Irwin 14th as Ryde wins Thruxton BSB opener

Glenn Irwin finished second in the 2023 British Superbike championship

Northern Ireland's Glenn Irwin finished 14th in the opening British Superbike race of the weekend at Thruxton as Kyle Ryde took victory at the Hampshire circuit.

Ryde converted his pole position into a race win on his OMG Yamaha by coming out on top of a seven-way battle going into the final chicane.

Ryde's team-mate Ryan Vickers, who clinched a hat-trick at the previous round at Brands Hatch, was 0.16 seconds behind in second, with Kawasaki rider Jason O'Halloran third.

Championship leader Tommy Bridewell took fourth on his Honda and he now enjoys a 26-point lead over Ryde at the top of the series standings, with Irwin a further three points adrift.

Defending champion Bridewell's Honda Racing team-mate Andrew Irwin failed to finish.

There was success for Scott Swann from Northern Ireland in the National Superstock 100cc race as he won by 1.1 seconds from fellow Honda riders Luke Mossey and Tim Neave.

Eglinton's David Allingham came in fourth, with series leader Davey Todd fifth for the Cheshire Mouldings BMW by TAS Racing team.

Luke Stapleford won the Supersport opener, in which Dubliner Jack Kennedy was runner-up and Alastair Seeley from Carrickfergus third. Eugene McManus finished fifth.

Fourth-place finisher Ben Currie leads Kennedy by four points in the championship ahead of Sunday's action.