MOTORBIKES: Reid climbs to fifth in British Supersport Championships

The Team Traction Control Yamaha rider finished fifth in the Sprint race but clinched his third podium in four races with a terrific ride to second place behind double winner Luke Stapleford in the Feature race.

Reid, who started from ninth place on the grid, fought his way through the pack and prevailed in an intense battle for the runner-up spot to bag 20 valuable points, putting the 21-year-old ahead of team-mate James Rispoli in the championship standings after seven rounds, who was unfortunate to crash out in the Feature race.

Reid had qualified on the front row in third for the Sprint race on Saturday but lost ground on the opening lap and was unable to make the break with the leading group, eventually crossing the line in a solid fifth.

However, the Jordanstown prospect ended the weekend on a high and is now relishing the next round at Cadwell Park, which takes place from August 21-23.

“It was pretty much what I needed to do in race two,” he said. “I was a bit annoyed on Saturday in the Sprint race because I sort of got messed up a bit on the first lap off the start and I ended up losing the tow of the front group. It was a bit of a lonely race after that riding around on my own. I was able to make a decent start from ninth place on the grid in the Feature race and I was able to chip away throughout the race and get into the fight at the front.

“I began to pick them off as the laps went down and at one point there was a lot of bumping and banging going on in front of me, so I decided to sit tight for a few laps and let them sort themselves out before I decided to start making a move. I got past Glenn Irwin and a few others and made my way up into fourth and from there I progressed to second. I just controlled my pace until the end of the race. There was a bit of an incident when Luke Hedger and Jake Dixon bumped into James Rispoli and brought him down and I got pushed wide by Glenn [Irwin] and couldn’t make the turn, so I had to go straight over the chicane.

“It actually worked in my favour a bit in the end and it was another good podium. Luke Stapleford was in a class of his own this weekend and the Triumph worked really well at Thruxton. We’re going to Cadwell next and hopefully we’ll have an answer for Luke there. We’re steadily making progress and the bike is getting better. We’re gathering valuable data and chipping away and making the progress that we need to make. It’s all positive so hopefully we can carry this form into Cadwell and be standing on the top step next.”

Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Sprint Race - 12 laps

1 Luke Stapleford (Triumph)

2 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)

3 James Rispoli (Yamaha)

4 Sam Hornsey (Triumph)

5 Andrew Reid (Team Traction Control Yamaha)

6 Glenn Irwin (Kawasaki)

Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Feature Race - 18 laps

1 Luke Stapleford (Triumph)

2 Andrew Reid (Team Traction Control Yamaha)

3 Jake Dixon (Triumph)

4 Glenn Irwin (Kawasaki)

5 Luke Hedger (Kawasaki)

6 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)

Championship Positions (after seven rounds)

1 Luke Stapleford 269

2 Kyle Ryde 241

3 Glenn Irwin 203

4 Jake Dixon 162

5 Andrew Reid (Team Traction Control Yamaha) 130

6 James Rispoli 116