Is British Superbike Racing on Par with MotoGP, WorldSBK?

MotoGP has the greatest and most advanced motorcycles in the world, of that there is no doubt, and the riders aboard said bikes are the best of the best.

WorldSBK is not far behind in terms of talent, in fact, some would argue that six-time champion Jonathan Rea in his prime, and current superstar Toprak Razgatlioglu are not only good enough to be MotoGP riders, but would be competitive given the right bike.

Am I saying there’s a Marc Marquez or Toprak Razgatlioglu type of talent in BSB? Well, the obvious answer is no, but does that mean the racing is any less exciting to watch? Again, I would say no.

I've watched many BSB races over the years, and there’s one thing it has never been lacking, which is intense battles for race wins and championships.

On the world stage that is sometimes lacking. MotoGP in 2023 was incredible as Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin went down to the final race of the season to decide who would win the title.

That’s likely to happen between the pair again in 2025, while the WorldSBK championship is yet to crown a champion with one round remaining.

But Ryde and Bridewell’s epic duel on Sunday at Brands Hatch was not the first time the BSB championship has gone down to the final race, or the final lap for that matter.

The entire race three of the weekend was a classic, however, the final two laps were something out of this world. With the pressure ramped up to the highest it could be, both riders were faultless as they swapped the lead at what felt like every corner.

Many MotoGP and Superbike title fights have gone down to the final race, but not many have involved a one-v-one battle between the two title contenders to decide the championship. While in previous years there have also been moments where the championship was won way before the final round was even in sight.

But if you look at BSB, last year saw Bridewell fight tooth and nail in the final race to beat team-mate at the time, Glenn Irwin, to the crown. Irwin beat Bridewell in the final race of the weekend, but the latter was able to win the title by half a point.

Another great example of BSB throwing up a sensational finale that has rivalled anything we’ve seen on the world stage was the 2011 battle between Tommy Hill and John Hopkins, as the former managed to hold off the American for second place, which led to him winning the championship by just two points.

Fast-forward to yesterday and Ryde needed to win after losing points to Bridewell in both race one and race two, and the five point difference between first and second was enough to see Ryde claim the title by just one single point. 

Speaking after the race, an elated Ryde said: “It was a good day. Well hard fought and it was close all day between me and Tommy. At least 50 passes were made between us both.

“I watched the race from this morning and I tried to defend into Stirlings but he still managed to find a way past me a few times. But I did something right on the last lap to keep him behind me.

“[The] pace was incredible, Tommy set a new lap record [even though] it was about six degrees outside. Great day. British Superbike Champion. Not sunk in yet, but it will do.”

While the racing over the final two laps between the pair was truly spectacular, the respect between the pair was just as impressive. There was contact made at one stage which nearly led to Ryde coming off his Yamaha R1, but the two riders kept it as clean as you could wish for to see in a final lap battle for the title.

“Of course I am disappointed, I am a bike racer and I came to win,” said last season’s champion Bridewell. “I believed in this project from the outset and knew from the outset that there was no doubt in my mind that I would be standing here as either a two-time British champion or in the position that I am in now.

“I couldn't have done any more, and as a racer you can only give your all, and that's exactly what I have done.

“My nearest competitors were a mile behind, to be honest it was just me and Kyle all year, and hand on heart, I couldn't have lost to a better kid, I am genuinely so happy for him and his team.

“I know what it's like in that position, he was under immense pressure and he handled it. I am gutted for Honda, I gave it my all and tried my hardest all year. We just need to work on a few areas, try to improve the wheelie so I can get off the rear brake, but hey, what a last race at the end of the year.

“I want to sign off by saying thank you to the team, I've given them a hard time in moments but I know just how much work goes on behind the scenes and I know just how much potential there is to still be realised.

“I am honestly, really happy with the work that we have done and for what we have achieved.”

It goes without saying that MotoGP (in particular) and WorldSBK are the pinnacle championships when it comes to overall talent, ground-braking engineering and technology, but BSB provides ten-out-of-ten excitement as regularly as I can remember from any racing championship, so for me, calling it the most competitive series would not be an outlandish statement.

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