British Superbikes - Cadwell Park: Buchan bounces back with double win

'King of the Mountain' Danny Buchan got hopes of a Showdown place back in his sights after a double race win on Sunday, with both performances on his SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad bike equally dominant.

Controlling each race from the front the BMW man looked impossible to beat over the Lincolnshire track, with Ray, who set the new pole record on Sunday, proving he too had pace, pushing him all the way.

"A qualifying lap every lap"

Speaking of the first race, where 0.815s to keep Ray at bay the #83 needed to treat every loop like a one lap time attack:

“It was literally like a qualifying lap every lap. I was just taking each lap as it came, you know, I knew once the fuel level dropped I was going to be competitive”.

This was even more true of the second race where, he blitzed ahead, though Ray looked comfortable in second to lead over the line by a sizeable 1.864s, something he was unable to achieve in the first race of the day as it ended under red flag conditions.

• 2022 British Superbikes Cadwell Park- Race Results (3)
• British Superbikes - Cadwell Park: Race one win from pole for dominant Ray
• 2022 British Superbikes Cadwell Park- Race Results (2)

The result did no harm to his Showdown charge, his 50 point haul pulling him to just 14 points short of the man currently sitting in eighth place, Kyle Ryde, who was 16th and pointless in race three.

Bradley Ray doubled up on the second places, adding a further 40 points to his overall tally. The Rich Energy OMG Yamaha rider admits his focus is now truly on gaining as many podium point as he can over his rivals for  the Showdown

“For me at the moment it’s just about podium credits, it’s a bit of a shame really, when you do all that work for second and you only gain three points back but it’s all about the show down at the moment".

Ray is one of three riders now confirmed for the showdown to the podium point tally is all important. The #28 gained a big advantage when Jason O’halloran failed to make the podium again today, Ray is now holding just two less than the Australian and takes over the lead in the overall standings at the same time.

“I’m having to just take what’s on offer”

Another rider with points firmly in their thoughts is Tommy Bridewell, Monday’s other double podium finisher. On 201 points in sixth, the Oxford Products Ducati rider should make it comfortably into the showdown but is off the pace he expects as he still cannot get the Ducati to act how he would like:

“I’m not quite at one with the bike to allow me to really experiment with force - I’m having to just take what’s on offer”.

Two thirds sees Bridewell moving in the right direction in the overall standings afrer Cadwell Park - he was eighth coming into the meeting.

“At the end of the day I’m doing the correct thing in beating the vital guys I need to to confirm the Showdown, that’s all I need to do at the minute’.

A third rider was confirmed for the Showdown this weekend with two more fifth places enough to see Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 rider Rory Skinner move into third with enough points to secure a place as he mixes his BSB races with wildcard appearances in Moto2.

His team-mate Lee Jackson was hoping for the same but instead suffered from the crash which brought out the red flag in race one, which lead to him being at the back of the grid and racing through to 14th in race two, only to then have a jump start in the final outing on track. He picked up the Fast Forward award for most places gained.

Yamaha also failed to dominate as they have done for much of the season - aside from Ray who was a rostrum regular, O’Halloran was the best of the rest of their riders in both race two and three finishing eight and ninth ahead of current title holder Tarran Mackenzie, who was eleventh and tenth at  circuit he calls a ‘bogey track’.

Championship standings after Cadwell Park:

Ray now leads the way with a total of 372 points and with 46 podium credits. After a lacklustre performance by his own very high standard this season O’Halloran drops to second with two podium points more to his name.

Skinner, moves ahead of Jackson into third with 241 (plus four podium points, Jackson holds 14).

Honda’s Glenn Irwin moves his overall tally onto 214 (16 podium points) while his double podium sees Bridewell climb up to sixth on 201.

He leapspast Tarran Mackenzie who pulled himself into contention after missing the beginning og=f the season, but could not get to grips with the twists and turns of the Lincolnshire track, so now sits seventh on 186 but with the third most podium credits with 24.

After injury on the opening day kept him off track at this round last season Kyle Ryde just hangs on to the final spot in eighth. His good form early in the season when he was a podium regular with team-mate Ray sees him hold twelve podium points.

Closing in after his dominant Cadwell display Danny Buchan is now just twelve points adrift heading to Snetterton with 164 and with eleven podium points under his belt.