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Thruxton BSB: Maiden Thruxton win for Haslam as Dixon loses out

Series leader Leon Haslam stole his first ever win at Thruxton after a last corner dice with Jake Dixon in the first Bennetts British Superbike race this afternoon.

The JG Speedfit rider held off a charging pack in the closing moments of the 20-lap scrap as Dixon missed out by just over a tenth of a second.

But Haslam’s team-mate ​Luke Mossey grabbed the holeshot from the middle of the front row, while last year’s winner Josh Brookes tucked in behind him and ahead of the Be Wiser PBM Ducatis of Andrew and Glenn Irwin.

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Dixon soon moved through to second ahead of Brookes at the chicane, but the very next lap Buildbase Suzuki’s Bradley Ray lost the front and hit the deck at the same spot, taking out FS-3 Racing’s Danny Buchan and Michael Laverty in the process.

And moments later, front-row hotshot Andrew Irwin crashed out, putting paid to any hopes of converting his strong start. Just a couple laps later, Honda Racing stand-in and BSB rookie Tom Neave threw the factory Fireblade into the Hampshire countryside at Noble.

Meanwhile at the front, Mossey had stretched a nearly two-second lead while compatriot Haslam moved ahead of Dixon into second, before Knockhill winner Dixon took the position straight back a few corners later.

Mossey had put the field over 2.5s in arrears by the seventh lap, but chasers Dixon and Haslam put their heads down and began to reel in the Cambridge rider.

Haslam stuck a pass on Dixon at the Club chicane as they began the second half of the 20-lap race, and as they crossed the start-finish stripe they had Mossey’s advantage down to less than a second.

Just behind them, Glenn Irwin and McAMS Yamaha man Brookes were on their own missions as they hunted down Haslam and Dixon.

But Mossey finally succumbed to the pressure after having a moment exiting Cobb, which Dixon immediately took advantage of and snatched the lead.

While OMG Racing Suzuki’s Gino Rea retired in the pits back in the pack, Dixon and Haslam started to stretch their own one-second gap at the front, leaving Brookes, Mossey, Jason O’Halloran, Irwin and the poorly Peter Hickman to scrap for third.

Halsam slid up the inside of Dixon, but Brookes soon bridged the gap to them and as the front-running pair continued to dice, they allowed O’Halloran, Hickman and Irwin to get even closer.

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On the final lap, Dixon sat Haslam up at Cobb and and looked to be on for victory but as they nearly came together in a braking contest into the final chicane, Haslam came out ahead and squeezed through to win by 0.118s, leaving Dixon to a runner-up finish.

After trying to slip past O’Halloran, Brookes ran off at the final bend, leaving Smith’s Racing BMW’s Hickman to third ahead of the Aussie.

Irwin took fifth from O’Halloran and Mossey, who had run off track just after half-distance.

Team WD-40’s Mason Law, Taz Mackenzie and Movuno.com Halsall Racing Suzuki’s Chrissy Rouse completed the top 10.

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