Kyle Ryde recovers from “flustered” start for dominant BSB Donington Showdown win

Kyle Ryde had qualified on pole, but got a now characteristically poor start, probably the only weak part of any race for the reigning champion, but knuckled down and bounced back to pull away and collect maximum points in the first race at the return to Donington Park for the second of the BSB Showdown rounds.

Ryde explained to British Superbikes in their Podium Reactions interviews after the first race that he was “flustered” at the start of the race, but soon snapped out of it and gave chase to the now leaders, sat in fifth but still in the lead group:

“I’ll be the first to admit I was kind of flustered for the first two laps. Even Max caught me napping into the Old Hairpin and and at one point I was fifth.

So, the only reason, I thought, I’m going to have enough pace to keep up and fight at some point, but it was the first five laps that was worrying me with people behind. I thought if it all gaggles up, kind of into the hairpin - I was just getting a bit worried.

So as soon as Max came past, it actually helped me ‘cause I was like ‘right, you can’t be sat in fifth here, you’ve had a bit more pace than this all weekend”.

Tactically, the Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions rider shunned the more normal route of waiting to a preferred corner to pass, keen to get to the front of the race and out of danger, the Ducati man was passing people almost as soon as he met them on his local track, which mainly went cleanly, with the exception of passing Scott Redding:

“Then it was hard to get to the front to be honest. Had to make some moves that are difficult because everybody’s got new tyres and fighting for positions.

I can’t remember where I passed Max, but that was clean. But with Scott, I think we bang bars, twice.

He rode around the outside of me at the chicane and I passed him into the hairpin and he leant on me and my handlebar got stuck on his leg. So it was difficult . Once I got in third and Scott was behind me I tried my best to put a bike in between us and to pass Brad safely.

It was literally when you follow someone into Coppice, you kind of just break where they do. I went back to second and put a bike in between me and Scott, and from then on, I kind of relaxed”.

Last in line for a pass was Ryan Vickers, who pre-empted the first unusual effort at Craner Curves, only to succumb a few corners later. Once ahead, the championship leader tried to pull away, with a visible advantage over the final laps after digging deep, despite visibility issues, with a visor covered in flies:

It was difficult to pass Ryan. I tried to pass him around the outside at Craner and Eventually passed him at Starkey’s . From then on, I just got my head down, did what I could do, but it was just a tough race because the fly situation was difficult. I couldn’t see my pit board. I didn’t know where Scott was. I ran out of tear offs after about six laps, only had one.It’s been a great day, I got pole position and won that first race. I’m looking forward to a couple of dry races tomorrow.

After a succession of fastest laps in the race to lose the attention of Vickers, Ryde will again be on pole for the sprint, the first of tomorrow’s two races.