Bradley Ray may have missed out on the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship title last weekend to his good friend Kyle Ryde at Brands Hatch, but he is vowing to be back even stronger next season.

It is an ominous warning from Ray to his title rivals, as the 2022 champion sets his stall out earlier for 2026. In 2025 he won 12 races, and multiple podium finishes and pole positions, on what as an excellent return to the championship.

Given he was without a ride just two weeks before the start of the season, it is even more remarkable considering the job Steve Rodgers and the Raceways Yamaha team did get the operation up and running.

They hit the ground running with nine wins in the opening ten races, and but for a mid-season blip, with issues with the bike and a couple of DNFs that impacted him, the fight between him and Ryde could have been even closer heading into his final round at Brands Hatch.

In front of his friends, family and fans at his home circuit, Ray did all he could to take the fight to the final race of the season, but with two seconds and a third he couldn’t bridge the 30 point gap and had to settle for the runner-up spot.

Speaking after the weekend, Ray said: It’s obviously not the ending to the year we were hoping for, but looking back, I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved. Just two weeks before the season started, I didn’t even have a ride – so to be standing here now as the runner-up in the championship is something I’m genuinely proud of.

“This has been one of the most enjoyable seasons of my career; as a team, we’ve accomplished so much together, and I can’t thank them enough for their hard work and belief all year long.

“This weekend was strong, but in the end, Kyle’s consistency over the season made the difference. Huge congratulations to him on a great year. We’ll take everything we’ve learned, regroup, and come back stronger in 2026.”

Images courtesy of Tim Keeton – Impact Images