Kyle Ryde scores a hat-trick in the 2026 British Superbike Championship: “I’m going after the records”—but now there’s a new rival

Three consecutive British Superbike titles and a season of total domination: Kyle Ryde needed a new source of motivation, and he found it not so much in the tenacious challenge of Scott Redding, who stayed in contention until the very end, but in the statistics.

The Nitrous Competitions Ducati rider wrapped up the title in Race 2 at Brands Hatch last weekend and now admits that his motivation has shifted to the numbers—in other words, adding to an already impressive list of achievements. Clearly, Nicolò Bulega’s record-breaking exploits in the World Championship have set an example.

2026 was the most dominant year of Ryde’s career: 16 wins and 31 podiums in 33 races. He may not have matched Nicolò’s number of wins, but he came close on podiums. A major leap from his six victories in 2025 and eight in 2024, when he was riding for Yamaha. For that very reason, the Brit considers the title he has just won his "best": he set the pace from start to finish, whereas in the previous two seasons he had needed to play catch-up after the opening part of the year.

And yet, when it came time to celebrate, his reaction was anything but restrained. Interviewed by the official BSB website, Ryde himself described it as "embarrassing": "This is by far the best title. I say that because of how I reacted as I crossed the finish line: I screamed for a full 15 seconds—it was actually pretty embarrassing!"

The name of his rival also makes this third title special. "It was an incredible feeling. I grew up watching Scott [Redding] on TV, and I know what a strong rider he is, so beating him on exactly the same bike takes a weight off my mind," the champion explained.

Ryde’s BSB tally now stands at three titles, 92 podiums, 40 wins and 32 pole positions. The rider wants to keep adding to those figures: "Now it’s all about statistics and trying to add to them. I really enjoy racing; my goal has always been to become BSB champion, and now I’ve done it three times."

He also reflected on how much these moments mean: "These are moments you remember for the rest of your life. They don’t last forever, so we have to enjoy them while they’re here. I gave it my all on track this year, and now we can celebrate and start thinking about 2027!". In other words, the next milestone is already in sight: adding to the record collection that has made him the benchmark in the British championship.

Next year, however, Kyle Ryde will have to contend not only with a host of fiercely competitive rivals, starting with Scott Redding himself, who will be hungry for redemption, but also with the sweeping regulatory change introduced by British Superbike. The series will adopt a BoP formula in the premier class too—that is, Balance of Performance. The grid will feature bikes with different engine capacities, configurations and types, with power capped by regulation at around 200 horsepower and targeted torque adjustments. That means it will be far from easy for the Ducati Panigale V4 R rocket ship to repeat its success in BSB.

Yamaha, Honda and Bimota have already made their presence felt this season. R1 star Bradley Ray remained in the title fight until the final round, while Ryan Vickers, a factory rider for Honda Britain, was blisteringly fast in the closing stages, taking four wins, including Race 3 of the Brands Hatch finale. So Kyle Ryde’s assault on the record books will be no walk in the park. But when talent shines this brightly, even the toughest challenges become achievable.

-> Follow us on Instagram too: @Corsedimoto