Ryde sweeps BSB opener as Oulton Park delivers action across all classes

2026 British Superbike Championship

Round One – Oulton Park

ZYN British Superbike Championship

Kyle Ryde made a perfect start to his British Superbike Championship title defence at Oulton Park, taking three wins from three starts as the 2026 season opened across a packed Bank Holiday programme.

The reigning champion was not the only rider to leave Cheshire with maximum damage done. Luke Stapleford doubled up in British Supersport, David Allingham controlled the Superstock opener, Alfie Davidson won both races in the new British Sportbike class, and Marley Mackenzie was perfect in Junior Sportbike.

There was also plenty of Australian interest across the programme, with Jason O’Halloran and Josh Brookes scoring in Superbike, Ben Currie twice on the Supersport podium, Jack Mahaffy fifth in the Supersport standings, Billy McConnell back in the top ten, Cam Swain winning both HEL Performance Cup races, and Brodie Gawith scoring twice in Sportbike.

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Superbike Race One

Ray made the strongest launch in the opening 18-lap race, leading Haslam and Stacey through the early exchanges while Ryde settled into fourth. Haslam hit the front at Old Hall on lap two, but Ryde was already closing in and made his own move for the lead at the same corner on lap four.

Once in front, Ryde controlled the race and went on to win by 5.180 seconds. Behind him, Ray briefly displaced Haslam for second at Knickerbrook on lap eight, but Haslam responded at Lodge and held the position to the flag. Stacey remained close enough to threaten the podium over the final laps but ultimately finished fourth, with Redding fifth after passing Cook at Hislops on the final lap.

Ryan Vickers was the leading Honda in eighth, just behind Rory Skinner, while Christian Iddon and rookie Joe Talbot completed the top ten.

Brookes started 15th and finished 13th, 22.400 seconds from the win, having worked forward after dropping to 16th on the opening lap. O’Halloran started 11th and finished 15th, taking the final point after a race spent searching for drive and throttle connection on the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade.

Superbike Race One

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Superbike Race Two

The Monday sprint race opened with Max Cook launching the AJN Steelstock bimota into the lead, ahead of Haslam, Ray and Ryde. Ryde quickly went to work, passing Ray on the opening lap, then moving inside Haslam at Island. A lap later, he had the lead, and from there, the reigning champion was able to manage the race despite persistent pressure behind.

Haslam again had Ray for company, but the McAMS Yamaha rider could not find a way through. The pair finished just 0.096s apart, with Ryde taking victory by 2.052s over Haslam and 2.148s over Ray. Redding was fourth, Stacey fifth and Cook sixth. Vickers was again the best Honda, finishing seventh, ahead of Skinner, Talbot and Jackson.

O’Halloran produced his best result of the weekend in the Monday opener, starting 16th and gaining four places to finish 12th. That also put him at the head of an Australian scrap with Brookes, who had made early progress from 14th on the grid before settling into a battle with his countryman. At the flag O’Halloran was just 0.092s ahead of Brookes, with the DAO Racing Honda rider finishing 13th.

Ray’s 1m32.910s was the fastest lap of the race, but despite that pace he could not find a clean route past Haslam.

Superbike Race Two

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Superbike Race Three

Ray once again made the start in Race Three, leading Haslam, Redding and Ryde through the opening exchanges. Redding was briefly the rider applying pressure at the front, moving past Ryde for third on lap five as he chased a first podium of the season.

Haslam then made his move for the lead at Shell on lap ten, but Ryde responded on lap 11 with the decisive sequence of the race. He passed Redding at Old Hall, then Ray at Brittens, and was immediately back in touch with Haslam. Ryde took the lead a lap later, only for Haslam to counterattack at Lodge two laps after that.

Ryde kept his composure and repaid the move at the same corner one lap later, then held the advantage to the flag. Haslam finished 1.162s behind, with Ray third and Redding only 0.093s outside the podium in fourth. Glenn Irwin salvaged fifth after a difficult weekend that included a Race Two retirement, while Skinner, Cook and Vickers completed the top eight.

Vickers’ eighth place capped a more encouraging Monday for Honda Racing UK. His Race Three best lap of 1m33.600s was the quickest Honda lap of the race, and the team said it was the fastest ever Oulton Park lap for a Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade. Vickers said the result was a useful marker, but added that he still wanted more for himself, Honda and the team.

