Scott Redding Tops BSB Pre-Qualifying at Assen
Scott Redding set the fastest time in a dramatic British Superbike pre-qualifying session at Assen, leading Jason O'Halloran and Ilya Mikhalchik.
Scott Redding led the timesheets in a dramatic British Superbike Championship pre-qualifying session at the TT Circuit Assen. The Hager PBM Racing Team rider's performance sets the stage for the opening race of the 2026 Showdown.
Bradley Ray had been the rider to beat after setting the pace in both free practice sessions. His session was disrupted by a crash at turn 10 on his first flying lap. The McAMS Yamaha rider returned to the pits and later rejoined the track, but he could only manage 11th place in the final order. He did, however, secure a spot in Saturday's ROKiT Oxygen Performance Qualifying 2.
The session was red-flagged with just over ten minutes remaining. Defending champion Kyle Ryde crashed at turn 17, scattering gravel on the circuit. The Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing rider ended the session in seventh place, unable to complete any further laps after the incident.
Top Three Battle
Redding held firm at the top of the timing screens ahead of Jason O'Halloran and Ilya Mikhalchik. Roadracingworld reported that both O'Halloran and Mikhalchik had their strongest session of the year so far. The pair were separated by just one thousandth of a second, locking out the top three positions at the chequered flag.
Ryan Vickers recovered from a difficult day of practice to claim fourth. The Honda Racing UK rider had faced a technical issue and a crash in the earlier sessions. He held off a challenge from AJN Steelstock bimota's Max Cook, who finished fifth.
Close Competition
Danny Kent was again inside the top six for the Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha team. He finished just 0.010 seconds ahead of the stranded champion, Kyle Ryde. Leon Haslam was eighth fastest for Moto Rapido Racing. The top eight riders all lapped within the existing circuit lap record.
Glenn Irwin secured ninth place ahead of Joe Talbot. Bradley Ray and Storm Stacey completed the top twelve riders who progressed directly to the final qualifying session.
Official Session Results
The official pre-qualifying results are as follows:
| Rider | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Redding | Hager PBM Racing Team | 1m:35.619s | - |
| Jason O'Halloran | Honda Racing UK | +0.185s | |
| Ilya Mikhalchik | ROKiT BMW Motorrad British Superbike Race team | +0.186s | |
| Ryan Vickers | Honda Racing UK | +0.209s | |
| Max Cook | AJN Steelstock bimota | +0.346s | |
| Danny Kent | Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha | +0.353s | |
| Kyle Ryde | Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing | +0.363s | |
| Leon Haslam | Moto Rapido Racing | +0.374s | |
| Glenn Irwin | Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing | +0.416s | |
| Joe Talbot | AJN Steelstock bimota | +0.477s | |
| Bradley Ray | McAMS Yamaha | +0.577s | |
| Storm Stacey | Bathams AJN Racing | +0.592s |
Redding's Reaction
Speaking after the session, Scott Redding expressed his satisfaction. "I'm happy to be honest, I have been focussing more on myself," he told Roadracingworld. He referenced previous struggles, saying a reset at Assen had paid off. "I feel like today we got off on a good foot, which was nice and I just need to keep that stride going," Redding added.
His plan for race day is simple. The former MotoGP rider stated he needs to stay calm, keep churning out laps, and maintain consistent pressure. The full results and further information are available on the British Superbike website.
