Commanding Ray secures disrupted race one win | BSB Cadwell Park Race 1 Results

After smashing the lap record in Superpole, Bradley Ray started from pole position for the first BSB race or the weekend in Cadwell Park.

It was Ray who made the holeshot from pole position, and led the opening lap. However, the challenge came from Rory Skinner on lap two, as the FS-3 Kawasaki rider made his way through at the Gooseneck. 

Only a few corners later, though, the race was red flagged. Lee Jackson, Skinner's FS-3 teammate, crashed at the top of the Mountain, and both Takumi Takahashi and Dan Jones were totally unsighted. Takahashi and Jackson were both able to walk away, but Jones required the ambulance to take him to the circuit medical centre. He was conscious when he was taken to the circuit medical centre, and was flown out of the circuit to Hull hospital before the race restarted.

When the race restarted, it was originally planned to be run over 14 laps, but the length of the clean-up operation to mop up the spilled oil meant that it was reduced again to 12 laps. The grid was minus Lee Jackson, Dan Jones and Takumi Takahashi.

Once again it was a holeshot for Ray, ahead of Skinner and Danny Buchan, although the #83 lost out to Jason O'Halloran at Park Corner on the opening lap.

There was already a breakaway of four at the front at the end of lap two, while Tommy Bridewell was able to pass Tom Sykes for fifth at Park on lap three. That set Bridewell on course to close on the top four, and he set the fastest lap of the race on lap four.

By half-distance, Skinner was both losing time to Ray, and pulling away from O'Halloran, while Bridewell continued to pressure Buchan for fourth. However, it was Buchan who made the move, passing O'Halloran on lap seven for third place.

Ray maintained his advantage onto the final lap over Skinner. Similarly, Skinner held his advantage over Buchan, who was well clear of O'Halloran in third, and the #83 secured his first podium of the season. 

O'Halloran held onto fourth, ahead of Bridewell, Peter Hickman, Andrew Irwin, Leon Haslam, Glenn Irwin, and Josh Brookes who completed the top 10.

There was a late crash between Christian Iddon and Tom Sykes. Iddon tried to pass Sykes into Mansfield, but misjudged his line, had to straighten-up on the apex, and ran clean into the side of Sykes, who fell and was out on the spot. Iddon carried on and finished 15th.

Full Cadwell Park BSB race one results are below.

2022 British Superbike Championship (BSB) | Cadwell Park | Race 1 Results

Qualifying

Sunday in Cadwell Park saw the first appearance of the Superpole format in BSB for five years. The top 12 from Saturday's practice sessions had already booked their respective places for the one-lap shootouts, but the remaining 17 riders also had to decide their own positions on the grid for the first race of the weekend.

Qualifying would see the top three go through to Superpole to join the top 12 from Saturday's practice sessions. Glenn Irwin led the early stages. After topping the pre-race test on Friday, Irwin tried some things with the settings of his Honda on Saturday, which meant he had to go through qualifying. However, he set a 1:25.992 with his first lap of qualifying, after which he pitted. 

That proved enough for Irwin to go through, and he was joined by Peter Hickman and Tom Sykes in advancing to Superpole.

As the slowest of the three riders who went through to Superpole from qualifying, Tom Sykes was the first out on track for the pole position shootout. Surprisingly for a rider who was so strong over one lap in his World Championship career, it was a relatively messy lap from the #66, missing several apexes and losing the rear out of Mansfield. But he set a 1:25.998, which was by far the fastest he'd been all weekend. 

Hickman immediately bettered Sykes' time by 0.001 seconds with a 1:25.997. Again, the fastest he'd been all weekend, with most of his time made on Sykes in the final sector. 

Glenn Irwin went half-a-second slower than his fastest time in qualifying, leaving him disappointed, and his time was beaten by Tarran Mackenzie, who put himself in provisional third. 

