BSB: Mackenzie Becomes Sixth 2020 Winner in Silverstone

Tarran Mackenzie clinched his second career victory at the Silverstone National Circuit and became the sixth different winner of the 2020 BSB campaign.

The Yamaha rider just fought off a late challenge from Kyle Ryde who had to settle for runner-up while Jason O’Halloran rounded out the podium.

Glenn Irwin extended his championship lead to 30 points over Tommy Bridewell. Christian Iddon sits third, a further seven points adrift.

Danny Buchan (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) took the holeshot from pole and led into Turn 1 from Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing), Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) and Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing).

The two factory Hondas went into the race with great pace and had moved into a 1-2 lead by the end of the second lap. Behind them, Buchan had been claimed by O’Halloran and was coming under intense pressure from Kyle Ryde (Buildbase Suzuki) and Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) who had swiftly made their way up the pack.

On Lap 5, Glenn Irwin grabbed the lead from his brother and the Hondas started to pull away from the field. O’Halloran was running lonely in third, but paint was being swapped for fourth. Buchan, Ryde and Mackenzie exchanged positions multiple times with the Suzuki eventually coming out top and leading the chase on O’Halloran.

Ryde took the Australian for third on Lap 8 and left him under attack from his teammate Mackenzie. Two laps later O’Halloran had to surrender the position but stayed with Ryde and Mackenzie to edge ever closer on Andrew Irwin who was starting to lose touch to his brother.

On Lap 11 Mackenzie made his way past Ryde and closed right on Andrew Irwin. The Scotsman was running at superior pace and it seemed a question of when rather than if he would make a move on the Honda.

Mackenzie took his chance only a lap later and pulled out of the slipstream down Wellington Straight to take second place and now had his sight firmly set on Glenn Irwin in the lead. Ryde and O’Halloran were still running untroubled in fourth and fifth respectively while Buchan had fallen into the clutches of the Vision Track Ducatis of Christian Iddon and Josh Brookes.

Andrew Irwin pushed hard to keep up with the front runners, but a mistake into Brooklands took him wide off the track and he dropped down to eighth.

Unfazed by the excursion behind him, Mackenzie pounced at Copse going into Lap 16 and took the lead off Glenn Irwin. It got worse for Irwin who now had a determined looking Ryde for company that challenged him hard for second.

Ryde made a move stick on Lap 22 and claimed Irwin at Copse. While Ryde went on to gradually reduce the gap Mackenzie had pulled out, Irwin was now under pressure from O’Halloran who took the final podium spot off him a lap later.

Ryde was chipping away on Mackenzie’s advantage and got mighty close to the Yamaha, but Mackenzie had the margin he needed to clinch victory by just over a tenth over a second. The result marks the second win of his BSB career with his first triumph also coming at Silverstone in 2019. Despite having to settle for runner-up, Ryde celebrated his first BSB podium finish and became the eighth different rider to stand on the rostrum this season. O’Halloran came home in third and secured the first ever double podium for McAMS Yamaha.

Glenn and Andrew Irwin finished in fourth and fifth respectively while Brookes prevailed in a close scrap to clinch sixths ahead Lee Jackson (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki), Iddon and Buchan. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing) had fought his way through from last on the grid and rounded out the top 10.

Luke Mossey (Rich Energy OMG Racing) was 11^th from Bradley Ray (Synetiq BMW Motorrad) and Hector Barbera (Rich Energy OMG Racing). Peter Hickman (Global Robots BMW) crossed the line in 14^th and Ryan Vickers took the final point on offer in 15^th.