Bradley Ray had another solid weekend in the British Superbike Championship penultimate round at Donington Park.

A weekend best result of a third place in Saturday’s opening race of the weekend, was followed up with two solid fourth place finishes on Sunday afternoon.

It does mean that Ray can mathematically win the title at Brands Hatch following the retirement of Kyle Ryde in race three, but it is quite the challenge for the 2022 champion. He is 104 points behind with 105 available across the weekend.

The team’s opening day at Donington Park was a challenging one, but Ray pushed hard to finish fourth in Pre-Qualifying, securing his place in Saturday’s Qualifying 2 with a best lap of 1:27.245. 

Carrying that intent into Saturday, Ray and the team ended the final Free Practice session in sixth, building confidence ahead of the crucial Qualifying 2 session. The 29-year-old then set his fastest lap of the weekend, a 1:26.804, to take a front-row spot in third and put himself right in the fight for the opening race. 

The R1 rider made a strong start to the 20-lap race, moving from third into the lead in the opening stages. Vickers passed him at the Esses on Lap 4 to demote him to second, and Kyle Ryde took another position on the following lap, leaving Ray third. 

From there, the #28 rider held firm to protect the final podium place, crossing the line after 20 laps to claim his seventeenth podium finish of the year. His fastest lap of 1:27.226 secured fourth on the grid for the shorter Race 2. 

Sunday’s Sprint Race was a static affair for Ray and the team, who started from fourth on the grid and finished fourth at the flag after 12 laps. The McAMS Yamaha rider demonstrated great consistency throughout the charge – pushing in his fastest Sector 1 time of the weekend – an 18.549 on Lap 6.  

Despite his best efforts to challenge Vickers for the podium, the R1 rider simply couldn’t get close enough to produce an overtake – crossing the line just 0.1 seconds behind podium contention. 

The final 20-lap race of the weekend delivered Ray with more of the same – finishing fourth yet again as a red flag on the penultimate lap of the race brought the charge to an early end. Heading to the final round at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time, the #28 rider sits third in the standings with still plenty more left to fight for.  

Speaking after the weekend, Ray said: “I’m content with my and the team’s weekend at Donington Park. Sunday was tricky, and I feel we have more potential than the results reflect.

“Our pace was there at the start of each race, but especially in the colder conditions, we suffered with a bit more wheelspin. We have a little work to do ahead of Brands Hatch, but overall, it hasn’t been a bad weekend.

“We should be strong for the final round of the year, and we’ll try to finish the season with some podiums.” 

Images courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/CamipixPhotography