Ryan Vickers was next out after Mackenzie, but he crashed, demonstrating the challenges of a Superpole format. Christian Iddon, out after Vickers, took the opposite approach by going relatively cautious. He was the slowest of those who had set a time after his lap.

Jason O'Halloran was the first rider to go into the top three since Mackenzie, displacing his teammate, before Andrew Irwin became the second rider to crash, this time at Mansfield. As Vickers, he was okay, but his qualifying was ruined.

After Irwin, Skinner got in hot to Mansfield, but he kept it under control, and went on to take provisional pole and a new outright lap record with a 1:25.715. Skinner was then joined by his teammate, Lee Jackson, in the provisional top two. The #14 was just 0.019 shy of Skinner's time.

Danny Buchan then placed himself in the top three with a 1:25.868, but was displaced by a stunning lap from Bradley Ray of 1:25.457, almost all of which was made in the final sector.

Only Tommy Bridewell remained to displace Ray from pole position, but he was only eighth, meaning Ray was confirmed on pole position.

Full Cadwell Park BSB qualifying results are below.

2022 British Superbike Championship (BSB) | Cadwell Park | Qualifying Results

FP2

FP2 saw a continuation of the good conditions of the morning, as riders looked to secure their respective places in Sunday's Superpole session.

Bradley Ray picked up in FP2 where he left off in FP1, by setting the fastest time of the early part of the session. In doing so, he increased his advantage over second-placed Takumi Takahashi to 0.389 seconds.

With 15 minutes to go, though, the time attacks began, with Tommy Bridewell hitting the top of the times by just over 0.1 seconds from Ray, just before crashing at the bottom of the Mountain. Danny Buchan followed Bridewell on that time-topping lap to third himself.

Bridewell's 1:25.989 proved enough to top the session, ahead of Ray and Buchan, who both improved towards the end and finished within 0.1 seconds of Bridewell's fastest lap. 

Lee Jackson was fourth on the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki, ahead of his teammate Rory Skinner, and Andrew Irwin who completed the top six. In seventh place was Leon Haslam, ahead of championship leader Jason O'Halloran, while Takumi Takahashi and Christian Iddon completed the top 10. The final two Superpole spots went to Ryan Vickers and reigning BSB champion Tarran Mackenzie.

Full Cadwell Park BSB combined Free Practice results are below.

2022 British Superbike Championship (BSB) | Cadwell Park | FP1 + FP2 Results

FP1

Perfect conditions greeted the British Superbike riders for the first practice session of the weekend in Cadwell Park. There had already been a BSB test on Friday, when Glenn Irwin was fastest for Honda, 0.062 seconds ahead of Leon Haslam.

The test was also the end of the weekend for Luke Mossey, whose injured shoulder was not strong enough to ride competitively. Mossey said in an Instagram post that he is hoping to be back for Snetterton.

By the time first practice got underway on Friday morning, it was clear that, for Haslam at least, the speed in the test was indicative. He led FP1 early on, before Brad Ray on the OMG Yamaha jumped to the top of the times, ahead of an impressive and surprising Takumi Takahashi.

All of the times were set early on in the session, before riders switched to thinking about race setup. It is also worth noting that this weekend will see the return of the "Superpole" qualifying format on Sunday afternoon, which means the emphasis on single-lap pace is amplified this weekend, especially at a track where passing is so challenging.

Furthermore, although there is no split qualifying (i.e. Q1 and Q2) the Superpole riders will be decided from Saturday practice, so fast laps today are still important.

Bradley Ray ended the first session of the weekend fastest, ahead of the aforementioned Takahashi, and Danny Buchan who completed the top three. Jason O'Halloran was fourth, ahead of Leon Haslam and Peter Hickman, who rounded out the top six. Meanwhile, Tommy Bridewell, Lee Jackson, Rory Skinner and Ryan Vickers completed the top 10 after FP1. 

Full results from Cadwell Park BSB Free Practice One are below.

2022 British Superbike Championship (BSB) | Cadwell Park | FP1 Results