*UPDATE – Josh Elliot has been named as the winner of race one at Silverstone, after Tarran Mackenzie received a three-second penalty for hitting his team-mate Jason O’Halloran on the final lap.
Tarran Mackenzie secured his first-ever Bennetts British Superbike victory in controversial circumstances after clashing with his team-mate, Jason O’Halloran at Silverstone.
The McAMS Yamaha duo controlled the entire race, with O’Halloran leading the way from the first corner. Mackenzie closed right up to O’Halloran on the final lap, squeezing down the inside at Luffield. The pair touched and O’Halloran ended up hitting the deck.
The incident is now under investigation by race control, so it is not yet known whether the result will stand.
The collision elevated Josh Elliot up into second to secure OMG Racing Suzuki’s first-ever podium in BSB. Scott Redding completed the podium on his BSB debut for Be Wiser Ducati.
Luke Mossey finished fourth after after holding off the challenge from Tommy Bridewell, whilst Andrew Irwin put in an excellent display on the Honda to take sixth.
Luke Stapleford was next in seventh, with Claudio Corti taking a strong eighth on the Team WD-40 Kawasaki machine. Danny Buchan and Xavi Forés completed the top 10.
Josh Brookes’ difficult weekend continued after be was forced to retire from the race with some form of mechanical problem. The 2015 champion had fought his way up to eighth, from 18th on the grid, and was challenging Bridewell and Andrew Irwin in a battle for sixth when his bike stopped.
As the lights went out it was O’Halloran who made the perfect start, slotting into the lead heading through the first corner. Behind him, Linfoot had moved up into fourth before Elliott forced his way back through. Dean Harrison crashed out on the opening lap.
On the following lap, Elliott made further progress by holding a wide move to get by Redding. The Suzuki looked strong and Elliott was soon latched onto the the back of the Yamaha duo ahead of him.
The safety car was released on lap four following a nasty incident involving the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki duo of Glenn Irwin and Ben Currie, as well as David Allingham.
At the restart, Mossey was able to move up into fifth spot after getting the better of Linfoot. Meanwhile, Mackenzie was now looking to put a move on O’Halloran for the lead.
Over the next few laps the front three were inseparable, with Redding being left behind in fourth. The Ducati was seemingly unable to keep up with the pace of the Yamaha and Suzuki.
James Ellison was forced to retire on lap 15, with the veteran pulling into the garage with a mechanical problem.
Back on the circuit a battle was brewing between Andrew Irwin, Bridewell and Brookes for sixth. Bridewell and Irwin would swap places multiple times on lap 23, with the Ducati of Bridewell eventually making his move stick. Unfortunately, Brookes was forced to retire moments later with another mechanical issue.
At the front, the Yamaha pair had now pulled way from Elliott and the fight was heating up for the win. On the final lap, Mackenzie closed right in on his teammate down the Wellington Straight, narrowly missing out through Brooklands.
Mackenzie saw a slight gap heading into Luffield and slotted down the inside. It was very tight and the team-mates clashed, with O’Halloran being knocked down.
Mackenzie crossed the line to take his maiden win, however it remains to be seen whether or not he will keep it.
