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Breakthrough Weekend at Donington

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Ryan is back on the box!

After heavy rain Thursday and into Friday morning at Donington Park it meant that Friday’s opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship session got underway in damp but drying conditions.
Ryan waited for the perfect moment to head out in Friday morning’s session, only completing five flying laps with a best time of 1:36.020. The afternoon session was positive too, he worked hard with his side of the garage and improved his times during the 40-minute session, finishing the day’s sessions in 2nd place. 

Saturday proved a frustrating day, struggling with front end issues throughout the 15-minute session of Qualifying and pushing hard but could only secure a 1:28.224 which left him in 11th.
Confident of his race pace, he made a good start, making up places, and quickly settled into the group. Holding onto 6th place at the midway stage, a late-charging Danny Kent demoted him back to 7th.
Best Lap time 1:28.338 on lap 14.

On Sunday, after making more changes overnight, Ryan instantly looked happier on his R1 and set sights on two strong results. Making a strong getaway from his 10th position grid slot, Vickers settled into the 12 Lap sprint. Battling his way through to 7th, he was unable to make a pass on Iddon and was forced to settle for the position before a track-limits time penalty pushed him back to 11th. Very frustrating. 
Best Lap time 1:27.843 on lap 10.

With another change made to the bike for Race 3, Vickers made a strong getaway from 7th and immediately looked more assertive. Up for the fight, he continued his surge forward, picking off Leon Haslam, Iddon and Andrew Irwin by Lap 7. With Bridewell in his sights, he muscled his way through and began working towards Danny Kent and Kyle before the red flag halted his progress. 
Best Lap time 1:27.970 on lap 6.

Ryan Vickers
Race 1: 7th | Race 2: 11th | Race 3: 3rd
Championship: 5th (265 points)
What a weekend! 
A tough one for us. We started off with some issues that halted our progress.

Finally, on Sunday, we started to eliminate the problems and coming into race three I had a good enough bike to fight for the win I believe.

Starting off in P7, I had to be quite aggressive to make up places to close up with Kyle and Danny, who were already setting a good pace themselves. I pushed on, I really pushed hard and reeled them in. Kyle has been really strong this weekend and to show that we were strong in that last race was great. To bring it home in P3 was amazing.

Thanks to the team, we all tried our hardest but we didn’t drop our heads or give up we kept on pushing, kept on trying to resolve the issues and we came away with a podium. We should be proud of this, it’s a shame because we should be there every race but this means we hit the ground running for Brands Hatch and fight for the wins in every race.

Thanks to everyone for their messages and support!

Rollercoaster Cadwell

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Rollercoaster Weekend for Ryan

Bringing the momentum from the previous two rounds, Ryan set the pace in the Official Test session on Friday at Cadwell Park, producing a 1:25.914 lap time on lap 35, leaving him clear of his rivals by +0.566 and the only rider to break into the 25’s. 
On Saturday, blustery wind and rain arrived but didn’t damper the spirits for Ryan. He went straight out and set a good pace, sitting P3 for most of FP1 and topped the times in FP2 with a 1:37.026, meaning he went straight into the OMOLOGATO Superpole session on Sunday. 

Sundays changeable weather meant the Superpole was changed into a standard Qualifier. Ryan crashed out without setting a lap time and was joined by Tommy Bridewell a lap later. The pair would start back on Row 5 later on that day. 
Starting from the fifth row in Race One, he made a great start, but his luck again ran out when he had to retire due to a technical issue starting on lap 2. No lap time recorded, he would be further back on the grid for Race Two on Monday.  
The weather had finally settled in time for the Sprint Race, Race Two. Starting from P20 and cut through the pack, by the seventh lap was running in the top eight, moving up to seventh a lap later before hitting sixth with a move on Jason O’Halloran on Lap Nine. Ryan’s fastest lap was 1:26.079 on lap 6, putting him on the front row of the grid for Race Three. 

