Reigning champion Kyle Ryde kicked off his title defense in the ZYN British Superbike Championship at the Oulton Park season opener, held May 2-3, with an excellent start, taking three victories. Riding for Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing, the Ducati rider held off Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Racing) in Sunday’s third and final race to complete the hat trick.
Ryde’s title defense got off to a strong start, taking the checkers well clear of Leon Haslam (Ducati), who was just a tick ahead of Bradley Ray (McAMS Yamaha), all three former BSB Champions.
Storm Stacey (Ducati) and Scott Redding (Ducati) rounded out the top five.
Ryde won race two, but it was a little closer, with just two seconds separating him and Haslam, compared to five seconds in race one. Ray was third again and, again, right behind Haslam.
Redding and Stacey swapped positions this time, with Redding taking fourth and Stacey fifth.
Ryde’s third victory was the toughest for him. He battled Haslam, Ray and Redding wire to wire, holding on to take the win ahead of Haslam by just 1.162 seconds, with Ray and Redding right there in third and fourth, respectively.
Glenn Irwin, Ryde’s teammate, cracked the top five, finishing seven seconds behind Redding.
“It’s obviously been a great weekend and very unexpected; I’ve just done my best,” said Ryde. “In the last race, I could see within the first few laps that Brad was trying to stay at the front and do a good pace, which made it very hard to pass.
“These weekends don’t come very often, so I’m just going to cherish the moment and get ready for Donington Park.”
Ryde leaves round one of 10 with the championship lead, 54 points to Haslam’s 48. Ray is third with 42 points, followed by Redding on 35 and Stacey on 30.CN
2026 British Superbike Round 1 Results
BSB SBK Race 1 (Top 5)
- Kyle Ryde (Duc) 28:14:206
- Leon Haslam (Duc) +5.180
- Bradley Ray (Yam) +5.316
- Storm Stacey (Duc) +5.531
- Scott Redding (Duc) +6.903
BSB SBK Race 2 (Top 5)
- Kyle Ryde (Duc) 18:44:565
- Leon Haslam (Duc) +2.052
- Bradley Ray (Yam) +2.148
- Scott Redding (Duc) +4.408
- Storm Stacey (Duc) +7.223
BSB SBK Race 3 (Top 5)
- Kyle Ryde (Duc) 28:11:101
- Leon Haslam (Duc) +1.162
- Bradley Ray (Yam) +1.364
- Scott Redding (Duc) +1.457
- Glenn Irwin (Duc) +6.962
