Bradley Ray heads into the final round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship right in the title hunt at his home circuit this weekend.

Brands Hatch plays host to the traditional final showdown in the title fight and this season Kent’s very own Ray is hunting down leader Kyle Ryde.

The good friends are both going for their second BSB crown, Kyle for back to back and Ray for his first since 2022, having spent two seasons in the World Superbikes.

It has been very much a tale of two halves of the season, with Ray stronger in the first half and Ryde stronger in the second, leaving a thirty point gap between them with just three races left to go.

Speaking ahead of the weekend, a relaxed Ray said: “I am feeling good going into the final round. Brands Hatch was a good round for me mid-season, so I’m looking forward to getting there. The feelings are a little bit different to 2022, which was my first chance of being British Superbike champion and I went there with quite a big lead, so the feeling is a little bit different.

“The championship for me has been really good, it’s been successful, I’ve had a lot of wins, a lot of podiums, but mid-season I had a few small issues which were out of our control and outside of the team’s control, which hindered me for a few rounds, so a little bit of a shame about that.

“Oulton Park was super good, race one was very tricky as we were the only one on the soft wet tyre, so unfortunately hit reverse in the race and just had to bring it home and score as many points as possible. But Sunday was special. I felt really back to myself and really relaxed on the bike and fast and to come away with a win and a second was what we needed to keep the championship alive.

“Honestly, I feel quite relaxed going into the weekend so we’ll try and give it our all and I’m really excited to head back to Brands Hatch. It’s a track I enjoy, obviously being back down south I get a lot of support from family and friends and it’s such a unique venue so it’s even more special. I feel happy going back there and the support is always really nice.

“It’s going to be a tough three races at Brands Hatch and it’s October, but I feel prepared for all conditions, and we’ll try to do our best job. It’s going to be hard, they’ll be a few riders in the mix. Kyle obviously, Tommy will be there, Scott will obviously be fast, Leon will be looking to be strong, Rory, so they’ll be quite a few in the mix. I’m looking forward to a bit of a dogfight there so yeah.

“I’m just approaching the final round like every other weekend, I feel really relaxed and really happy with the team. Honestly, I feel that the pressure is on Kyle to deliver, I have a good thirty point gap to try and close down, but going up to thirty-five points for a win means anything can happen, we’ve seen it in the past.

“For me it’s a case of going out and doing the best job I can, that means for me, winning races and be on the podium, that’s the first goal. I just want to enjoy every lap of the weekend and give it my absolute best and come out the weekend with my head held high. We will try to do the best to lift the trophy, but I’m feeling good and I can’t wait to keep going for these last three races.

“I am just super proud of the team and myself this year; it’ll be unbelievable to win the title for Steve, for Raceways and for all the team, sponsors and family. It would be unbelievable to lift the title for the second time; we will be giving it everything until the last race.”

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