British SuperBikes Round 2

BSB Donington Park Round 2 is always one of the standout weekends on the Bennetts British Superbike calendar. It may not have the dramatic scenery of Cadwell Park or the flowing corners of Brands Hatch, but Donington delivers something equally important — accessibility.

Its central location makes it one of the easiest circuits in the country to reach. With excellent road links and plenty of nearby accommodation, it attracts huge crowds. Whether fans are making a day trip or camping for the full weekend, Donington Park always pulls in a strong turnout. That was certainly the case as well for the PistonClick team who turned out in force. We had six photographers shooting from behind the wire in the spectator areas covering the action across all three days.

The popularity of BSB at Donington does have one down side, it’s popularity. If you are only interested in photographing the bikes Friday is the day for you. There are less people so there is better access to the best viewing spots than the two race days. Saturday is the compromise day, qualifying and one race gives you the best of both worlds. More fans than Friday but with some racing action.

Sunday has two BSB and loads of support races and usually a huge crowd. It can be difficult to access the best spots on the final day but it’s worth going for the atmosphere especially if the racing is good, which it was.

BSB Donington Park Round 2 – Ryde under the Lap Record

Kyle Ryde arrived at his home round in superb form. Three wins at the opening round is a statement of intent, his intent is to defend his 2025 BSB title. During Fridays Pre-Qualifying he emphasised his form by smashed the existing Bennetts BSB lap record. Piloting the Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing Ducati, Ryde posted a stunning 1m 26.701s lap. However, Max Cook pushed him all the way on the AJN Steelstock Bimota, finishing just 0.083s behind.

The top 16 riders were covered by less than a second, showing once again just how competitive the 2026 BSB season has become. Scott Redding also looked strong throughout Friday. The Hager PBM Racing Ducati rider finished third in Pre-Qualifying after topping the opening practice session earlier in the day.

Glenn Irwin bounced back after a difficult opening round at Oulton Park to secure fourth, while Leon Haslam continued his consistent form with another top-five finish for Moto Rapido Racing. Charlie Nesbitt impressed despite suffering an earlier crash. He recovered to claim sixth ahead of Andrew Irwin and Ryan Vickers.

Saturday morning’s final Free Practice session was a very short 10 minutes. It still remained incredibly tight at the top of the standings. Ryde again edged Cook, this time by just 0.006 seconds.  Redding stayed firmly in contention in third, while Danny Kent and rookie Joe Talbot both impressed with strong top-five performances.

Pre-Qualifying Top 10

Qualifying 1 & 2 – Kyle Ryde Takes Pole Position

Kyle Ryde continued his incredible form throughout the official qualifying session. Ryde set a blistering lap of 1m 26.123s aboard the Nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions Racing Ducati to claim another fastest ever BSB lap at Donington Park. It wasn’t just Ryde who was quick, the top eight riders all posted times under the previous lap record throughout Q2. 

Max Cook kept the pressure firmly on with another impressive performance for the AJN Steelstock Bimota team. Cook briefly moved to the top of the standings as the final minutes approached. New for the 2026 season the Bimota KB988 Rimini Superbikes, powered by the Kawasaki ZX-10RR engine is looking impressive.

Scott Redding then added even more drama to the session. The Hager PBM Racing Ducati rider jumped to the top spot with less than five minutes remaining after putting together a superb lap. But Ryde was not finished yet. On his final run, the reigning champion responded in style. He delivered another stunning lap to reclaim pole position and secure a new unofficial BSB lap record at the Leicestershire circuit.

Ryde ended the session 0.148 seconds clear of Cook, while Redding completed the front row in third. Leon Haslam produced a late charge to secure fourth place for Moto Rapido Racing. Danny Kent impressed once again after progressing through Q1 to take fifth on the Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha. Storm Stacey continued his strong weekend in sixth place ahead of Bradley Ray and Glenn Irwin. Rory Skinner and Andrew Irwin completed the top ten.

Donington Park Qualifying Top 10

With lap records falling and the top riders separated by tenths of a second, the stage was perfectly set for an explosive opening race at Donington Park.

Race One – Redding Returns to Winning Ways

Saturday’s opening race delivered changing conditions and plenty of drama. Max Cook made a brilliant start and quickly established himself at the front of the field. The Bimota rider looked calm and confident as he controlled the early stages ahead of Ryde and Danny Kent. Scott Redding steadily worked his way forward before joining the battle in the closing laps.

With rain beginning to fall again, the fight intensified. Ryde briefly led before Redding launched a decisive move at the Old Hairpin on the penultimate lap. As conditions worsened, Ryde signalled it was raining by raising his hand, running slightly wide at the Melbourne Loop. Cook capitalised immediately to retake second place.

Moments later, the race was red flagged due to the heavy rain, handing Redding his first win of the season. Behind the leading trio, Leon Haslam led a fierce midfield scrap involving Bradley Ray, Christian Iddon and Rory Skinner.

BSB Donington Park Round 2 – Race One Top 10

BSB Donington Park Round 2 – Race Two – Ryde Hits Back

In Sunday’s sprint race Scott Redding grabbed the holeshot and initially led from Max Cook and Christian Iddon. Ryde wasted no time moving forward and passed Cook at Redgate on lap three. A small mistake from Redding at Goddards a few laps later opened the door for Ryde to strike.

