Kyle Ryde Superbike title defence opener overshadowed by race tragedy at Oulton Park

A huge 11-rider crash in the accompanying Quattro Group British Supersport Championship race saw two riders killed, another with 'significant injuries' and a further five with minor injuries.

“I had a better race today, finishing in fourth,” said Ryde on Monday.

“But it means nothing. I send all my love to those families who have lost loved one and best wishes to all others who were hurt.”

Ryde ended the weekend in fifth place overall in the standings for the OMG Nitrous Competitions Racing Yamaha team with 23 points behind leader Bradley Ray, Leon Haslam, Glenn Irwin and Storm Stacey.

Ray marked his return to the Championship in sensational style in the opening qualifying session, setting the fastest ever BSB lap of the circuit, giving the Raceways Yamaha team pole position on their return to the series.

The lap put Ray 0.382s ahead of Ryde and Haslam, who claimed his first front row start on his return to Ducati with the Moto Rapido Ducati Racing team.

Ray then celebrated an incredible first Superbike race win of 2025, securing victory for the Raceways Yamaha team to mark a double celebration on their return to the series.

Ray was under lap record pace, smashing his own lap record to win by an impressive 1.937s, but Ryde was pushing for second place.

However, Haslam pushed him back to third on lap 13 with a decisive move at Lodge to put himself into second on the Moto Rapido Ducati Racing.

Meanwhile Irwin on the Hager PBM Ducati had carved his way up the order to be pushing for a podium in the closing stages, moving third on lap 13 with a dive down the inside on Ryde at Shell.

Irwin and Haslam were duelling for second place, but at the chequered flag, the Hager PBM Ducati rider had the edge to celebrate a hard-fought podium from his Ducati rival, whilst Haslam celebrated a top three finish.

Ryde dropped to fifth in the closing stages of the race as Stacey delivered an impressive result on his debut with Bathams AJN Racing BMW as he took fourth after pushing for the podium finish.

Ryde was sixth fastest in the warm-up for race two which saw Haslam return to winning ways in the Championship for the first time since 2018, holding off pressure from both Ray and Irwin on the final lap.

Ryde was able to snatch fourth place on the final lap, pushing Stacey back into fifth on the Bathams AJN Racing BMW.

The next round will be staged on the weekend of 16th-18th May at Donington Park.

But the weekend headlines centred on the crash at the start of the Supersport race.

Exiting turn one on the first lap there was a major chain reaction incident involving 11 riders.

Owen Jenner and Shane Richardson lost their lives and Tom Tunstall was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital with significant back and abdominal injuries.

Carl Harris, Max Morgan, Cameron Hall, Freddie Barnes, and Morgan McLaren-Wood suffered minor injuries while Lewis Jones, Corey Tinker and George Edwards were involved but uninjured.