Finally on the front row for Race Three alongside teammate Kyle and Charlie Nesbitt. They all got a great start and Ryan sat comfortably in 3rd. On the second lap, RV took P2 from Nesbitt and moments later passed Ryde, setting a blistering pace as he crossed the line into Lap Three. Unfortunately, it was to be short lived, as he crashed out at Coppice seconds later. 

Ryan Vickers
Race 1: DNF | Race 2: 6th | Race 3: DNF
Championship: 5th (208 points)
“We were strong all weekend and showed that from the first night at the test. We then had bad luck from there, crashing in qualifying, a technical issue in the first race and having to start 20th for the sprint. We came through the field in the 12-lap race, which was good, finishing sixth and getting a front-row start. We had a great pace all weekend and even had a little in hand. 

The final race was on me, I needed to get up to a good pace, and let the race build before pushing on and trying too hard but I increased the pace and pushed too hard far too soon, resulting in the crash. It’s something I take away from the weekend and learn from. 

I have to apologise to the team because they’ve worked really hard all weekend, but we have to bounce back now.

Congratulations to Kyle and the team on a strong weekend for him, winning King of the Mountain and the Cadwell 90 Trophy.”

Lucky Number 7!

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Lucky Number 7!

After an amazing Brands Hatch weekend with the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team, Ryan was excited to carry on the momentum at Round 7 at Thruxton in Hampshire. 
 

Ryan set the pace in the opening session on Friday and one of only two riders to test the SC0 tyre during the opening session. He set a good benchmark with a 1m:16.037s lap time. For the second session, he wanted to focus on Saturday and Sunday’s races, completing a race run. However, opting to carry out his qualifying run in the opening session, Ryan left himself having to go into Q1 in Saturdays Qualifiers.

 

On Saturday, Ryan made a strong start in the opening Qualifying session, setting a 1:14.788 on his first lap to see him safely through to Q2. Having to use the same rear tyre, Ryan went out for Q2, securing a fourth-place start for the afternoon’s 20-lap race.

Starting from the second row in Race One, Ryan didn’t make the best of starts, but he had a game plan. He sat back in the leading group and was able to save his rear tyre for the late attack. With three laps remaining, he worked his way onto the podium, a last lap battle with Kent put that in jeopardy, but his manoeuvre in the last chicane gave him a P2, +0.168s behind his teammate Kyle and 16 very valuable points. 

 

In Sprint Race, Race Two, Ryan started from P16 and got away fairly well up into P10 , a second lap crash in the pack resulted in a Safety Car, meaning any form of tyre management would go out the window in the five-lap sprint. Ryan pulled the pin knowing he had to move forward the leading pack. setting purples in sectors 3 and 4, and made his assault. A triple overtake at Church was enough to have us leaping from our seats. The rest was a blur and with only Max ahead, a small mistake cost Cook the lead and Ryan took full advantage, Vickers crossed the line to claim victory by +0.531 seconds.

With a sensational 1:14.949 lap in the Sprint Race placed Ryan on Pole for Race Three. He had a race plan and stuck to it, meaning he fell back into the chasing pack, but he knew what he had to do. His pace was good, without losing the tyre early on, so he moved up and retook the lead after 5 laps and despite pressure from the chasing bunch, was able to stay focused and crossed the line +0.150s ahead of Kent and McConnell.

Ryan Vickers
Race 1: 2nd  | Race 2: 1st | Race 3: 1st
Championship: 5th (198 points)
“It’s been a strong weekend for us and the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Team, taking two wins today.

It was always going to be difficult starting 15th in what was planned to be a ten-lap race, but it’s even harder to go from 15th to 1st in six laps! I’m really happy with how I rode in that race, I attacked in the right places at the right time and managed to pick up a handful of positions each lap and eventually took the lead when Max Cook had a moment ahead. The last lap I just pushed, hit my markers and brought it home. The final race of the weekend didn’t actually go to my plan because I hit the front early on. I could see Billy was quick but it maybe wasn’t coming quite as easy. I got by and just chipped the laps off. Had a bit of a moment on the final corner, but it’s all good and I’m delighted to take the lucky number seven R1 to a seventh win of 2024. I’m now looking forward to continuing this form on to Cadwell Park over the Bank Holiday weekend. 

