The final round of the 2026 British Superbike Championship takes place at the iconic Brands Hatch Circuit this weekend (16-18 October) and could have major implications for the outcome of the championship.
Kyle Ryde is aiming to make history by becoming just the second rider in the past 30 years to win three back-to-back titles in the series after Nial Mackenzie achieved the feat back in 1996-98. Despite holding a healthy 53-point lead going into the final round this year, the double-points system of the Grand Finale means that nothing is a forgone conclusion just yet.
Following a mechanical failure at Donnington Park last time out, the door still remains open for Scott Redding to potentially secure a wild and dramatic comeback.
Rather than the usual 18-points for a victory, the Grand Finale awards 35 points to the winner of each race, with three separate races due to be contested over the course of the weekend.
Schedule
The weekend will consist of three days of competition, with Friday reserved for practice sessions and pre-qualifying. Saturday will see the qualifying sessions set the grid along with a 20-lap showdown for Race 1. Sunday will host the Race 2 sprint and the final 20-lap Race 3, which will conclude the championship.
Additionally, the action-filled weekend will also host the British Supersport, National Superstock and British Sportbike competitions, along with the BMW F900 R Cup and Marin British Sidecars.
| Friday 16 October | ||
| 08.45 | Track & Medical inspection | |
| 09.00 – 09.30 | Pirelli British Sportbike | Free Practice |
| 09.40 – 10.10 | Quattro Group British Supersport | Free Practice 1 |
| 10.20 – 10.50 | Pirelli National Superstock | Free Practice 1 |
| 11.00 – 12.00 | ZYN BRITISH SUPERBIKES in association with PIRELLI | Free Practice 1 |
| 12.10 – 12.35 | ROKiT OFF BMW F900 R Cup | Free Practice 1 |
| 12.45 – 13.10 | Marin British Sidecars | Free Practice |
| 13.30 – 14.00 | Pirelli British Sportbike | Free Practice 2 |
| 14.10 – 14.40 | ZYN BRITISH SUPERBIKES in association with PIRELLI | Free Practice 2 |
| 14.50 – 15.20 | Quattro Group British Supersport | Free Practice 2 |
| 15.30 – 16.00 | Pirelli National Superstock | Free Practice 2 |
| 16.10 – 16.30 | ZYN BRITISH SUPERBIKES in association with PIRELLI | Pre-Qualifying |
| 16.40 – 17.05 | ROKiT OFF BMW F900 R Cup | Qualifying |
| 17.15 – 17.40 | Marin British Sidecars | Qualifying |
| Saturday 17 October | ||
| 08.45 | Track & Medical inspection | |
| 09.00 – 09.25 | Pirelli British Sportbike | Qualifying |
| 09.35 – 10.00 | Pirelli National Superstock | Qualifying |
| 10.10 – 10.20 | ZYN BRITISH SUPERBIKES in association with PIRELLI | Free Practice 3 |
| 10.30– 10.55 | Quattro Group British Supersport | Qualifying |
| 11.00 – 11.45 | Two Wheels for Life ridearound with Randy Mamola + Corporate activities | |
| 12.00 – 12.37 | ZYN BRITISH SUPERBIKES in association with PIRELLI | Qualifying |
| 12.50 | ROKiT OFF BMW F900 R Cup | Heat 1 Race |
| 13.20 | ROKiT OFF BMW F900 R Cup | Heat 2 Race |
| 13.50 | Pirelli British Sportbike | Race 1 |
| 14.35 | Pirelli National Superstock | Race 1 |
| 15.20 | Quattro Group British Supersport | Sprint Race |
| 16.05 | ZYN BRITISH SUPERBIKES in association with PIRELLI | Race 1 |
| 16.50 | Marin British Sidecars | Race 1 |
| 17.20 | ROKiT OFF BMW F900 R Cup | Last Chance Qualifying Race |
| Sunday 18 October | ||
| 09.45 | Track & Medical inspection | |
| 10.00 – 10.10 | ZYN BRITISH SUPERBIKES in association with PIRELLI | Warm-up |
| 10.15 – 10.23 | Quattro Group British Supersport | Warm-up |
| 10.28 – 10.36 | Pirelli National Superstock | Warm-up |
| 10.50 | Marin British Sidecars | Race 2 |
| 12.15 | ROKiT OFF BMW F900R Cup | Race |
| 13.00 | ZYN BRITISH SUPERBIKES in association with PIRELLI | Race 2 (Sprint) |
| 13.40 | Pirelli British Sportbike | Race 2 |
| 14.30 | Pirelli National Superstock | Race 2 |
| 15.20 | Quattro Group British Supersport | Feature Race |
| 16.10 | ZYN BRITISH SUPERBIKES in association with PIRELLI | Race 3 + Championship Presentation |
Championship Standings
A maximum of 105 points are available across the final three races, keeping the championship mathematically alive for the top three riders, though the focus is squarely on a head-to-head battle at the top between Kyle Ryde and Scott Redding.
| Position | Rider | Team / Bike | Points | Gap to Leader |
| 1st | Kyle Ryde | Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing (Ducati) | 509 | - |
| 2nd | Scott Redding | Hager PBM Racing Team (Ducati) | 456 | -53 |
| 3rd | Bradley Ray | McAMS Yamaha | 405 | -104 |
| 4th | Ryan Vickers | Honda Racing UK | 351 | -158 |
Weather Report
The forecast for the weekend is looking generally positive, with only some light rain on Friday morning disrupting an otherwise clear weekend. Saturday seems to be the clearest day with some intermitent cloud cover on Sunday, but temperatures will be cold, in the range of 7-14 degrees celcius throughout the course of the weekend.
Where To Watch
United Kingdom & Ireland
- TNT Sports & HBO Max
- QUEST
- DMAX (Highlights only)
International (USA, Canada, Australia)
- Motorsport.tv
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byAndrew McLarney
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