Ryan Vickers

“We pushed where we could and gained valuable data everywhere else today. I was happier with pace I could carry at the start of both races and was able to put more confidence in the front end of the bike. It’s a nice accolade to take away in having the fastest lap at Oulton for a Honda Fireblade but I want more for me, for Honda and for my team. We’ll continue to push and I look forward to seeing how we perform at the next round at Donington Park on the 15th May.”

O’Halloran finished 14th in the final race, while Brookes crossed the line 15th after another difficult run from the rear half of the grid. DAO Racing noted that Brookes had been using parts of the weekend almost as an extension of testing, with the Australian saying the team needed to make a step with the bike for him to feel comfortable enough to bridge the gap to the front runners.

O’Halloran took a similar longer-view approach after the Monday races, saying the results did not properly reflect the effort and performance, but that the team would keep building the data and confidence needed to progress towards the front of the pack.

Jason O’Halloran

“Much like race one, the result doesn’t look like it matches our effort and performance. It’s impossible to win a BSB Championship at the first round and we’ll keep building the data and confidence picture we need to be able to progress towards the front of the pack.”

Josh Brookes also left Oulton Park on the Superbike points board, but the opening round was more about diagnosis than outright results for the two-time British Superbike Champion. The Australian was 13th in the opening race, repeated that result in Monday’s Sprint, then finished 15th in the final race, collecting points each time but never quite finding the working window he needed from the DAO Racing Honda Fireblade. Qualifying proved costly after Brookes missed direct passage to Q2, and while he topped Q1 to progress, starting positions of 15th, 14th and 17th left him fighting traffic rather than the lead group. He said the weekend had effectively become an extension of testing as the team searched for a better direction.

Josh Brookes

“It’s not been a positive weekend really, we had a good start to it because we’d been here testing, but there were a few things about the bike that wasn’t up to the standard to be able to run the pace that the lead riders were. And in fact, I haven’t been able to better my best lap time.

“So, we were in search of finding something better, I guess once the races started, we were already on the back foot. So, we kind of used some of the racing as a follow-up to testing, trying different options and it hasn’t proved beneficial in the results, that’s for sure.

“Qualifying is where the weekend started to go off in the wrong direction, being down the grid really makes it difficult to improve the weekend. But I think ultimately what’s hindering our qualifying, and that’s also what’s hindering us from making progress during the race.

“We need to make a step with the bike for me to feel comfortable. When I’m on something that’s not working, it’s hard for me to find some extra, something extra to try and bridge the gap.”

Superbike Race Three

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Superbike Championship

Ryde leaves Oulton Park with the maximum 54 points, six clear of Haslam, with Ray third on 42. Redding sits fourth on 35, ahead of Stacey, Cook, Skinner and Vickers. O’Halloran and Brookes are tied on seven points, 13th and 14th respectively, heading towards the next round at Donington Park.

Superbike Championship Points

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Quattro Group British Supersport

Luke Stapleford made the perfect start to the 2026 Quattro Group British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park, taking both race wins aboard the Scars-Racing Ducati V2 as the new team made an immediate impact on the class.

The weekend also carried plenty of Australian interest. Ben Currie qualified on the front row and finished third in both races for McAMS Yamaha, Jack Mahaffy opened his season with fifth and sixth for Astro-JJR HIPPO Suzuki, Billy McConnell banked a pair of top-ten finishes on his return to Supersport with Macadam Triumph Factory Racing, and Cam Swain was the standout rider in the HEL Performance Cup, winning that division in both races.

Oli Bayliss is also expected to add further Australian interest later in the season, with selected British Supersport appearances planned around his WorldSSP commitments.

Supersport Qualifying

Lucas Brown claimed pole for the opening Supersport Sprint race in mixed qualifying conditions, the MSG Racing Suzuki rider setting a 1m38.901s to beat Currie by 0.342s. Jack Kennedy completed the front row for Honda Racing UK, with Lee Johnston fourth and Oliver Barr fifth. Currie’s front-row start came in his first race weekend with McAMS Yamaha, while Cam Swain qualified as the second-fastest Cup rider behind Adam Hartgrove.

Jack Mahaffy qualified seventh outright, Stapleford only ninth after a small crash earlier in the weekend, McConnell 17th and Swain 25th outright, second in Cup. The qualifying session was held on a cloudy/damp track, which helped scramble the order compared with dry practice pace.

Supersport Race One (Sprint)

Currie made the early move in the 12-lap Sprint, passing polesitter Brown at the start as Johnston also moved into second. Brown’s race ended on lap three, while Johnston hit the front on lap four before he and Currie traded places as Stapleford began to close from ninth on the grid.

