Ryan’s show of Steel sees him race to Brands Hatch victory

The 27-year-old college lecturer has stepped up to contest the Thundersport GB Blackbird Corporate Golden Era Steelsport 600cc Championship for the first time and his opening event at the iconic Kent circuit could not have gone any better.

Ryan qualified on pole and proceeded to win all of his four races on his 600c Honda, breaking lap records in three of them at a venue he had never visited before.

The Myerscough College motorsport master has won the Ace Of Aintree Steel Frame 600cc and also the Pre-Injection 600cc Championship in each of the last two years, and has so far taken the step-up in class in his stride.

A delighted Ryan said: “Our plan heading into round one was to play it safe and finish all four races near the front, in the hope of coming home as the top pointscorer.

“Winning all four races left us 100 points richer. We are leading the championship by a nice 20 going into round two after Easter.

“I love winning but to be consistently under the existing lap record in each race fills us with confidence.”

Ryan, who started competing in 2010, works as a motorsport lecturer and programme leader for motorcycle maintenance and repair at Myerscough.

His students have been a massive help to Ryan in his preparations for the championship and accompanied him to Brands Hatch.

Ryan added: “The students were absolute stars. They never missed a beat.

“The info on the pit board was always spot on and they were thoroughly professional all weekend.”

The series continues in three weeks at another renowned circuit: Snetterton in Norfolk.