Reigning champ jobless, then back on the grid!
As always in the British Superbikes, the drama starts long before the first round. In the final Oulton Park pre-season test Glenn Irwin set the quickest time on day 2 from Leon Haslam, Danny Kent and Kyle Ryde, but the off-track action was even more interesting.
There have been some sweeping changes to the grid ahead of the first round to be held at the same circuit over May 3-5, headlined by 2024 champion Kyle Ryde being thrown a lifeline after the apparent collapse and resurrection of OMG Racing. World Superbike refugee Bradley Ray was set to partner Ryde, but will now compete for the reformed Raceways Yamah team and topped the final Oulton Park session.
After operating his own team with BMW machinery the last two seasons, Haslam has made the switch to the Steve ‘Wilf’ Moore-led Moto Rapido Ducati squad at the expense of Christian Iddon.He posted strong times at Navarra and Donington.
Glenn Irwin will return on the sole Paul Bird Motorsports Ducati V4 R and topped both the Navarra and Donington tests. 2023 champion Tommy Bridewell will return for Honda Racing UK after finishing runner-up to Ryde last season while McAMS Yamaha will also continue with Danny Kent.
Aussie Billy McConnell and the Look Forward Racing / C&L Fairburn Properties team are back again for 2025 with Honda machinery, while Josh Brookes appears to have made a successful switch to the DAO Racing Honda, sitting inside the top 10 at all tests following an encouraging Australian Motul Summer Night Series.
In Superstock, Brayden Elliott announced last week that he would be reforming his self-run No Bull Racing team with a Honda Fireblade and stepping back to Superstock after a stint in Superbike on the DAO Racing Kawasaki. In Supersport, Ben Currie returns on the Moto Rapido Ducati in an effort to reclaim the title he won in 2023. In the Sportbike class, West Australian Jayden Martin returns with Macadam Racing on a Triumph partnered by Victorian Brodie Gawith. Gawith had a breakout 2024 in the Kawasaki Superteen class, as did good friend Henry Snell, who will be returning to the field in 2025.
What happened at OMG Racing?
Last year’s champion Kyle Ryde will defend his title in the resurrected OMG Nitrous Competitions team – which is essentially the same outfit as last year rebranded and scaled back to field just him. The drama began about two weeks ago when the OMG team announced it would be withdrawing, citing ‘commercial circumstances’. This would have potentially left Ryde and his teammate Brad Ray, who was returning to the BSB after a stint in WorldSBK, without a seat. BSB boss Stuart Higgs instigated a ‘rescue plan’ that would see OMG Racing continue, while Ray was able to secure a ride with the Steve Rodgers led Raceways Yamaha. After years of success under the McAMS Racing banner (most notably with Tarran Mackenzie and Jason O’Halloran), Rodgers said he had no intention of returning to the BSB paddock. “But following what has happened with OMG it was a huge shame to see the riders without a ride,” he said.
What happened at FHO Racing BMW?
Josh Brookes appeared to have dodged a tricky situation at his former team FHO Racing BMW Motorrad, with team boss Faye Ho stepping back from the championship after previously confirming roads specialists Peter Hickman and Davey Todd. Ho stated she would be focusing her efforts on her native Macau and simply did not have the time to run a BSB team. This left Hickman and Todd to form 8Ten Racing, co-owned by both the riders and backed by BMW Motorrad UK.
