Rory Skinner celebrated an impressive victory in the opening ZYN British Superbike Championship race at Cadwell Park, his first of the season for the Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha team, breaking Kyle Ryde and Leon Haslam at the front as Bradley Ray and Storm Stacey crashed out of the leading pack.
At the start of the race, Skinner got a perfect launch off the line into Coppice for the first time with Ray in close contention on the McAMS Yamaha and Stacey holding third place as Ryde dropped outside the top five.
It was a hectic start to the race, with Ryan Vickers pushing to make his way through the order. However, a mistake at Park on lap two saw him run wide and take to the grass and when he re-joined he was in 11th place as the team debuted their special anniversary livery.
Skinner and Ray were locked together at the front of the pack, with Ray attempting to make a move for the lead at Park on lap four but he couldn’t make it stick, whilst Haslam fought his way into third place ahead of Stacey.
A lap later and there was disaster for Ray when he attempted another move on the brakes at Park, the McAMS Yamaha became unsettled and he couldn’t save it for a second time and he crashed out of second place. Stacey meanwhile also went down on the same lap just after Ray in a separate crash.
Vickers had been making up lost ground after his earlier moment and he had soon closed down on the pack chasing Skinner for the podium, led by Haslam, Ryde, Joe Talbot and Jason O'Halloran. Vickers was soon pushing Talbot for fourth place, but he crashed out at Park and took Talbot down with him.
Skinner then had a margin over the chasing pack, as Haslam continued to hold off Ryde until lap ten when he moved ahead, before fighting hard to hold off his Moto Rapido Racing rival until the chequered flag.
Meanwhile, Scott Redding had put in a determined ride and had moved ahead of O’Halloran and Lee Jackson to claim fourth place for the Hager PBM Racing Team.
Max Cook was seventh on his return to action ahead of Danny Kent, whilst Josh Brookes and Ilya Mikhalchik completed the top ten.
ZYN British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park, Race One result:
- Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha)
- Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing) +2.346s
- Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Racing) +3.237s
- Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati) +7.257s
- Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing UK) +9.171s
- Lee Jackson (DAO Racing Honda) +9.341s
- Max Cook (AJN Steelstock bimota) +11.162s
- Danny Kent (Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha) +16.662s
- Josh Brookes (DAO Racing Honda) +23.137s
- Ilya Mikhalchik (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Superbike Team) +27.519s
For the full result please click here.
ZYN British Superbike Championship standings:
- Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing) 364
- Scott Redding (Hager PBM Racing Team) 313
- Bradley Ray (McAMS Yamaha) 257
- Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Racing) 237
- Ryan Vickers (Honda Racing UK) 199
- Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha) 191
- Max Cook (AJN Steelstock bimota) 181
- Christian Iddon (Sencat Racing Yamaha) 123
- Glenn Irwin (Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing) 111
- Lee Jackson (DAO Racing Honda) 111