Recapping all the race action from BSB Round Five at Brands Hatch

BSB 2025

Round Five – Brands Hatch

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Superbike Race One

Bradley Ray reignited his Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign with a commanding victory in the opening race of the weekend at the iconic Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. The local favourite ended his home circuit win drought in style, fending off a late charge from former champion Scott Redding and a resurgent Kyle Ryde.

Ray made the perfect getaway, immediately hitting the front with Christian Iddon and Rory Skinner giving chase in the early stages. Behind them, Ryde began to make moves aboard the Nitrous Competitions OMG Racing Yamaha, quickly carving his way into third.

A critical moment came on lap three when Skinner ran wide at Graham Hill Bend, opening the door for Redding to slot into fourth. The Hager PBM Ducati rider wasted no time, setting his sights on the podium contenders.

Out front, Ray began to stretch a slender advantage, but the battle for second intensified. Ryde made his move on Iddon at Hawthorns on lap six, only for Iddon to respond with a daring dive up the inside at Paddock Hill Bend four laps later. However, the defending champion wasn’t done, reclaiming the spot at Hawthorns once again.

Redding, meanwhile, was charging. After dispatching Iddon for third, he lined up Ryde and completed a clean move at Surtees. With Ray in clear view, the 2019 champion began reeling in the leader, posting the fastest lap of the race to secure Sunday’s Omologato Pole Position.

But time ran out before Redding could close the final gap, and he had to settle for a hard-fought second place.

Ryde held firm in third, extending his impressive 2025 tally with another podium.

Christian Iddon was left to settle for fourth, but it marked Team Green’s best finish of the season with the AJN Steelstock Kawasaki. Danny Kent brought McAMS Racing Yamaha their highest result of the year in fifth, rounding out a tightly contested top five.

Further back, Tommy Bridewell edged out Max Cook for sixth, while early podium contender Skinner slipped to eighth after a mid-race fade. Veteran campaigners Josh Brookes (DAO Racing Honda) and Lee Jackson completed the top ten.

Brad Ray

“At the start I was just setting a rhythm and pulled just a little bit of a gap, not a lot to feel safe. Mid race it got out a little bit more over a second and I had this sort of weird feeling with the bike that was like something was going to go wrong with it, and I did like two 26.0s in a row and that led to Scott (Redding) getting close to me at the end. It’s a stressful race watching the pit board every lap not sure if the time is going to be going up or coming down!

“Towards the end, I was watching the pit board and to be honest I had nothing left, I was giving it everything, especially the last three or four laps. It was a long race I didn’t properly look at my pit board until lap 12 and there was still eight laps of the race to go and I felt like I’d done an endurance race already!

“It was a tough race. Scott was strong at the end, and Kyle (Ryde) was strong in the middle of the race and was closing in. I think tomorrow is going to be a big fight between all of us, we have a few small things to maybe improve for tomorrow, especially for the second part of the race. I am happy to finally get the first podium here on the GP track on a superbike and to make it a win is even more special.”

Superbike Race One Results

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Superbike Race Two (Sprint)

Scott Redding stormed to his first Bennetts British Superbike Championship victory of the season in a dramatic second race at Brands Hatch, delivering Hager PBM Ducati their long-awaited maiden win of 2025. The race turned on its head when series leader Bradley Ray suffered a costly crash while leading, ending his hopes of a clean sweep.

Ray made the early running, grabbing the holeshot into Paddock Hill Bend ahead of Redding, Christian Iddon, and Danny Kent. Kyle Ryde slipped back off the line, leaving Ray to attempt a breakaway at the front. But Redding kept the Raceways Yamaha rider within striking distance, while Kent muscled into third with a bold pass on Iddon at Clearways.

Ray continued to control the pace until the BMW Safety Car was called on lap five following a crash for Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) at Hawthorns. Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) had already exited the race with a fall at Clearways on lap three.

At the restart, Ray again looked composed out front—but his hopes unravelled on lap nine with a violent highside exiting Westfield, handing the lead to a surging Redding.

From there, the former champion was untouchable. Redding powered to his first BSB race win since 2019, delivering a major confidence boost for both rider and team. Ryde, recovering from his sluggish start, clawed his way back to second for Nitrous Competitions OMG Racing Yamaha, while Kent secured his best result of the season in third aboard the McAMS Racing Yamaha.

Iddon and Max Cook brought their AJN Steelstock Kawasakis home in fourth and fifth, with Rory Skinner taking sixth for Cheshire Mouldings Ducati.

Andrew Irwin followed in seventh, as Leon Haslam split the DAO Racing Honda duo of Lee Jackson (eighth) and Josh Brookes (tenth).

Superbike Race Two (Sprint) Results

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Superbike Race Three

Kyle Ryde returned to the top step of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship podium with a determined performance in Race 3 at Brands Hatch, claiming his first win of the 2025 season for the Nitrous Competitions OMG Racing Yamaha team. Meanwhile, Scott Redding sealed the Monster Energy King of Brands crown after rounding out the podium to cap off a strong weekend.

