take the top step of the podium. But the Aussie was not the only rider who had a solid session out on the Hampshire track. Buildbase BMW’s Ryuichi Kiyonari started from the fourth row, but soared through the field to take third, and some much needed podium credits.

In the beginning it was Linfoot who got the hole-shot with Brookes and Byrne following in quick succession. Pole-setter Millsport Ducati's Jakub Smrz had a nightmare start and fell back to eighth on the first corner. Elsewhere by the fifth rotation it was the veteran pairing of Bathams BMW's Michael Rutter and GBmoto Kawasaki's Chris  Walker who were closing in on Byrne and were eyeing up the provisional final step of the rostrum.

On the fifth lap Alstare Bimota Junior’s Christophe Ponsson crashed at Club Chicane. It is the first race in the BSB class for the young Frenchman, but he managed to walk away relatively uninjured. Meanwhile Gearlink Kawasaki’s Ben Wilson retired to the pits.

By lap eight Brookes finally got the better of Linfoot to take the lead going into the home straight. Kiyonari was making his way up the field and at Club overtook Rutter to go into fifth. The triple champ soon had Walker as his next target, and at the final chicane went up to fourth.

Further up the sharp end Byrne was edging ever closer to the front, and out-paced Linfoot to go into second, just behind Brookes on lap 10. Four laps later Milwaukee Yamaha’s Tommy Bridewell made a move that stuck on Walker to go fifth.

Kiyo was literally powering through and on the penultimate lap overtook Linfoot at the entrance to the Club Chicane, and was matching the pace of Byrne to challenge for second. But on the final lap Kiyo fought back and undertook Byrne at Cobb, only for the current championship leader to retake the lead at Club.

At the flag it was Brookes who easily took the spoils, from Byrne and Kiyonari. Linfoot was a second off a podium spot, and had to settle for fourth with Bridewell completing the top five. But it is not all bad for Linfoot as he will start race two from pole, after setting the fastest lap of the race.

Smrz made up for the poor start to finish in a respectable sixth, with Walker, Hopkins, Rutter and his Bathams BMW team-mate Patric Muff rounding up the top ten.