Kyle Ryde surged from a challenging start to claim a thrilling victory in Race 2 of the 2026 British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park, capitalizing on a late-race safety car to overhaul Bradley Ray in a decisive move at Island Bend on the penultimate lap.
Ryde’s triumph at the sixth round of the season marked a remarkable comeback after beginning the race in the lower half of the top ten.
Starting the race with a less-than-ideal grid position, Ryde methodically sliced through the field during the initial six laps, positioning himself to exploit the safety car deployment on lap seven, triggered by Josh Brookes’ crash at Druids. The restart saw Ryde immediately overtake Scott Redding for second place, setting his sights on Ray. Demonstrating precision and aggression, Ryde executed a clean pass on Ray, who was aboard the McAMS Yamaha, and maintained the lead to the checkered flag.
Bradley Ray secured second place, with Scott Redding rounding out the podium in third for PBM Racing Team. Behind them, Ryan Vickers delivered a strong performance to finish fourth for Honda Racing UK. The AJN Steelstock Bimota duo of Max Cook and Joe Talbot secured impressive fifth and sixth positions respectively, highlighting the competitiveness of the Bimota machines at Oulton Park.
Further down the order, Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing UK), Storm Stacey (AJN Bathams Racing), Glenn Irwin (Nitrous Competitions Racing), and Christian Iddon (Sencat by Swan Racing) completed the top ten finishers. Notably, Leon Haslam, Josh Brookes, Rhys Irwin, Daniel Brooks, and Graeme Irwin failed to finish due to various incidents.
In the pre-race warm-up session, Kyle Ryde had already set the pace with a fastest lap of 1:33.290 aboard his Ducati Panigale V4 R, closely followed by Bradley Ray and Ryan Vickers. This form carried into the race, underpinning Ryde’s eventual victory.
The final official classification for Race 2 at Oulton Park saw Ryde cross the line with a margin of 0.436 seconds over Ray and 1.132 seconds ahead of Redding. The race was a testament to Ryde’s tenacity and racecraft, turning adversity into triumph on one of Britain’s most challenging circuits.
Kyle Ryde’s commanding performance not only boosts his standing in the championship but also sends a clear message to his rivals as the season progresses. His ability to capitalize on race dynamics and execute strategic overtakes under pressure will be pivotal in the battles to come.