Bradley Ray continued his recent good form with two podium finishes as the showdown got underway in the British Superbike Championship last weekend.

Assen was the curtain raiser for the traditional end of season races, where the points ramp up for the podium finishes.

Ray rode from 13th on the grid in race one on Saturday to an excellent fifth place. Before following that up with two second place finishes on Sunday in some excellent racing with Kyle Ryde, Scott Redding and Ryan Vickers.

A small crash in the opening stages of Pre-Qualifying left the 29-year-old eleventh at the chequered flag, scraping into Qualifying 2 by the skin of his teeth. With the issue diagnosed and clear pace already on the board, the R1 crew headed into race day in confident spirits.

The challenges continued as Saturday got underway. Despite further adjustments to the R1, tricky wet conditions and a mis-judged tyre choice in Qualifying 2 left Ray thirteenth on the grid for the weekend’s opening race.

Despite a shaky start that saw him slip to sixteenth early on, Ray fought his way back through the field with real determination, picking off eleven riders to bring home a fifth-place finish.

That opening-race charge also earned him a spot on the second row for Sunday’s Sprint, giving the team plenty to smile about after a trying Saturday at the Dutch circuit.

Sunday afternoon’s 12-lap Sprint Race was delayed and shortened after a technical failure on Rory Skinner’s R1 triggered a red flag before the lights had even dropped.

Starting from fourth on the grid for the reduced 10-lap race, Ray made his intentions clear early, passing Ryan Vickers on Lap 3 to move into podium contention. He set the fastest lap of the race that same lap, banking pole position for the weekend’s final race with a 1:36.060 – but he wasn’t finished yet.

Chasing down Scott Redding and Kyle Ryde ahead of him, Ray began eating into the gap to second place, taking tenths at a time off Ryde before completing the pass on Lap 7 as rain began to fall. Worsening conditions then brought out the red flag on Lap 8, handing Ray and the team an early but well-earned runner-up finish.

The third and final race of the weekend produced a sensational three-way battle between Ray and rivals Ryde and Redding, ultimately ending with Ray claiming second place to cap off the weekend with a double podium.

Starting from pole position, the McAMS Yamaha R1 rider remained in the front fight throughout, slipping back to second in the early stages before applying pressure on Ryde ahead.

Showing clear intent to pass and take control of the race, Ray made several attempts on the lead. The #28 rider worked hard to make an overtake stick, but once ahead, struggled to keep Ryde at bay for more than a few corners, as Redding watched the pair trade positions from third.

With the front three running elbow to elbow as the pack began the final lap, the win was anyone’s for the taking. Overtaken by Redding and now sat in third, Ray rode with intent while Redding pushed Ryde hard for the lead.

A last-gasp dive for victory at the final chicane didn’t pay off for Redding, who ran wide and compromised his drive to the line. The McAMS Yamaha rider seized his chance on the run to the flag, storming through to claim second place after 17 laps of intense battle.

The season heads to Donington Park for the penultimate round in two weeks time, with Ray still third in the championship.

Speaking after the weekend, Ray said: “Our weekend at Assen started really well. We had a small dip on Saturday with some issues which hindered our form in qualifying.

“The pace has been there all weekend, and to get a double podium finish on Sunday is a great feeling. We were in the fight for victory throughout the whole of the final race – I tried to get past Kyle numerous times but just couldn’t make the pass stick. Fair play to him today, he rode well.

“Overall, I’m happy with the performance of the bike. We’ve shown that over the last few rounds we’ve made a step forward and been able to take the fight to the front.

“We’ve maximised everything this weekend, and I’m already looking forward to Donington Park, where we can pick up where we left off. A big thanks to the team for all of their efforts.”

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