Thanks to everyone for their support as always, it means so much. ”

TRIPLE TREAT FOR VICKERS!

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KING OF BRANDS!

Ryan and the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team were heading to ‘Round 6’ at Brands Hatch in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, a special place for Ryan as he took his first win there in the wet in 2023.

Friday’s conditions were perfect. Excited to start his weekend, Ryan got off to a strong start by setting the fastest time at the beginning of the first session. After making some adjustments to his R1, Vickers went back out on the track and improved his time to 1:26.561, finishing the first part of the session in the lead.

In FP2, the team made some changes, trying some new settings with the rear allowing Ryan to break the 1:25 barrier ending the day in P3 overall but straight into Q2 the following day. 

Saturday’s qualifying session went to plan as Ryan showed his intention, holding the provisional pole in the early stages. An amazing 1:25.061 confirmed back-to-back pole positions after smashing to the top spot in Snetterton a round prior.

Starting from pole position in Race One, Ryan held the lead into Paddock Hill bend and instantly found his groove. An unfortunate crash for Kent behind left him clear at the front of the pack and he continued to extend his lead lap-by-lap. Ryan, the only rider to consistently lap in the mid 1:25s up until lap 18, and with a comfortable nine-second lead, he brought his Yamaha R1 home +7.334 seconds clear of the field, marking his first victory since Navarra at the start of the season.

In Race Two, Ryan started battling with Bridewell and Iddon. He fell behind the two before making a fantastic double pass into Hawthorn’s bend to regain the lead. He continued pushing ahead on the clear track until the race was temporarily stopped due to an accident involving  Hedger. Despite this interruption, Ryan managed to make another strong start from pole position, securing his second win of the weekend he crossed the finish line +1.188 ahead of his rivals.

In Sunday’s final race, Ryan once again took the lead into Paddock Hill bend, leaving the rest of the group to chase after him. He continued to increase his lead with each lap and crossed the finish line to secure another impressive victory +3.073 ahead, completing an incredible hat-trick at Brands Hatch.

Ryan and the OMG team will enjoy a short break before heading to the fastest circuit on the calendar, Thruxton, for Round 7 of the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

Ryan Vickers
Race 1 : 1st  | Race 2: 1st | Race 3: 1st
Championship: 6th (146 points)
“It’s been a fantastic weekend at Brands Hatch! I started the weekend strong on Friday, winning on Saturday and then winning two races on Sunday. There are not many riders who’ve done the treble here, so it’s nice to be included in that list! Thank you to the team, because they gave me an amazing bike this weekend. 

I go away not only with the three wins but named ‘Rider of the Round‘ and ‘King of Brands‘ so I’m going home a very happy guy!”

Mixed weekend at Snetterton

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Ryan and the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team were looking forward to Round 5 at Snetterton, Ryan’s home race in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. 

 

On Friday, he was eager to get out onto the 2.9-mile circuit for his first run in Free Practice 1. Ryan wasn’t happy with how the bike felt so the team made some changes ready for FP2. His confidence grew setting 3 laps under the 1:48 mark, with his fastest lap at 1:47.734. 

 

Ryan made his mark in qualifying on Saturday, setting a 2m:05.868s lap time +0.199s ahead of nearest rival Billy McConnell in very wet conditions. 

Starting Race One in P1, Ryan got a mega start, running full wet tyres, but with a drying track, the riders behind, with different tyre strategies, started pulling him back in. The race was red-flagged due to an incident on lap 9 when Skinner crashed out. 

On the 5-lap restart, Ryan had wheelspin as he went to shift to second gear and ended back in 15th by turn 1. Finding it hard to see the riders around him due to the spray, he kept focused and moved back up to P9. 