It was Bradley Ray who surged into the early lead, but Ryde wasted no time making his presence known, diving past Scott Redding at Druids to take over second. Redding, momentarily on the back foot, slipped further as Danny Kent and Christian Iddon slipped through on successive corners. The Hager PBM Ducati rider quickly regrouped, muscling back into fourth with a bold move at Hawthorns.

The battle at the front intensified as Kent moved his McAMS Racing Yamaha into second and immediately began trading blows with Ryde. Their scrap for position was briefly paused after Lee Jackson suffered a heavy crash at Clearways, prompting the BMW Safety Car to bunch the field back up.

Ray continued to lead when the race resumed, but Kent was instantly on the attack, claiming the lead at Paddock Hill Bend. Ryde followed him through, pushing Ray back to third. Moments later, the race was shaken again when Andrew Irwin’s Honda Racing UK machine went down violently at Sheene Curve, capping a difficult weekend for the squad.

As the laps wound down, the lead exchanged hands repeatedly between Kent and Ryde in a tense duel. Ryde first took over at Hawthorns, Kent responded at Paddock, but Ryde struck back again at Druids with the decisive pass that would secure him the race win.

Kyle Ryde

“This win has been a long time coming! We have had a few races this year where I thought we could win, but I didn’t ride my best or made a mistake, or the bike didn’t feel good at the end of the race but I made the most of today really. Race two earlier gave me a lot of encouragement for race three and I got a good start and got in the battle. I pushed as hard as I could and then defended over the last two laps. To win for the first time since here last October when we won the title, was a long time coming but this is what makes it all worth it. It feels great to have won again and I need to thank the Nitrous Competitions OMG Racing Yamaha team.”

Redding, meanwhile, kept up the pressure from behind and made his move on Ray late in the race to clinch third and, with it, the Monster Energy King of Brands trophy – a strong reward for the former champion’s full-time return to BSB.

Scott Redding

“This weekend has been mega honestly! I came here for the Monster King of Brands trophy and I knew it would be a big shot, but nothing was impossible. Coming into this weekend I wanted to build momentum, take some podiums and I had some good feel and fast track that to battle with Brad and take the win this morning and that was mega. I was coming on strong but that was all I had at the end in race three, I wasn’t super comfortable at the end, but I knew I needed to be on the podium to be King of Brands, so I am happy. I am super happy to be back in BSB; the fans have been amazing and hats off to the guys here as the level is super high here.”

Ray ultimately settled for fourth, just ahead of Iddon, while Rory Skinner brought his Cheshire Mouldings Ducati home in a solitary sixth. Leon Haslam battled his way to seventh, fending off Max Cook and Josh Brookes, with Fraser Rogers rounding out the top ten.

Billy McConnell carded his strongest result of the Brands weekend with 13th place ahead of Luke Hedger and Davey Todd.

Billy McConnell

“We’ve been struck with some rotten luck for the start of this BSB season. Brands was no different and we spent most of Friday and Saturday chasing a rear brake problem. We changed everything and finally got to the bottom of it, but we’d lost vital track time in the process. I used the opening race to get some laps under my belt, and it was good to get the bike working well again. The team worked so hard to get everything sorted, and it felt so much better during both races on Sunday. Thank you to them all for their efforts, it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed! The last race was good, got a bad start and it was a bit hit and miss with the safety car but got two races in the points, so we’ll take that! Thanks to the team and sponsors.”

Superbike Race Three Results

British Superbike Points

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Supersport Race One (Sprint)

Ben Currie emerged victorious in a dramatic and rain-affected Supersport sprint race, fending off relentless pressure from Joe Talbot to clinch a narrow win by just 0.044 seconds.

The drama began before the lights even went out, with a sudden downpour forcing officials to declare a wet race. Riders took to the track on slippery conditions, setting the stage for an unpredictable showdown.

Polesitter Rhys Irwin struggled to capitalise on his front-row advantage, while defending champion Jack Kennedy launched off the line to take the early lead. But it wasn’t long before Currie, charging from the second row, sliced past Kennedy to take control.

Currie led the opening stages before Kennedy regrouped and reclaimed the lead for Honda Racing UK. Meanwhile, Irwin settled into third, but was soon under pressure from a hard-charging Talbot, who had Lee Johnston in tow.

The race took a dramatic turn on Lap 6 when Kennedy crashed out of the lead at Graham Hill Bend, handing the advantage back to Currie. But his path to victory was far from clear.

Talbot latched onto the leader and remained glued to his rear tyre in the closing laps, probing for a way past. Despite several attempts, he was unable to make a move stick, as Currie showed nerves of steel to defend his position and power across the line for a hard-earned victory.

Talbot was forced to settle for second after a valiant effort, with Johnston completing the podium in third. Irwin recovered to finish fourth, ahead of Ben Luxton in fifth.

In the Cup class, Ben Tolliday took top honours with a composed ride, finishing ahead of Keo Walker and Josh Bannister to secure the class victory.

Supersport Race One (Sprint) Results

 

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Supersport Race Two

Ben Currie mastered the conditions for a second day running to claim back-to-back victories at Brands Hatch, delivering another wet-weather clinic aboard the Moto Rapido Ducati. In scenes reminiscent of Saturday’s contest, rain arrived just before lights out, triggering a wet race declaration and turning tyre choice into the day’s defining gamble.

