Ryan Vickers has claimed the final Omologato Pole Position of the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch this afternoon, holding off Lee Jackson who bounced back from an earlier crash by just 0.168s.
The session has initially started in damp conditions but it soon began to dry and Jackson was the first rider to venture out on slick tyres to launch to the top of the times. A lap later though he crashed out unhurt at Stirlings, and with debris on the track, the session was red flagged.
On the restart Danny Kent was one of the first riders to set an improved time to move fastest ahead of Vickers and Kyle Ryde, but there was a second red flag when Glenn Irwin’s Hager PBM Ducati suffered a technical problem, sending him crashing out and taking Andrew Irwin down with him who was directly behind. Both riders were able to walk away from the crash as the track conditions were treated by the Herock Racesafe marshals.
On the restart, Vickers would be the rider to emerge fastest for OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing ahead of Jackson, as MasterMac Honda got his Fireblade repaired and returned to action for the final six minutes of the session.
Josh Brookes again showed his pace for FHO Racing BMW Motorrad to complete the front row which eased championship leader Ryde onto the second row, with Max Cook separating him from closest title rival Tommy Bridewell.
Peter Hickman heads row three from Kent and Leon Haslam, whilst Charlie Nesbitt completed the top ten despite a crash in the closing minutes of the session.
Glenn Irwin meanwhile will start 15th on the grid for this afternoon’s opening race.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, Speedy Hire Qualifying
- Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 1m25.324s
- Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) +0.168s
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +0.189s
- Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) +0.191s
- Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +0.205s
- Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +0.206s
- Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +0.352s
- Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +0.381s
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) +0.531s
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +0.842s
For the full result please click here