Kyle Ryde has clinched the Bennetts British Superbike Championship title for the first time, as the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing team regained the title it last won in 2022. Ryde was crowned following a thrilling final two races of the season at Brands Hatch.
Ryde went into this season in a position of consistency, remaining with Alan Gardner’s team for a fourth consecutive season. And he underlined his status as a title contender early on with a strong opening round at Circuito de Navarra where he doubled up on podium finishes to kick off the season with second and third place.
The second round at Oulton Park was more difficult, yielding just one podium finish for Ryde who left Cheshire fifth in the standings. But he fought back emphatically at his home event at Donington Park, claiming his first victory of the year to fire back up to third overall just a few weeks later.
A challenging weekend at Knockhill followed for Ryde and the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing team. A best result of fourth followed up with a 14th and 15th place saw him once again drop to fifth, and needing to make up ground. Ryde returned to the podium at Snetterton with a third place and two top-five finishes before a double podium finish at Brands Hatch in the summer, and then things really started to ramp up.
Thruxton was where Ryde really started to build momentum, surging to second in the standings with a victory but he was still 25 points adrift of defending champion Tommy Bridewell. This left Ryde knowing he had to outscore his rival consistently to be in the strongest possible position, with just four rounds left to run including the three Showdown fixtures.
Ryde was relentless at Cadwell Park with a double victory and a second place moving him to within 19 points of his Honda Racing UK rival. That form continued into Oulton Park’s opening Showdown round where two further visits to the top step of the podium placed him six points off the lead with just as many races remaining.
He finally claimed the championship lead for the first time back on home turf at Donington Park, following yet another double victory – his third in as many events. Those two wins, along with a hard earned third place ensured Ryde arrived in Brands Hatch just four points ahead.
Ryde started the Brands Hatch Showdown Finale weekend with a damage limitation ride to fourth place in tricky conditions. The gain of a position on the final lap made sure he held onto the championship lead, but it was reduced to just a single point with only one more day of the season left to run.
The penultimate race of the season was a classic dogfight between the two main title protagonists and Bridewell edged it following multiple changes of position out on the circuit. That left Ryde four points behind with just one race to run, knowing it was effectively a winner takes it all situation.
Ryde then emerged first from an all-time classic decider, battling race long with Bridewell for victory and the title. The championship changed hands on the road several times, including on the last lap before Ryde made his decisive and final bid for the lead with just a handful of corners to go. He held Bridewell off to the line to win the title by a single point.
The Superbike Championship victory means that Ryde has now won the Bennetts British Superbike, Quattro Group British GP2, Junior Superstock and British 125cc Championship titles.