James Ellison tasted victory for the first time this year at Cadwell Park, as he brought his McAms Yamaha team their first win too.
But Lee Jackson didn’t let Ellison get away easily. Jackson took his first pole position ahead of race two, and was desperate to translate that into victory. He led a number of laps and pushed hard to keep up with Ellison once he’d taken the lead, but it wasn’t meant to be for the local rider. He crossed the line in an extremely impressive second place – his first rostrum finish of the year, followed by his team mate Peter Hickman in third.
Jake Dixon took an early lead and controlled the rhythm of the race, but on the ninth lap he slid into the gravel at Hall Bends, bringing his race to an abrupt end.
Championship leader Shane Byrne had closed down on Jackson as he led. Byrne eventually took the lead, but was forced to retire two laps later. He needed the win to clinch vital points to secure himself a spot in the Showdown, but his early retirement means his place in the top six isn’t confirmed.
Haslam also suffered ill fate, as Leon Haslam crashed out after making a move on Hickman into Park. He was unhurt, but his top six spot is not safe either.
In fact, this is the first time we’ve headed into the final race of the main season without any confirmed Showdown riders. The final race takes place at Silverstone in just over two weeks time, and all of the potential Showdown contenders will be out in full force to try and secure their spot.
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