Danny Kent held his nerve under fierce pressure from his Bennetts British Superbike Championship rivals to clinch victory in Race Three at Thruxton, sealing his first-ever double win in the series for McAMS Racing Yamaha. The triumph came after a tense final-lap showdown with Bradley Ray, with the home crowd treated to one of the weekend’s most dramatic battles.
From the off, Ray launched into the lead, chased by Christian Iddon and Kyle Ryde, while Kent slotted into fourth. Leon Haslam, Andrew Irwin and Max Cook were also in the thick of the early exchanges until an incident at Cobb on lap three between Irwin and Cook dropped them down the order.
With track temperatures soaring, tyre management became critical. Ray set the pace, shadowed by Iddon, Ryde, Kent, Haslam and Charlie Nesbitt in a tightly packed leading group where no one could escape the slipstream.
Kent began to edge forward by lap nine, moving into third at Club, but Nesbitt – racing in front of his home fans – was pushing hard for a podium, swapping positions with Ryde. The reigning champion Ryde fought back into third by lap 11 and began to chase down Ray and Iddon.
Lap 12 saw Iddon snatch the lead with a brave move on the brakes into Club. Just a lap later, drama unfolded at the same corner as Kent pounced on Ryde. The Nitrous Competitions Yamaha rider was forced wide onto the kerb, costing him valuable time and dropping him to eighth.
At the front, Ray still held the advantage over Iddon and Kent, with Nesbitt and Scott Redding in pursuit. However, Redding slipped back in the closing stages, eventually finishing eighth.
Kent’s decisive charge came on the penultimate lap. First moving into second, he then grabbed the lead. Ray attempted a last-ditch pass into the final corner, but Kent held the tighter line out of Club to take a famous victory – and complete a dream weekend double.
Ray settled for second, with Iddon crossing the line in third to give AJN Steelstock Kawasaki their first podium of the season. Ryde and Nesbitt rounded out the top five.
Haslam finished sixth as the leading Ducati rider, ahead of Andrew Irwin, Redding, Cook, and Tommy Bridewell.
Our photographer, Daniel Ghita, was trackside at Thruxton to capture every heart-stopping moment, from the intense wheel-to-wheel battles to the celebrations. His stunning images bring the drama, speed, and emotion of the weekend to life.
Race Three – Top 10 Results:
- Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha)
- Bradley Ray (Raceways Yamaha) +0.196s
- Christian Iddon (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) +0.338s
- Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha) +0.512s
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +0.874s
- Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati Racing) +2.286s
- Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) +2.443s
- Scott Redding (Hager PBM Ducati) +3.461s
- Max Cook (AJN Steelstock Kawasaki) +3.787s
- Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) +4.219s
Championship Standings (Top 5):
- Bradley Ray – 260 pts
- Kyle Ryde – 234 pts
- Danny Kent – 170 pts
- Rory Skinner – 167 pts
- Leon Haslam – 163 pts
With just six points separating Ryde from leader Ray and Kent closing in fast, the title fight is shaping up for a spectacular second half of the season.
