Kyle Ryde (Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing Ducati) is the 2026 ITS King of Brands after he and Scott Redding (Hager PBM Racing Team Ducati) shared the spoils in a thrilling three-race British Superbike weekend at Brands Hatch, with championship leader Ryde taking the opening two victories before Redding hit back in the final race.
Ryde’s race one win was his ninth of 2026. The reigning champion was pushed throughout the weekend, with Redding proving to be his closest challenger as the pair cleared off to finish 5.7 seconds up on AJN Steelstock bimota’s Max Cook, with Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Racing Ducati) and Christian Iddon (Sencat Racing Yamaha) completing the top five.
Ryde doubled his tally in race two, again finishing ahead of Redding but this time stretching his advantage to 2.1 seconds, while Cook closed right up on Redding to be 0.23 of a second in arrears at the flag. Bradley Ray (McAMS Yamaha) and Ryan Vickers (Honda Racing UK) rounded out the top five.
The result ensured Ryde would head into the final race with the opportunity to secure the coveted ITS King of Brands crown.
Redding, however, saved his best for last. The former BSB Champion took victory in race three, beating Ryde by 0.925 of a second, while Cook took a third straight podium on the bimota in third. Haslam (Moto Rapido Racing Ducati) was fourth ahead of Vickers (Honda Racing UK), with Ray (McAMS Yamaha) sixth.
“It feels great to win my first King of Brands trophy!” current BSB number one Ryde said. “All the races haven’t been easy this weekend, but I was happy with the win in race two earlier, the pace was crazy fast!
“In race three, Scott (Redding) got a very good start and we were both riding at a very fast speed so I knew there was going to be a dogfight at the end.
“With eight or nine laps to go, I think I did a few of my best laps and tried to get as close as I could to him. I had a few issues with the brake lever and after that, every time I got close, I didn’t really want to make a move and have something go wrong.
“A weekend with two firsts and a second and the King of Brands trophy to take home is great for the championship.”
Redding was magnanimous, adding, “I was a little bit upset with this morning! Sometimes you’re just a little bit annoyed and sometimes as a rider you just need that little bit. You’re fine-tuning the motorcycle, but sometimes you’ve just got to ride through it. I managed to go for a 10-minute power nap, come straight back down and was like ‘Now it’s my time, I’ve got to do something’. I just had that feeling.
“When I got my flow again, I felt I was controlling the situation, then I got a gap, but Kyle was coming again. The key factors to this race was I needed to improve my weak points just a little bit but be consistent so he can’t pass me. I was trying everything I could, defending, trying different lines. I was deep in the toolbox of what I could do to win that race, and it felt so good!”
With five rounds now completed, Ryde leads the standings with 252 points, 19 clear of Redding on 233.
Bradley Ray remains third with 167 points, two ahead of Haslam on 165, while Cook’s consistent weekend moves him to fifth with 151.CN
2026 British Superbike Round 5 Results
Race One (Top 5)
- Kyle Ryde (Duc) 24:06:197
- Scott Redding (Duc) +0.347
- Max Cook (bim) +5.792
- Leon Haslam (Duc) +10.764
- Christian Iddon (Yam) +11.180
Race Two (Top 5)
- Kyle Ryde (Duc) 16:58:102
- Scott Redding (Duc) +2.197
- Max Cook (bim) +2.429
- Bradley Ray (Yam) +3.773
- Ryan Vickers (Hon) +8.093
Race Three (Top 5)
- Scott Redding (Duc) 29:12:159
- Kyle Ryde (Duc) +0.925
- Max Cook (bim) +3.564
- Leon Haslam (Duc) +7.798
- Glenn Irwin (Duc) +11.079