Stapleford made the decisive move for the lead on lap six, while Kennedy worked his way through the leading group and moved into second by lap nine. Johnston then crashed out at Knickerbrook, leaving Kennedy to chase Stapleford to the flag. The Honda rider closed the gap but could not find a way through, Stapleford taking the win by just 0.151s. Currie completed the podium in third, 1.969s behind the winner, with Kennedy’s team-mate Dean Harrison fourth and Mahaffy fifth.

McConnell made one of the better midfield gains of the race, climbing from 17th on the grid to ninth for Macadam Triumph.

Swain was 12th outright and first in the HEL Performance Cup, a strong result from 25th on the grid

Supersport Race One (Sprint)

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Supersport Race Two (Feature)

Stapleford started the 16-lap Feature from pole, based on his Sprint race lap time, and this time did not have to recover from the third row. He led from the start, while Mahaffy made a sharp launch from row two to run second early, ahead of Currie.

Currie soon moved past Mahaffy for second before Kennedy began to work forward. The Honda Racing UK rider passed Mahaffy for third on lap three, then closed on Currie and took second on lap ten. From there he tried to bring Stapleford back into range, but the Ducati rider had enough pace in reserve and stretched the margin to 1.955s at the flag. Currie finished third, 3.156s from the win, with Harrison fourth and Johnston fifth after holding off Mahaffy.

Mahaffy’s sixth place backed up his Sprint fifth, giving the Australian fifth in the championship after round one. McConnell again moved forward, starting 14th and finishing tenth, while Swain was 16th outright and again first in Cup. Stapleford also set the fastest lap of the Feature, a 1m36.849s, while Swain’s 1m38.664s was the fastest Cup lap.

The Scars-Racing Ducati result was an ideal launch for a team that had only taken shape through the second half of 2025. Stapleford said the team had expected it might take a couple of rounds to bed in, but he felt comfortable on the Ducati from the outset and was already looking forward to Donington Park.

For McConnell, the weekend was also a positive return. The Australian said he had not expected to be back on the grid this year, let alone back in Supersport on a Triumph, and described the ninth and tenth-place results as good progress given it was his first time working with the team and his first time back on a bike since Brands Hatch.

Billy McConnell

“I’ve had a fantastic weekend with the team, being back in Supersport and back on a Triumph again. I’m so grateful for this opportunity; I didn’t think I’d be back on the grid at all this year, so to be back here and back on a Triumph is fantastic. We got a ninth and a tenth so we made some good progress over the weekend, it was my first time working with the team and the first time back on a bike since Brands Hatch. So it’s now onwards and upwards and I’m really looking forward to Donington Park in a few weeks, where hopefully we can continue to make some more progress.”

Kennedy was satisfied to leave Oulton Park with two second-place finishes, while Harrison’s fourth place in the Feature Race left him fourth in the championship and in good shape before heading into the North West 200.

Jack Kennedy

“Following the second place finish in the first race, I was fairly sure I had more to give in a couple of areas around Oulton Park. Things didn’t play into my hands in this race today though and I’m happy enough to come away with another second place finish. When I think we can push for wins, we will push for wins and claim them. We’ll refocus now ahead of round two at Donington Park. I’m happy with my performance, I think my team did an excellent job for me and I’m looking forward to racing with them again in just a few weeks time.”

Dean Harrison also leaves Oulton with useful momentum before switching focus to the roads, where he joins Honda Racing UK team-mate John McGuinness at the North West 200 ahead of the Isle of Man TT. Harrison backed up his Sprint fourth with another fourth in the Supersport Feature Race, finishing only 6.616s from Stapleford and leaving the opening round fourth in the championship. He said his mid-race pace was strong and that he was kicking himself for not being more aggressive in the opening laps, but felt the Honda CBR600RR package was working well, underlined by his fastest lap coming after eight laps of racing.

Dean Harrison

“I’m heading in to the NW200 races in fourth place in the British Supersport Championship. It’s a great start to my short circuit season and the perfect way to set me up for the road racing season as well. Pace was good mid race today, I was kicking myself a little bit for not getting my elbows out in the first three laps, that’s something I’ll work on as the championship develops. I’m happy though, the team put a great bike under me, putting in the fastest lap of a race after eight laps was testament to the setup and performance of the CBR600RR.”

Supersport Race Two (Feature)

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Supersport Championship

Stapleford leaves Oulton Park with the maximum 50 points, six clear of Kennedy, with Currie third on 40. Harrison is fourth on 36, while Mahaffy is fifth on 30 after his fifth and sixth-place finishes.