On Sunday, the day started dry and during the morning warm-up, Ryan was in the zone and had the settings where he wanted. 

In the sprint race, Ryan got away well and moved up to 3rd place. However, another red-flag incident and light rain halted his progress and he didn’t get such a good start in the restart and got pushed back into a pack of riders. He could not make his way forward as effectively as he did earlier, finishing P7. 

In the last race, he kept up himself at the back of the leading pack until half-race distance when a small mistake whilst defending his line against Irwin cost him a place, frustrating, but more points on the board for Vickers.

It wasn’t quite the homecoming race weekend that Ryan had hoped for, but it was three strong rides to secure his first points since Oulton Park.

Ryan Vickers
Race 1: 9th | Race 2: 7th | Race 3: 8th
Championship: 8th (92 points)
“It’s been a tough weekend really for me at Snetterton. I had hoped for a little bit more but three top tens were all I could get this weekend. Race 1 I was unlucky with the red flag and then had the wheel spin off the line on the restart. Today I just struggled a bit too much when the tyre dropped off which is a bit frustrating. But, I gave it my all and left everything out there and we’ll come back stronger with the lessons learnt here this weekend at Brands Hatch in two weeks.”

A torrid time in Scotland for Vickers

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We are leaving Knockhill after a weekend Ryan will want to forget!  

Ryan felt really good on Friday, coming back from injury on such a physically demanding track, he was happy with how it was all coming together.  

On Saturday, he had qualified P4 on the grid for race one in a good qualifying session but with the torrential rain and delays in the race start in the afternoon, everything went from bad to worse when he crashed out whilst catching Cristian Iddon in P6. Not ideal. 
Fortunately, his lap time had placed him P4 for Race Two, so in a good place to score points or challenge for a podium.

Unfortunately, overnight, Ryan was struck by a sickness bug and the doctor diagnosed it as a possible ‘Norovirus,’ this meant he was not fit to race in Sunday’s Races Two and Three. 

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
“I want to thank the OMG team for their patience this weekend. They had everything in place for me to get back to where we wanted to be, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out. The next round is my home round at Snetterton, and I will be more than ready to show my true potential and get back to fighting at the front on the OMG Racing Yamaha.

See you all there! “

Rollercoaster Weekend for Vickers 

by admin

After successful Round One at Navarra, Ryan felt relaxed and confident for Round Two of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship with the OMG Racing Yamaha team.
 

The Team arrived at Oulton Park for a two-day test Ryan wanted to make up for the lack of data from 2023 he worked with the team on some fine-tuning and adjustments to get him feeling that he had a bike ready for the race weekend.

His consistent lap times, put him in the top three and he was happy with the bike. 

Saturday morning, Ryan secured P3 over the FP1 and in FP2 he had a small fall at Hislop’s chicane but no damage was done and his lap time of 1:33.869 +0.247 from Tommy Bridewell, taking himself straight into Qualifying on Sunday.

He again, kept his pace and secured a front-row start in the closing moments of the session with a 1:33.659 leaving him starting alongside Irwin and Ryde for Race One later that day.

 

Race One 18 laps 
Ryan got another great start, taking the P1 into Old Hall, with Glen and Kyle behind.
Straight away settling settled into a good rhythm and looked comfortable with the pressure building behind. On lap 3 Irwin made his move up into P1 into Hislops.
Iddon tagged on with Kent and the pace increased, Ryan dropped back, defending to P5 to Kent, and on the final lap Kent got past RV into Shell Oils, undeterred, Ryan hit back and on the last corner of the race crossed the line P5.

Ryan’s fastest lap was 1:33.986 on lap 7.

Race Two 12 lap
A tough race for Ryan, didn’t get the start he wanted and found himself falling back into the chasing pack.
A few changes had been made overnight but the bike was not as it was during the test, leaving him crossing the line p9.

Ryan’s fastest lap was 1:33.955 on lap 2.

