BSB: Mackenzie takes Snetterton race 1 win

Round seven of the 2021 British Superbike Championship takes place this weekend at Snetterton. Glenn Irwin started from pole position for the first race of the weekend, having nailed a lap early on in qualifying.

It was Irwin who made the holeshot on the #2 Honda, ahead of Tarran Mackenzie and Andrew Irwin. The former Irwin led the first lap ahead of Mackenzie, the latter Irwin and Jason O’Halloran. That front four seemed to be edging away in the opening lap or two, but soon Lee Jackson brought the second group back to the leaders.

The group then was 10-strong, back to Peter Hickman, until an incident-a-piece for the Irwin brothers within the space of four corners broke the group. First, Glenn Irwin crashed at turn six, handing the lead to Jason O’Halloran who, previous to Irwin’s crash, had worked his way up from fourth to second. 

The crash of Glenn Irwin left a McAms Yamaha 1-2 at the front, and soon it was even more secure, as a bike issue for Andrew Irwin’s Synetiq BMW in the middle of the Bombhole section caused Lee Jackson to sit up in avoidance. Behind Jackson, Gino Rea was unsighted, ran into the back of Jackson, and was powerless to avoid crashing. Rea was livid, but he was also unaware of the situation that had occurred just ahead of him. 

The dual incidents for the Irwin brothers left O’Halloran out front from Mackenzie. The two Yamaha riders were right together, and there was over one second back to Tommy Bridewell in third place, who had for company both Lee Jackson and Josh Brookes. 

Bridewell was eventually able to start closing down the two leading Yamahas, especially after Mackenzie got to the front on lap eight. By the penultimate lap, Bridewell was in position to try to attack O’Halloran, but at turn four on the final lap he went wide, and that seemed as though it would cost him the chance at second place. 

While Bridewell was running wide, Mackenzie was pulling away at the front. He tightened up, though, in the final split, riding cautiously through turns eight and nine at the end of the Bentley Straight, which brought O’Halloran back to his rear wheel. Mackenzie was strong through Corrams, though, and extended his advantage slightly once more. O’Halloran was out of range to attack, and he was also safe from Bridewell behind, but Mackenzie went into the final defensive, and under-rotated the rear tyre. The #95 ran wide, and briefly it looked like O’Halloran might benefit in the same way as 2016, when his then Honda teammate Dan Linfoot ran wide on the exit of the final corner on the final lap and handed the #22 the win.

This time, though, Mackenzie held on, because when he ran wide, O’Halloran was forced to pick the bike up in order to avoid contact with his teammate. Letting out of the throttle cost him drive, and Bridewell seized the opportunity to take second place. 

That resigned O’Halloran to third place, but still the #22 added yet another podium point to his tally for the season. 

Just missing out on the podium fight was Josh Brookes, who beat Lee Jackson to fourth place. Ryan Vickers completed the top six, ahead of Peter Hickman, Rory Skinner, Brad Ray and Danny Buchan who completed the top 10. 

Dan Linfoot was 11th for TAG Racing Honda, ahead of Xavi Fores, Storm Stacey, Takumi Takahashi and Joe Francis who took the final point on his return to action having missed Cadwell Park through injury. 

Ryo Mizuno out-dragged Luke Stapleford for 16th on Stapleford’s return to Superbike action in place of the injured Danny Kent; while Dean Harrison was 18th ahead of the returning Kyle Ryde, and Bjorn Estment who completed the top 20. Billy McConnell was the final classified finisher in 21st.