Currie is therefore the leading Australian in the overall Supersport standings, while McConnell is ninth on 14 points. Swain sits 15th in the overall Supersport points after his Sprint result, but more importantly, leads the HEL Performance Cup after winning the Cup division in both races.

Supersport Championship Points

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Pirelli National Superstock

David Allingham was the rider to beat throughout the Pirelli National Superstock Championship opener at Oulton Park, the SMS/Nicholl Oil BMW rider topping both practice sessions, claiming pole position, then converting that pace into a controlled race victory.

Allingham had already set the tone in Free Practice 1 with a 1m36.044s, then improved to 1m35.553s in Free Practice 2. He went quicker again in qualifying, his 1m35.462s earning pole by a sizeable 0.589s over Declan Connell, with Luke Mossey third and Lewis Rollo fourth.

The race followed a similar pattern. Allingham launched from pole and led from the outset, while Rollo initially ran second before Mossey worked his way through. Mossey passed Rollo on lap five, but Allingham was already clear and was never seriously threatened. The race was eventually declared after 10 laps following a red flag after Kam Dixon crashed at Brittens, with Allingham credited with the win by 3.535 seconds over Mossey. Rollo completed the podium, 3.930 seconds from the winner.

Scott Swann finished fourth, less than a second behind Rollo, while Eemeli Lahti completed the top five. Matt Truelove, Josh Owens, Connell, Ash Beech and Ben Luxton rounded out the top ten. Allingham also set the fastest lap of the race, a 1m35.498s on lap four, and the timing data shows he led all 10 classified laps.

John McGuinness MBE was also in the field for Honda Racing UK, using the Oulton Park round to keep race-sharp before turning his attention to the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT. McGuinness qualified 25th and finished the race where he started, 25th, 31.467 seconds behind Allingham.

McGuinness said the result itself was hard to frame positively, but felt there were strong signs from the weekend. He noted that he had set his fastest ever lap of Oulton Park, felt sharp, and was ready to get on with the job at the NW200. From a Honda perspective, he also pointed to the relative pace shown by both himself and Dean Harrison across the weekend as encouraging ahead of the road-racing season.

John McGuinness MBE

“It’s hard to see my race result as a positive, but there’s definitely some strong indicators for the season from this round for me. I did my fastest ever lap of Oulton Park, I feel sharp and ready for to enjoy my road racing at the NW200 in a couple of days time. The reception I get at Oulton is always great, it’s nice to see the fans and flags out this early in the season. Oulton Park always delivers great racing in every class and this round was certainly no different. We’ll get our heads down now and get on with the job in hand for the NW200. Looking at where I am and where Dean is, the signs are all good.”

Allingham leaves Oulton Park with the early championship lead on 25 points, ahead of Mossey on 22 and Rollo on 20.

Superstock Race One

Superstock Championship Points

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Pirelli British Sportbike

Alfie Davidson made the early running in the new Pirelli British Sportbike Championship at Oulton Park, taking pole position and then winning both 12-lap races as the new category opened with a huge and varied field.

The scale of the class was immediately obvious. There were 44 riders on track in Free Practice 1, with Aprilia, Suzuki, Triumph, Kawasaki, CFMOTO and Yamaha machinery all represented. Davidson topped that opening session on the Aprilia IN Competition Racing entry, while Cameron Dawson put the Powerslide Racing Suzuki second, ahead of Ollie Walker on an Aprilia, Harley McCabe on another Aprilia and Edmund Best on a Kawasaki. Australian Brodie Gawith was also in the mix on a Powerslide Racing Suzuki, 29th in FP1 as he got to grips with a busy Oulton Park field.

Qualifying underlined that Aprilia and Suzuki already look well suited to the new category. Davidson claimed pole with a 1m41.615s, with Dawson second on the Suzuki and Zak Shelton third on the XMT Racing Triumph. McCabe qualified fourth on the Aprilia, Rossi Banham fifth on a Suzuki, while the next few rows included more Aprilia, Suzuki, CFMOTO, Kawasaki and Triumph machinery. Gawith qualified 25th with a 1m43.890s, putting him on the ninth row for Race One.

Race One went down to the line. Davidson converted pole into victory, but Dawson pushed him all the way on the Suzuki and finished just 0.049s behind. McCabe completed the podium on the Fibre Tec Aprilia by MLav Racing entry, with Banham fourth on a Suzuki and Asher Durham fifth on another Powerslide Racing Suzuki.

