Bradley Ray and his McAMS Yamaha enjoyed a productive two days of official testing at Donington Park this week, with big steps gained ahead of the 2026 British Superbike Championship season.

For 2026 title contender Brad Ray, the test was both experimental and encouraging, with the Superbike squad continuing to evaluate a variety of set-ups and components in an effort to unlock a greater feeling.

Ray ended Friday’s opening day firmly inside the top three as the top Yamaha rider in the classification, posting a fastest lap of 1:27.383 and quickly returning to form since his last outing aboard the Yamaha R1 at Andalucía.

Saturday’s three sessions brought more of the same, with the 28-year-old progressing well through the team’s testing programme. The opening session of the second day on track saw Ray improve on his fastest lap, punching in a 1:27.638 – he ended the test in fifth overall.

With just over two weeks until the final pre-season test at Oulton Park, the team heads into the short break with a keen sense of optimism. McAMS Yamaha’s British Superbike and Supersport trio return to action on 21-22 April for two final days of track time before the season opener on the May bank holiday weekend.

Speaking after testing, Ray said: “It’s been a long but positive couple of days trying to extract more performance out of the Yamaha R1. The bike is already strong, as we know, but these tests are always about squeezing that extra bit out of its potential.

“We found a good direction throughout the test, so we’ll relay everything and return to Oulton Park to pick up where we left off. Thanks to the boys at McAMS Yamaha for all of the hard work over the last two days.”

Image courtesy of Tim Keeton – Impact Images