After securing third place in Race 1 at the Donington British Superbike (BSB) event, Bradley Ray was unable to reach the podium in the two races on Sunday. The McAMS Yamaha rider had strong starts in both races and was initially in contention for a podium finish but gradually slipped back, ending in fourth place in both Race 2, which was 12 laps, and Race 3, a 20-lap race shortened by one lap following Glenn Irwin’s accident.
Reflecting on his weekend, Ray revealed that a persistent lack of rear grip affected his performance, and the setup adjustments made for the final race actually worsened his tire wear. Nonetheless, he considered the overall weekend a positive progression compared to the earlier round at Donington in May.
“It was a good weekend overall,” Ray told Crash.net after the final race. “Comparing to the start of the season here at Donington, I think we definitely made progress. This track appears to favor Ducati and Bimota teams. On low-grip surfaces right now, we struggle to create mechanical grip, which makes the middle to later stages of the race tough. Plus, with the Yamaha, we lack outright drive out of the corners, so we’re missing a bit there.”
He added, “We made a change for that last race, but because the temperature dropped, this adjustment actually increased tire wear, which made things tricky. Still, a third place and two fourth-place finishes are decent results. We scored solid points and I was the top Yamaha rider all weekend.”
Looking ahead, Ray said, “Brands Hatch is next with three races remaining, and I’m still third in the championship. It would be great to maintain that position by season’s end. While winning is the ultimate goal, this is the best effort we could put in this weekend and I believe we made the most of it.”
Fan Take: Bradley Ray’s resilience and steady progress at Donington show that despite technical struggles, he’s a serious title contender, making the final rounds at Brands Hatch must-watch events. This highlights how critical bike setup and tire management are in the BSB, adding drama and unpredictability to the championship battle.
Source: www.crash.net
