Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1547011
Redding Forces BSB Title Decider to Brands Hatch S cott Redding (Ducati) has forced the 2026 British Super- bike Championship title fight to the final round at Brands Hatch after capitalizing on a dramatic technical failure for defending champion Kyle Ryde (Ducati) in the final race at Donington Park. Redding entered the week- end 78 points behind Ryde and appeared to be facing a near-im- possible task, but victory in the final race, combined with Ryde's retirement, cut the deficit to 53 points with 105 still available across the three races at Brands Hatch. The result was particularly significant for Ryde, whose Ni- trous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing Ducati suffered a techni- cal failure while he was running third. It ended his remarkable run of 89 consecutive race finishes, with his previous non-finish com- ing at Oulton Park in May 2024. Ryde had dominated the open- ing two races at his home circuit, taking back-to-back victories to maintain control of the champion- ship. In the first race, the defend- ing champion fought his way from fifth after the opening lap, passing Redding, Bradley Ray (Ya- maha) and Ryan Vickers (Honda) before taking the lead from Vick- ers at the Schwantz curve. He then pulled clear to claim victory ahead of Vickers and Ray. Ryde repeated the feat in race two, while Redding finished sec- ond to keep his title hopes alive. Redding then delivered when it mattered most, taking the final race victory after Ryde's retire- ment and ensuring the champi- onship will be decided at Brands Hatch on October 16-18. Vickers strengthened his posi- tion in the fight for third overall with a pair of third-place finishes, while Ray recorded two fourths. Vickers now leads Ray by 54 points. Max Cook also enjoyed a strong weekend for AJN Steel- stock bimota, finishing fifth in race one before securing third in the finale. His podium made him the fifth different rider to finish in the top three at Donington, with five different teams also represented on the weekend's podium. CN Race One (Top 5) 1. Kyle Ryde (Duc) 29:12:190 2. Ryan Vickers (Hon) +1.260 3. Bradley Ray (Yam) +4.440 4. Scott Redding (Duc) +6.081 5. Max Cook (bim) +7.777 Race Two (Top 5) 1. Kyle Ryde (Duc) 18:10:831 2. Scott Redding (Duc) +0.283 3. Ryan Vickers (Hon) +1.879 4. Bradley Ray (Yam) +1.992 5. Max Cook (bim) +2.542 Race Three (Top 5) 1. Scott Redding (Duc) 27:41:303 2. Max Cook (bim) +2.254 3. Ryan Vickers (Hon) +3.284 4. Bradley Ray (Yam) +8.017 5. Rory Skinner (Yam) +13.086 WIND IN THE P54 Scott Redding embraces the PBM Ducati team after his crucial race-three win.