Two-way Ducati Tussle Emerges for 2026 BSB Crown

The fight for the 2026 British Superbike Championship appears destined to come down to a thrilling two-way fight between Ducati riders Kyle Ryde and Scott Redding.

With more than half of the season being completed with the most recent event at Oulton Park, Ryde (Nitrous Competition Ducati) leads Redding (Hager PBM Ducati) by 30 points after six events, while the pair are 89 and 59 points clear respectively of the next closest rider.

It puts the Italian manufacturer well on course for its first BSB title with the Ducati Panigale V4 R since Tommy Bridewell was victorious with PBM (Paul Bird Motorsport) in 2023.

Of the two leading contenders, Ryde remains the man to beat following victories in 12 of the year’s 18 races thus far.

However, his points’ advantage is being pegged back by BSB’s scoring system that limits the differential between first and second place to just two points (18 points for first, 16 points for second) at this stage in the season.

This will change during the final three events, when the reward for victory will be higher than in previous rounds.

Until then, however, Ryde and Redding are well placed to take their battle into those closing stages.

It has been a particularly impressive season for Ryde, who came into the season seeking a third consecutive BSB title but did so having made the risky switch to Ducati machinery at the start of the year.

Despite the swap, Ryde has been formidable from the get-go, finishing on the podium in every race so far this year, the majority of which have been the top step.

Another rider with title-winning credentials, 2019 BSB Champion Redding continues to keep Ryde honest with his own consistent results, which comprise four wins, eight seconds and two thirds.

Either way, the pair now have a substantial lead over third place man Bradley Ray, though much will be decided in the final events, particularly the finale where the prize for winning a race will rise from the current 18 points to 35 points.

Elsewhere in the Ducati camp, Leon Haslam has been a four-time podium winner on the Moto Rapido machine to sit fourth overall at the mid-way stage, while Glenn Irwin (Nitrous Competition) and Storm Stacey (AJN Bathams) hold down overall top ten spots too.