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The opening round at Oulton Park ended with Kyle Ryde standing tallest after a weekend that produced a rare hat trick — three race victories — for the reigning champion. Across practice, warm-up and the race program he combined raw speed and measured overtakes to deny close challengers. The Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing rider also topped the warm-up session with a lap that put him ahead of the field in pace, underlining the performance that translated into race day success.
What made the weekend notable was how consistently the top three composed themselves: Ryde, Leon Haslam and Bradley Ray repeatedly featured at the sharp end, turning several intense battles into decisive moments. The closing laps of the finale were particularly telling, as Ryde absorbed pressure, timed his moves and executed a last-minute retake to cross the chequered flag first, completing a perfect opener for his title defence.
Race two: establishing dominance
The second race set the tone when Max Cook launched strongly from the grid on the AJN Steelstock bimota to lead the early laps. Behind him, veteran Leon Haslam and Bradley Ray kept close, with Ryde stalking from fourth. Ryde wasted little time: he sliced past Ray on lap one and followed with a bold move on Haslam at Island, grabbing the lead a lap later. Despite Ray’s persistent pressure, Ryde held the line and managed the closing laps with authority. Meanwhile, a separate duel for fourth saw Scott Redding edge out Storm Stacey after a recovery that saw him bridge across to the Bathams AJN Ducati rider. The finish order confirmed a champions’ lockout on the podium: Ryde first, Haslam second and Ray third.
Race three: a tactical finale
The weekend finale began with Ray producing another rapid getaway to lead into the first corners, placing himself ahead of Haslam, Redding and Ryde. Redding worked his way into third with a determined pass on Ryde by lap five, looking for his first rostrum of the season. Haslam then began to press at the front, seizing the lead with a move into Shell on lap ten. Ryde answered with a string of incisive passes; he dispatched Redding at Old Hall before slicing by Ray at Brittens to set a charge at Haslam. The pair traded positions over the following laps—Haslam reclaiming the lead at Lodge, then Ryde executing the identical manoeuvre moments later—before Ryde held on to the finish to complete his treble.
Key maneuvers and momentum
Ryde’s decisive moments came through precise timing and composure under attack. When Haslam forced a move into the final corners, Ryde stayed composed, used momentum and track position to counter with the same line a lap later. This illustrates how racecraft and mental resilience can be as important as outright speed. Elsewhere, Glenn Irwin recovered from a difficult weekend and a race-two retirement to claim a determined fifth in the finale, while riders such as Rory Skinner, Cook and Ryan Vickers filled the upper points positions with solid rides.
Official results and standings
Race two concluded with Kyle Ryde victorious, followed by Leon Haslam (+2.052s) and Bradley Ray (+2.148s). Fourth went to Scott Redding (+4.408s) and fifth to Storm Stacey (+7.223s). The full top ten saw Max Cook, Ryan Vickers, Rory Skinner, Joe Talbot and Lee Jackson completing the points scorers. In race three Ryde again stood atop the podium with Haslam +1.162s and Ray +1.364s in tow, Redding just behind in fourth (+1.457s) and Irwin securing fifth (+6.962s).
After the Oulton Park program the early championship leaderboard shows Kyle Ryde on 54 points, Leon Haslam on 48 and Bradley Ray on 42. Other early scorers include Scott Redding with 35, Storm Stacey 30, and Max Cook on 29. The standings underline how a strong opening round can shape momentum heading into the next circuits.
Warm-up, pace and indicators
Ryde’s superiority was visible before the races: he topped the warm-up with a time of 1:33.481, narrowly ahead of Ray (+0.021s) and Redding (+0.207s). The session also featured strong runs from Storm Stacey and Leon Haslam, while Glenn Irwin clocked sixth as he chased form after earlier setbacks. These warm-up gaps hinted at the close margins that would decide podium places once tyre life, traffic and strategic choices entered the equation.
Summing up the weekend, Ryde reflected on needing to stay composed when rivals attacked late and admitted the hardest victory came in the final race when Haslam dived up the inside in the closing laps. With Oulton Park concluded, attention now shifts to the upcoming rounds as teams dissect data and riders aim to carry the momentum. Donington Park will provide the next test for those chasing Ryde, who leaves Oulton having converted pace into points in emphatic fashion.