That first race also gave an early read on the balance of the class. The top five was made up entirely of Aprilia and Suzuki machinery, while Triumph, Kawasaki and CFMOTO were all inside the top ten. Shelton was sixth on the Triumph, Best seventh on the Kawasaki, Adon Davie eighth on the Moto 12 CFMOTO, Ted Wilkinson ninth on an Aprilia and Rhys Stephenson tenth on a Triumph.

Gawith produced one of the stronger recovery rides of the opening race. From 25th on the grid, the Australian finished 14th, made up 11 positions and took two championship points. His 1m42.919s best lap was also quick enough to move him much further forward for Race Two, where he started 15th rather than buried on row nine.

Race Two again became a Davidson, Dawson and McCabe fight, but the shape of the race was different. McCabe led the early laps before Davidson hit the front on lap five. McCabe responded and retook the lead for another two laps, before Davidson eventually edged clear. Dawson then came through on the final lap to take second from McCabe and made one last push for the win, but Davidson held on by 0.175s.

The Race Two podium was again Davidson on Aprilia, Dawson on Suzuki and McCabe on Aprilia, with Banham fourth on the JPR Performance Suzuki and Durham fifth on the Powerslide Racing Suzuki. Davie gave CFMOTO a particularly useful early-season marker in sixth, ahead of Best on the Kawasaki, Wilkinson on the Aprilia, Rhys Stephenson on the Triumph and Lewis Smart on another Triumph.

Gawith backed up his Race One points with another step forward in the second race. Starting 15th, he finished 12th, only 12.176s from the win and less than six-tenths behind Harrison Mackay at the flag. His best lap improved to 1m42.680s, again putting him in the points and giving him a solid foundation from which to build when the championship heads to Donington Park.

The machinery picture after round one is already interesting. Aprilia took both wins and two third places with Davidson and McCabe, while Suzuki was every bit as central to the fight with Dawson second twice, Banham fourth twice and Durham fifth twice. CFMOTO’s sixth in Race Two showed genuine top-ten potential, Kawasaki was consistently represented by Best, and Triumph had several riders in the lower half of the top ten. Yamaha had numbers in the field, but did not yet trouble the front group at Oulton Park.

Davidson leaves Oulton Park with a perfect 50 points, ahead of Dawson on 44 and McCabe on 40. Banham is fourth on 36, Durham fifth on 32, while Gawith sits 13th in the standings on six points after finishes of 14th and 12th.

British Sportbike Race One

British Sportbike Race Two

British Sportbike Championship Points

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1pMobile National Junior Sportbike

Marley Mackenzie was the benchmark rider in the 1pMobile National Junior Sportbike Championship season opener at Oulton Park, the Kirkcaldy Kawasaki rider topping the opening practice session, claiming pole position, then converting that advantage into two race wins.

The class attracted a 21-rider field at the first round, with the timing sheets showing Kawasaki and Yamaha machinery across the grid.

Mackenzie opened the weekend fastest in practice with a 1m48.541s, ahead of Laken Payne and Ben Jolliffe. He then improved in qualifying to a 1m47.772s, putting himself on pole ahead of Jolliffe, Isaac Mark, Luca Hopkins and Payne. The front group was tightly bunched, with the top five covered by less than half a second.

Race One was Mackenzie’s from the front. He controlled the 10-lap race from pole, setting a best lap of 1m47.016s and taking victory by 7.923 seconds over Jolliffe. Payne completed the podium, only 0.921s behind Jolliffe, with Mark fourth and Jediah Cumbermack fifth. Hopkins, Freddy Oakley, Henry Ross, Rory Creith and Lewis Mullen completed the top ten.

Mackenzie was again on pole for Race Two, this time thanks to his Race One lap time, and again proved too strong. He lowered the pace further with a 1m46.669s best lap and won by 5.917 seconds. Hopkins made the best of the chasing group to finish second from sixth on the grid, while Cumbermack completed the podium, just 0.252s behind Hopkins. Jolliffe and Payne were close behind in fourth and fifth, with only 0.520s covering second through fifth at the flag.

That second race also underlined the depth of the lead group, with Mullen and Mason Johnson both making useful progress from the fourth and fifth rows to finish sixth and seventh, respectively. Kylan Shuttlewood, Ross and Oakley rounded out the top ten.

Mackenzie leaves Oulton Park with a perfect 50 points, 10 clear of Jolliffe. Hopkins, Payne and Cumbermack are all tied on 36 points behind them, setting up a close fight for the minor championship places heading to Donington Park.

Junior Sportbike Race One

Junior Sportbike Race Two

Junior Sportbike Championship Points