2023 British Superbikes Donington Park Race Results (3)
Results from race three, round ten of the 2023 Bennetts Superbike Championship as the Showdown round drew to a close at Donington Park.
There was more drama as Jason O’Halloran broke away out front, with Leon Haslam seeing his bike let go to bring out the red flag again in a shortened third race to close out Donington Park’s Showdown round.
The wet race saw Kyle Ryde start from pole but immediately head the wrong way. The focus at the time was on Glenn Irwin, who had a terminal issue on his bike and didn’t make it around turn one.
It was O’Halloran who took advantage and looked comfortable on the sodden track as the rain continue to drip down, leaping into the lead from second on the front row.
The McAMS rider never looked back, with his lead at one point at over five seconds, the Yamaha man picked up his fifth win of the season by 6.936s as the man in second was forced to bow out early.
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Red Flag for Haslam
It was Leon Haslam who held that place. The red flag came out on lap 16 when a big plume of smoke suddenly exploded from the Rokit BMW. Hoping he could still be classified he brought the bike back, with Ryde helping him around, but it was not to be, frustrating given the amount of progress it would have brought to the #91’s title charge.
That saw Christian Iddon up into second for Oxford Products Ducati. The #21 gave chase and caught Haslam at one point, only to suffer big visibility issues, with visor fogging adding to the limited view ahead in the rain.
Josh Brookes was elevated to the final podium spot, his best result since Snetterton, where he took two podiums, both second places. Brookes had started ninth but had his FHO Racing BMW working better than it had all weekend, with a lot of the issues less apparent in the wet.
Rookie Charlie Nesbitt had nothing to lose so took risks to come through from eleventh for a fourth place finish with MacterMac Honda by Hawk Racing.
He pulled clear of Jack Kennedy, who had hinted he could run well in the wet in warm-up, finishing fifth as he won his long battle with Storm Stacey, the Starline Kawasaki racer having to settele for sixth.
Peter Hickman picked off places to climb to seventh on the second FHO racing entry and was closing on the duo ahead as he recorded a record 435 race start in BSb, taking over from Michael Rutter for the most appearances.
Lee Jackson was the last of a long line of riders to pass Tommy Bridewell, ninth for Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki.
Bridewell fails to capitalise fully on Irwin exit.
Glenn Irwin may have been out with a bike issue but his rivals did not gain as much advantage as they could have in his absence.
Halsam's dash was halted by his bike failure and Bridewell sank like a stone, with rider after rider passing the BeerMonter bike with relative ease, as he struggled to reply on his Ducati.
The #46 was just starting to get to grips with the race, having set some personal best laps, when it ended abruptly, leaving him ninth, just ahead of Davey Todd in tenth for Milwaukee BMW
Kyle Ryde was an even more distant 12th after he too went the wrong way from pole on the Lami OMG Yamaha.
Spint race podium finisher Luke Mossey was seven seconds ahead of him in eleventh after making up the most places in the race, from 24th on the grid for Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW.
The rest of the points available went to Niccolo Canepa in 13th with McAMS yamaha, Franco Bourne, who came through from last to finish 13th on the Marvel HCL Honda he rode this weekend, with Tom Neave 15th for Honda UK.
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Official British Superbike Donington Park Records:
Lap Record: Leon Haslam (BMW) 1m 27.593s (2023)
2022 at Donington Park:
Round Three - pole: Jason O’Halloran (2nd Bradley Ray, 3rd Kyle Ryde)
Race One:
1:Kyle Ryde
2:Jason O’Halloran
3:Bradley Ray
Race Two:
1:Jason O’Halloran
2:Bradley Ray
3: Lee Jackson
Race Three:
1:Jason O’Halloran
2:Bradley Ray
3:Lee Jackson
Round Ten (Showdown) - pole: Jason O’Halloran (2ndBradley Ray , 3rd Tom Sykes)
Race One:
1:Tom Sykes
2:Jason O’Halloran
3:Peter Hickman
Race Two:
1:Tom Sykes
2:Bradley Ray
3:Glenn Irwin
Race Three:
1:Bradley Ray
2:Andrew Irwin
3:Glenn Irwin
2023 At Donington Park (Round Three)
Pole: Kyle Ryde (2nd Leon Haslam 3rd Jason O’Halloran)
Race One:
1: Kyle Ryde
2: Tommy Bridewell
3: Leon Haslam
Race Two:
1: Jason O’Halloran
2: Ryan Vickers
3: Josh Brookes
Race Three:
1: Kyle Ryde
2: Tommy Bridewell
3: Glenn Irwin
Last round - Oulton Park (Showdown)
Pole: Tommy Bridewell (2nd Glenn Irwin, 3rd Kyle Ryde)
Race One:
1: Glenn Irwin
2: Lee Jackson
3: Leon Haslam
Race Two:
1: Glenn Irwin
2: Lee Jackson
3: Kyle Ryde
Race Three:
1:Tommy Bridewell
2: Glenn Irwin
3: Lee Jackson
Crashes and Injuries and replacements
Joining Haslam and Irwin out of the race were his brother Andrew Irwin on his return form injury, Alex Olsen, Michael Dunlop and race one winner Ryan Vickers.
Both Hector Barbera and Danny Buchan were absent with injury. Buchan will miss the rest of the season, while Barbera was declared unfit after a fall on Friday.
Where does that leave the championship?
The third race shook up the title standings. Bridewell takes over at the top heading back to Brand Hatch with a total of 368.
Irwins DNF sees him leave as he started on 360.5, now 7.5 points behind, but had results gone differently in the final race the damage could have been much worse.
Ryde remains third on 333, now 35 behind Bridewell, with Leon Haslam still fourth after exiting in second, 41 adrift.
The win sees O’Halloran move on to 324.5, now 50.5 away and still in with a hope of the title.
Mathematically, Josh Brookes and Christian Iddon can still win the crown with the points on offer at the last round if results were to go their way.
