Double class win at Donington Park for Kyle Ryde

The 21-year-old took second overall in Saturday's sprint race and fourth overall in Sunday's feature race - but was the first GP2 rider in both over the Bank Holiday Weekend.

Ryde went into the race weekend in determined mood to prove he could beat the Suppersport machines and former champions Jack Kennedy and Alastair Seeley on his home circuit of Donington.

Though the Supersport machines have more overall brake horsepower than Ryde's Moto GP adapted machine, the two-time British champ more than held his own against the division's heavyweights.

Friday’s first practise got off to a good start for Ryde with only 0.1 second splitting the top three riders and the difference in timing switching from team to team during the session, Kennedy came out on top.

Ryde received a confidence booster in the second session as he came out as the leader with a 0.02 gap over Kennedy and a 0.35 gap over Seeley. Just 0.22 seconds split the three and Brad Jones on Saturday, with Ryde in fourth.

In to the sprint race and Seeley grabbed the holeshot while Kennedy crashed out on the first lap. Ryde kept pace, even closing the gap to Seeley, as the pair were gunning for victory. Ryde took the front with two laps to go only for Seeley to retake the lead on the final lap to take his first win of the season.

Ryde was 0.097 of a second behind Seeley and first in the GP2 class, ensuring he retains his lead at the top of the GP2 Championship, and set the overall fastest lap of the race; a 1.08.575 103.89mph, placing him on pole position for Sunday.

The changing weather patterns saw the teams faced with a difficult task of which tyres to use and with Ryde being the quickest rider in the early morning warm up session, hopes were high he'd get the beating of the Supersport machines.

Ryde grabbed the holeshot to lead at the end of the opening lap, ahead of Seeley, Jones and Tom Oliver, though, unable to hold on to the lead, Ryde started to slip back and managed to maintain a strong fourth position leaving the previous trio at the front to battle it out.

Seeley eventually won the race with Oliver taking second, Jones third and after some hard passes on the back markers Ryde was again the leading GP2 machine in fourth position overall, ahead of the Gearlink Kawasaki of Ben Wilson. Rory Skinner was sixth.

Ryde posted on Facebook: "Gutted is a understatement after Sunday’s feature race. Gambled with the slicks (right choice) but few issues with tyres I struggled to beat the lads. Next time will be MY TIME!! Anyway! Good weekend at Donington."