Race Three 18 Lap
Starting P5 row two, after getting a solid start Ryan was being held up by Haslam. Once he broke free, he set about chasing down the lead trio, Irwin, Iddon and Kent.
Taking 0.2 every lap he closed the gap whilst they were riding to defend. Ryan was relentless and took P3 from Danny in the closing stages of the last lap, the team were ecstatic seeing him hold off Kent for that podium spot.

Ryan’s fastest lap was 1:33.749 on lap 5.

What a rollercoaster weekend for Ryan and the team, after the frustrations of the first two races, securing points and a podium, was a reward for the hard work.

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha Position: Race One P5 | Race Two P9 | Race Three P3 |
“We started the test in a good place and I was very happy with the bike and the setup ready for the weekend. Managing a P3 in Qualifying, even though I was struggling a bit, put me back to P5 in the race. I struggled so badly on Monday in Race Two and we didn’t know why, the bike was doing some weird things which it hadn’t done in testing which confused us as we didn’t know what was going on. We changed a few parts and we figured out what was causing it, and then my bike was handling again. In the final race of the day, I felt like it was mine and I could ride to the full potential of the bike.

Fair play to the team, they didn’t stop working all weekend, so to come away with a podium in the last race was a reward for us all.

See you at Donington Park! “

RYAN REIGNS IN SPAIN!

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After successful pre-season testing, Ryan felt prepared for Round One of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship with the OMG Racing Yamaha team.

Showing his intentions on Saturday morning, Ryan took P1 with a 1:36.531 +0.001 from teammate Kyle in FP1, taking himself straight into Omologato Superpole later in the day.
A rather nerve-racking time, and not wanting to make any mistakes, Ryan set two fastest sectors but a mistake on turn 13 cost him time with a 1:36.648 lap time, putting him P2, 0.039 off pole, for Race One start on Sunday.

Race One 20 Laps 
A great start from Ryan, getting himself into P1 for turn one, with Ryde and Kent for company. Kyle took the lead on lap 4 and two laps later Ryan made a small mistake costing him P2 to Kent.
Ryan regrouped and closed the gap back to Kent and took back P2 a few laps later on lap 14, just his teammate ahead. Coming into lap 18, Ryan had the tow down the start-finish straight and timed his pass to perfection, overtaking Kyle with a big move into turn one and making it stick!
Ryan crossed the line P1 +1.364, with P2 for Kyle Ryde and P3 for Danny Kent.
His fastest lap of the race was on lap 19 1:37.092, putting him P6 for Race Two start.

Race Two 20 Laps 
Another strong start to get up to P3 from P6 and ahead of Irwin into turn one was exactly what Ryan needed. Coming into turn 2, he nearly caught the back of Danny Kent and had a moment, with Skinner having one too, but things settled down and on lap 3, Ryan had purple in all sectors, closing the gap to Danny and Kyle.
On lap 5 the leading three were starting to get away from the pursuing riders and on lap 7 Ryan moved up into P2, and then at the start of lap 8 took the lead into turn one from Kent. Kent came straight back at him and Ryan back to P2.
Finally, Ryan made his move into P1 at turn one, this time closing the door on Kent.
The following ten laps were consistent, keeping his head and the gap managed to Kent, +0.4, +0.5 and by lap 17 had taken it to +0.6. Again on lap 19, Ryan managed his fastest lap of the race, 1:37.002 and a gap of +0.7. Thank goodness he had, because on the last corner, he defended his line, taking it slightly tighter, dropped the front, only to save it ‘Marquez’ style, winning the race by a slender +0.277 to Danny Kent.

What a weekend for Ryan and the team, his first Double Win in BSB and the first of many we hope.

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha Position: Race One P1 | Race Two P1 

“Absolutely a ‘dream’ start to the 2024 season, couldn’t have asked for it to start in a better way, not only for me to take my first-ever dry victory but to do the double on a circuit that wasn’t great for me last year, was incredible.

