Kyle Ryde “wanted” Ducati BSB switch despite Yamaha titles

After two BSB titles with Yamaha, Kyle Ryde and the Nitrous Competitions Racing team – previously OMG Racing – will move to Ducati for the 2026 season, but this is something the Nottinghamshire rider “wanted”, according to his rider coach and 2011 BSB Champion Tommy Hill.

Amid 2023 champion Tommy Bridewell’s departure from Honda, Ryan Vickers’ return from World Superbike to replace him, and the introduction of the Bimota KB998, the Nitrous Competition switch from the Yamaha R1 to the Ducati Panigale V4 R is not necessarily news that stands out in the BSB off-season this year but it has the potential to be perhaps the most pivotal change of the winter.

This is not only down to Ryde, for whom the Ducati will be his fourth bike in BSB after Suzuki and BMW before Yamaha, but also for his teammate Glenn Irwin who proved his capacity to challenge for titles aboard Ducati machinery with PBM in 2023 and 2024.

But, for Ryde (who spent several track days in 2025 riding a Panigale V4 R for training), it’s a change that was desired, according to his rider coach Tommy Hill. 

“Everyone’s excited,” Hill said in an interview with the Ducati UK website.

“Yes, it’s a new project. And it might not be easy at the start. But I think the change is good. 

“It keeps everyone on their toes and it’s what Kyle [Ryde] wanted as well, and he’s excited for it. He’s been in the team four years now and so a change in his fifth season will be good and he’s looking forward to it.”

Despite the optimism, Hill is aware of the difficulties that could come with what will be an untested bike in BSB-spec, given the specific conditions created by the British Championship’s ruleset.

“We’ve heard good things about the Panigale V4 R,” Hill said.

“It looks like a great machine and Ducati have made some big improvements. 

“We’re yet to see if it works in BSB-spec, which will be in the back of everyone’s mind. 

“We’ll only be running one compound of tyre whereas the World Superbike Championship run four compounds of rear tyre and full electronic systems, so that can change the bike a lot. 

“I think for us we’ll make it work. 

“In Kyle we have a rider at the top of his game, a good team around him and we’re excited to switch to an Italian brand. 

“Fingers crossed we can hit the ground running in 2026.”