Once in front, the reigning champion controlled the pace superbly. Setting a new official BSB lap record of 1:26.317 on lap two, Ryde was going to be hard to catch. Redding pushed but could not close the gap as Ryde secured victory at his home circuit. Max Cook completed another podium in third, while Bradley Ray delivered one of his strongest rides of the season so far to finish fourth. Leon Haslam, Rory Skinner and Glenn Irwin all enjoyed solid races inside the top eight.

Race Two Top 10

BSB Donington Park Round 2 – Race Three – Ryde Completes the Double

The final race of the weekend saw Ryde complete a superb double victory. Ryde launched into the lead from the start ahead of Max Cook and Scott Redding. Bradley Ray, Leon Haslam and Christian Iddon formed the chasing group as the pace remained relentless.

A Safety Car interruption briefly closed the field after Charlie Nesbitt crashed at Starkeys. When racing resumed, Redding immediately attacked Cook and moved into second place with a strong pass at the Old Hairpin.

Despite the pressure, Ryde stayed composed and controlled the race to the chequered flag. Redding secured his third podium of the weekend in second, while Max Cook celebrated a career-best weekend with another podium finish in third.

Bradley Ray narrowly missed out on the podium again in fourth ahead of Leon Haslam and Glenn Irwin. 

Race three was a bit mad, nine riders did not finish the race. Redgate claimed Fraser Rogers on lap one and Storm Stacey was forced into the gravel on lap three. Andrew Irwin and Joe Talbot crashed at the Melbourne Loop resulting in Talbot reviving a grid penalty of 3 positions for the next race. Christian Iddon and Lee Jackson crashed out at the Old Hairpin. Race Direction later released a statement that under Section F2.7 (Careless, reckless or dangerous riding in the course of a meeting) that you (Christian Iddon) be penalised with 3 Penalty Points and a Grid Penalty of 3 positions for your next race.

BSB Donington Park Round 2 – Race Three Top 10

Championship Standings After Donington Park

Kyle Ryde leaves Donington Park firmly in control of the championship after a near-perfect two from three weekend. Scott Redding’s return to winning form moves him into second overall, while Leon Haslam continues to quietly build momentum with another consistent points haul.

Max Cook was undoubtedly one of the stars of the weekend. Three podium finishes and front-running pace throughout marked a major breakthrough for the AJN Steelstock Bimota squad. A public vote on X tied Ryde and Cook as the Army Be The Best award for rider of the weekend. Ryde also added to his trophy cabinet being crowned the Carole Nash King of Donington.

One team who had a disappointing weekend was the official BMW 8TEN Racing team. Davie Todd is still not fit to race and Peter Hickman had technical issues on the race one start line so retired. Race two he pulled in after completing three laps and did not start race three. Sighting grip issues all weekend the team erred on the side of safety and also probably had one eye on the Isle of Man TT with is due to start soon.

BSB only allows one brand of tyre, Pirelli so I can’t see how 8TEN can be competitive this season if this is the problem. The PistonClick team will be at the IoM TT as official media. So while one struts around in a tabard I will make notes from the top of a wall, bottom of a ditch or a damp hedgerow and see how 8TEN Racing get on swapping over to Dunlops for the road races. 

British SuperBikes 2026 Top 10 Championship Standings

Round 3 of the British Superbikes Championship will be at Knockhill 19 – 21 June 2026.

Photographic Postscript 

Donington Park once again delivered everything fans could ask for — close racing, great atmosphere and championship drama. The diverse machines in the support races added value to the event with competitive racing. I must say I was slightly disappointed that there was only one SuperStock race, they seem to have been sidelined somewhat at this event. 

The changeable weather conditions kept the racers and photographers alike on their toes. If this weekend is anything to go by, the 2026 Bennetts British Superbike season is only just getting started.

Around the Paddock and Garages

From my perspective as a photographer BSB is a show that is not just about capturing bikes racing around a track. The personalities in the paddock with the high rolling teams and their immaculate hospitality marquees contrast with the transit vans and bacon butties at the other end of the paddock.

The riders are always an interesting subject matter and it’s well worth lurking around the paddock to see who will turn up. Getting into the pit garages is only allowed for accredited media and invited guests. However, there are locations and angles that will allow you a decent shot at a few of the rounds.

Taking time to investigate your location can pay dividends, turning up and pressing your camera up against the wire will only give you one viewpoint.

_{Tom Sykes and Rocket Ron Haslam chat with Leon Haslam.}

As recorders of light we the photographers should turn around occasionally and capture a different view of this show. Street photography fits in well with track photography and it would be great to see a little more posted up on social media by the many photographers who attend these events. We as a team are progressing this aspect and hopefully the images here will inspire you to try something a little different next time you visit the track.

BSB Donington Park – Photographic Post Script

I won’t go through all of the different camera gear the PistonClick photographers used. Most of the photos have the metadata embedded but not all. To see more information after you have selected an image click the i icon. Thanks to RPW Photography, Andrew Harbey, Chris Jackson and all of the photographers who contributed to this report who were shooting from behind the safety wire fences. You can see more of their images and all of our BSB reports by following the links below.

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