After a disappointing few meetings, Kyle Ryde got the job done when it mattered most with the Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha rider sealing his place in this year’s British Superbike Championship Showdown at Snetterton at the weekend. Wins and podiums in the first three rounds put the Nottinghamshire rider comfortably in one of the coveted top eight positions but a dip in form saw him slide down the standings and in danger of dropping out of the top eight altogether.
Danny Buchan’s double victory at Cadwell Park meant he arrived at Snetterton just 14 points behind Ryde but there was a reversal in form at the weekend and whilst everything went wrong for Buchan, the opposite rang true for Ryde with third place in the opening race – his first podium since winning at Donington back in May – going a long way to securing his top eight spot.
Solid finishes in the other two races got him across the line and it’s now all about the Showdown, where he’ll be making his debut in a relatively short BSB career. “I’m so proud of myself and the team to make it into the Showdown for the first time and after two difficult rounds, it felt so good to be able to fight for positions and podiums again,” he said. “To take third place on Saturday felt like winning the lottery and really set us up to secure that Showdown place on Sunday.
We knew what we had to do in Sunday’s opening race and thankfully we managed it. “Thank you to the team for giving me such a great bike this weekend, my Yamaha R1 was awesome to ride and I’m over the moon to come away with a podium and to make it into the final eight.