The team have done a fantastic job with the setup up and I can’t thank them enough for everything. They have shown their 100% belief in me since the day I got on the bike for the first time. They have brought me on as a person and I am just so glad I have been able to reward them with the results that they deserve and to it in the way we did. 

So we leave Spain, taking the first double win and leading the British Superbike Championship and we will enjoy this moment and then set our sights on round two at Oulton Park.

Thanks to everyone for your support it’s been mega.”

Ryan.

NAVARRA OFFICIAL TEST

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Ryan Vickers arrived in Spain full of confidence after making a breakthrough with his 2024-spec package. Working closely with crew chief Dave and his team, the Norfolk rider tested several items and setups and completed back-to-back running to further boost the data gained to be ready for all scenarios ahead of this weekend’s season opener.

The team will enjoy a short break from track action, but there’s no rest for the wicked as it’s all systems go to prepare the bikes ready for free practice one on Saturday morning. This weekend will also feature the first ‘Superpole’ of the season before two action-packed races on Sunday.

 

 

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha Position: 3rd | Time: 1:36.697
“Navarra test has been amazing. We’ve had two bikes the whole time which has been mega so thanks to the team for working as hard as they have this winter. We found a direction at Donington, so our focus was to improve the set-up of the bike and we confirmed the last few parts which pretty much confirms our race bike. I feel fast on long runs and on one lap, which we haven’t done much of, but I feel good on the bike. I’ve changed the way I ride the bike, and managed to understand more about what the R1 needs from the rider to make the most of its strengths. We’ve done loads of laps over the last few days so the first session will be quite a fast one from the off. The weather is set to improve further over the next few days so we’ll need to understand how that changes the bike – but I’m confident regardless and ready to go racing!”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“Our pre-season has been exceptional for both Kyle and Ryan, who both look like they’ll be strong contenders this season. Kyle was fast at Donington and quickly got up to speed here, topping most of the sessions and being inside the top four in all five, which bodes well going forward. Ryan found his feet with the upgraded parts quite quickly at Donington and further improved his feeling with the R1 here at Navarra. The main thing is for both sides of the garage, the confidence is high heading into the start of the season, which we’re all very excited about.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“Navarra capped off a strong pre-season for the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team. Both riders feel comfortable on the bike and we as a team managed to collect a lot of data across various of the updated parts we had to test, which will help us throughout the season. The mood is good across the team and we’re all ready to go racing this weekend and aim to start the 2024 season on a high.”

 

POSITIVE START FOR VICKERS AT DONINGTON TEST

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OMG GRILLA Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde and Ryan Vickers enjoyed a strong and productive couple of days of testing, as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship officially got underway at Donington Park.  

Awesome two days at Donington Park for the first official test of the year. We had a lot of new stuff to try and few changes that we needed to evaluate on the electronics and got through more than we thought we would have. The bike feels great on both longer runs and one lap, even if we didn’t complete many time attacks. We found a package that I’m comfortable on and I’m looking forward to getting to Navarra now and continuing the momentum.

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner

“It was great to see both Kyle and Ryan back on their R1 and the first time we’ve had our 2024 colours on track. Testing is exactly what it says on the tin, so we know it isn’t quite the full story, but both our guys have shown they have the speed, finishing first and second in half of the sessions and first and third overall shows that we have a competitive bike under Kyle and Ryan. The team have worked incredibly hard on both sides of the garage and the spirits are certainly high heading to Navarra for the final test ahead of the opening round.” 

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“We’ve had a busy two days at Donington Park with a fair bit to get through, but we worked through everything we needed to and that’s a credit to everyone in the garage. Both Kyle and Ryan had two bikes at their disposal, a 2023 and 2024-spec bike with various differences including seat unit, tank and a lower seating position. We had a few other things to try too which some was positive and others we’ll revisit, but overall, it’s been a strong two days for us. Both Kyle and Ryan are comfortable on the R1 and we’re ready to get going again in Spain!”