Starting from the third row, Currie wasted no time carving through the field, his intermediate-shod Ducati perfectly suited to the greasy conditions. By the end of the first lap he had already hauled himself into second place, shadowing early leader TJ Toms. It only took until Lap 3 for Currie to pounce, diving into the lead at Druids. Joe Talbot quickly followed suit, slipping past Toms to give chase.

From there, the front two pulled clear, but it was Currie who held the upper hand. While Talbot initially kept the pressure on, Currie soon began to stretch his legs, pulling away with every lap to eventually cross the line a commanding 14 seconds ahead of his rival.

Behind them, Rhys Irwin produced one of the standout rides of the day. The championship leader launched from the fourth row and steadily picked his way through the pack to secure a hard-fought third. Polesitter Ben Luxton improved on his Race 1 finish with a strong fourth, while Joe Sheldon-Shaw edged out defending champion Jack Kennedy for fifth, the latter working hard to recover from a lowly grid position.

In the Cup class, Joe Farragher bounced back to the top step, fending off Keo Walker for the win, with Ben Tolliday rounding out the podium in third.

Supersport Race Two Results

British Supersport Championship Points

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Superstock Race One

David Allingham put on a determined display in today’s Superstock race, recovering from an early mistake to reclaim the lead and hold off Ilya Mikhalchik for a hard-fought victory by just 0.357 seconds.

Starting from pole, Allingham got the jump and looked composed out front, but a small misstep on the second lap saw him shuffled back to fourth. Refusing to let the race slip away, the Irishman regrouped and began a calculated charge back to the front.

By Lap Eight of the 14-lap contest, Allingham had retaken control of the race and managed the pressure expertly from that point forward, despite relentless pursuit from Mikhalchik.

The Ukrainian kept the leader honest to the flag, crossing the line less than four-tenths behind to secure second, while Tom Ward completed the podium in third. Josh Owens took fourth with Matt Truelove rounding out the top five.

Superstock Race One Results

Superstock Race Two Results

British Superstock Points

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Sportbike Race One

Kas Beekmans claimed a thrilling victory in Sunday morning’s Sportbike clash, edging out Alfie Davidson by just 0.068 seconds after a fierce five-rider fight that raged from lights out to chequered flag.

The 12-lap contest was a non-stop exchange of blows, with the lead changing hands multiple times every lap as Beekmans, Davidson, Asher Durham, Ferre Fleerackers and Rhys Stephenson went bar-to-bar in a relentless display of racecraft.

Durham initially grabbed the holeshot into Paddock Hill Bend, but the front group quickly reshuffled, with Beekmans and Stephenson hitting the front by lap two. Davidson joined the party by lap five, and from there, the top five riders began a high-speed chess match.

For much of the race, Davidson and Durham traded the lead back and forth, each taking turns at the front as Fleerackers and Beekmans kept the pressure on. But it all came down to the final lap.

Sitting third into the last sector, Beekmans launched a perfectly timed move, slicing past both Davidson and Durham in a bold, decisive attack. He held on to take the win by the narrowest of margins, while Davidson settled for second and Durham crossed the line in third.

Just behind, Fleerackers and Stephenson completed the top five, with the entire leading quintet separated by a scant 0.847 seconds at the flag.

Sportbike Race Results

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SuperTeen Race One

Henry Snell claimed a sensational ninth win of the season after narrowly edging out James Cook in a thrilling, race-long duel that went down to the final metres—crossing the line just 0.028 seconds ahead.

Polesitter Cook and championship leader Snell were locked in a fierce battle from lights out to chequered flag, swapping positions multiple times per lap in one of the closest fights of the season. The pair left nothing on the table as they diced for every inch of track.

As the race entered its final corners, Cook appeared to have the upper hand, holding the lead and defending his line. But Snell timed his move to perfection, carrying the momentum and out-dragging Cook to the line in a photo finish.

Behind the leading duo, Calum Beach secured the final step on the podium in third, with Freddy Oakley in fourth and Marley Mackenzie rounding out the top five.

Snell’s last-ditch heroics extend his winning tally to nine for the season and underline his credentials as the rider to beat in the championship.

SuperTeen Race One Results

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SuperTeen Race Two Results

Australia’s Henry Snell continued his perfect run at Brands Hatch, claiming a dominant second Superteen victory of the weekend in a race that was shaped by early drama.

The ROKiT Rookies contender capitalised on a chaotic opening lap that saw polesitter James Cook and Calum Beach crash out at Stirlings, removing two of his main rivals from contention. From there, Snell managed the race with confidence, gradually pulling clear to cross the line 2.341 seconds ahead of Freddy Oakley.

Behind the leading duo, David Lindemann kept things tidy to secure third, while Greg Marshall and Marley Mackenzie fought it out in a close battle for fourth. In the end, it was Marshall who edged ahead, taking the position by just 0.093 seconds.

With two wins from two, Snell leaves Brands Hatch as the clear pace-setter in the Superteen ranks.

SuperTeen Race Two

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