Rookie BSB star “taking liberties” for first podium at Brands Hatch finale

Joe Talbot finished his first BSB season with a first ever podium in the class, although he was “taking a little bit of liberties” to get there.

Talbot had threatened podium-contending speed at various points through the 2026 BSB season, but he wasn’t able to put the weekend together in a way that put him in position to challenge once the races arrived.

Add that to the challenge of beating the Ducatis this year, plus some reliability problems with the Bimota at Assen and the progress in performance that Honda – in particular with Ryan Vickers – made in the second half of the year and claiming a rookie rostrum became a season-long challenge for Talbot.

The key, in the end, was the arrival of rain on the final day of the season ahead of Race 3 at the Brands Hatch finale.

Talbot was fourth early on in Race 3, but cut adrift by around two seconds from the leading three of Kyle Ryde, Scott Redding, and Ryan Vickers, but was able to close them down, eventually passing Redding for third, a position he held onto until the finish.

“Obviously it feels amazing,” Talbot told Crash.net after Race 3 at Brands Hatch.

“I’ve never been so happy just to be on the podium, but after a long, hard year in such a tough class is really good. 

“I had a lot of moments, it’s cold, it’s wet, but we managed to cross over the line in P3 and come away and finally get a podium, so really happy.”

Talbot dropped back from the front two towards the end of Race 3.

“I tried, I did try [to catch the leaders], but the rain started to come again at the end and [...] the track temperature just really plummeted,” he explained.

“I just struggled in a few areas.”

He added: “I was just taking a little bit of liberties, really, just trying to close in. I just really wanted that podium. 

“I was having a lot of moments even when I got to third, and I finally looked at my board and I had like four seconds to Scott [Redding], and I sort of backed it off a little bit because it was not easy to be there in third, that close. 

“So, on the last lap I just went a little bit too slow to fight for the win, let’s say, but I was there and then crossed the line two seconds behind.”

Talbot has been close with Kyle Ryde during his rookie season, the now three-time champion offering advice to the rookie. With Ryde finishing second, the Bimota rider was able to share his first podium with the rider who has acted almost as a mentor to him this year.

“He’s there in his gold helmet, gold leathers, it’s good,” Talbot said. “Fair play to him and hopefully next year I can be there more often, fighting with him and having some good battles. 

“That’s the plan, but obviously he’s on a different level at the minute so if I can be anywhere near him I’ll be happy.”