Kyle Ryde Learns Ducati Ahead of 2026 Bsb Opener
Kyle Ryde is still learning his Ducati BSB bike, but the reigning champion already set the fastest time in his first test before the 2026 season opener at Oulton Park. The opening round runs from 2–4 May, and Ryde is trying to add another layer to a title run that already includes the last two championships.
Ryde At Oulton Park
Ryde’s first run on the Ducati came at Oulton Park on 21–22 April, where he posted the fastest time aboard his race bike. He said the team had not made too many changes yet because they were learning the bike and were already quite fast.
“So after the test that we did last week, there were good signs and now going into round one we’re hoping for the same sort of weather that we had at the test,” he said. “The bike has been working really well and we’ve not made too many changes yet because we were learning the bike and we were already quite fast.”
Nitrous Competitions Racing Switch
Nitrous Competitions Racing has moved to Ducati for the 2026 season after taking over the team midway through 2025. The same group stepped in as a sponsor at the beginning of last year to help rescue the team from collapse, and now Ryde is trying to carry that rebuild straight into another championship chase.
He said there is still room to find more pace from the package. “There’s a lot of things to try with the bike still, but we have a great starting point,” he said.
Ryde And BSB History
The switch matters because Ryde won the last two BSB titles with Yamaha and is now adapting to a different machine while defending his crown. Across four seasons on Yamaha, he recorded no DNFs, 22 wins and 57 podiums.
A successful title defence in 2026 would make him the first rider since Niall Mackenzie in 1998 to win three titles back-to-back. Mackenzie’s run began in 1996, the first year of BSB in its current format, and this season also lands during the championship’s 30th anniversary year.
“Credit to all the team for getting everything ready for round one; it’s not going to be easy but we’ll give it our best shot and hopefully we can have a good weekend as we try and go for the three-peat,” Ryde said.
