2026 British Superbikes: Assen - Race Results (3)

The final BSB race at the first Showdown event, round nine at Assen, saw the result go to the wire, with the run out of the final chicane deciding the winner, and Kyle Ryde ahead at the TT Circuit.

Ryde started second but lost out to Ryan Vickers at lights out who led the first lap, before the nitrous Coin Nitrous Competitions rider took over on the second.

The front of the race split with a lead group of four - Ryde, Bradley Ray who was fastest before the rain disrupted the sprint so started from pole, Vickers and Scott Redding.

There was no breathing room at the head of the race with the championship leader holding on out front, under pressure from McAMS Yamaha rider Ray for most of the distance.

Ray first got his nose ahead on lap five through Stekkenwal, but Ryde immediately fought back. It took until lap ten for Redding to be able to power his Hager PBM Ducati around Vickers, but once he did he swiftly caught the battle ahead and sat on the back, ready to pounce.

Ray was back into first in the penultimate lap, but it was brief again, with a determined Ryde once again fighting straight back, to lead in the chicane for the final lap.

Back in the same spot on the final lap, Redding was ready to make his move, pushing his Ducati though, losing the rear into a slide, which was saved, but with his front wheel off the ground the number 45 lost all momentum.

That allowed Ryde to snatch victory, with Ray through too, 0.160s behind for second and Redding a frustrated third.

As the riders crossed the line the rain returned to Assen once again, with a huge downpour.

Vickers set a new fastest race lap while circulating with the trio, but was eventually dropped for fourth for Honda Racing UK.

Max Cook had briefly made it a top five earlier in the race before he fell of the pace, fifth for AJN Steelstock bimota.

It was a case of what might have been for the next two riders over the line. Leon Haslam was pulled off track by the black and orange flag on the warm-up lap in the sprint for smoke. The small part in the oil change system renewed, the Moto Rapido Ducati rider was at the very back of the grid with one objective - pass.

The former champion cut through his rivals rapidly to go from 23rd to sixth at the chequered flag.

Equally impressive was the run forward from Rory Skinner, who was next to Haslam at the back of the grid after his Cheshire Mouldings Yamah had had a huge blow up on the sighting lap before Race 2, billowing smoke and dropping oil, causing the delay to the start of the sprint.

The resulting crash meant Skinner’s team were still working on the bike on the grid, but the package they made for the Scottish rider last-minute saw him able to fly up the timing screens to seventh.

His team-mate Danny Kent was close behind in eighth, just ahead of Jason O’Halloran on the second Honda UK bike in ninth. Glenn Irwin completed the top ten on the second Nitrous bike.

Andrew Irwin was as high as eighth in his final race back from injury for MET fonaCAB Racing, before fading back a little to eleventh.

Josh Brookes battled past his DAO Racing team-mate Lee Jackson for 12th, leaving Jackson to just hold off Storm Stacey who had to settle for 14th for Bathams AJN Ducati.

The final point went to Scott Swann completing a successful return to BSB as Charlie Nesbitt’s successor to the TAG Honda seat in 15th.

Official British Superbike Assen Records:

BSB lap record: Bradley Ray 1’ 35.579s (Yamaha, 2025)
Pole record: Bradley Ray 1’ 35.579s (Yamaha, 2025)
Race lap record: Scott Redding 1’ 36.032s (Ducati, 2025)
New race lap record: Ryan Vickers 1’35.750 (Honda, Race 3, 2026)

2025:

Qualifying: 1 Bradley Ray (2 Scott Redding, 3 Charlie Nesbitt)
Race 1: 1 Scott Redding (2 Leon Haslam, 3 Danny Kent)
Race 2 (sprint): 1 Christian Iddon (2 Rory Skinner, 3 Bradley Ray)
Race 3: 1 Scott Redding  (2 Leon Haslam, 3 Kyle Ryde)

Ilya Mikhalchik crashed at Ramshoek on the BMW and was taken to the medical centre for checks.

Fellow rookie Joe Talbot also fell, while both Fraser Rogers and Eugene McManus retired to the pits.

Championship Standings

Full points despite his rivals best efforts moved Ryde to 459 points after Assen. Redding leaves 68 points behind on 391, with Ray third on 349.

Only two other riders remain mathematically in the Showdown - Haslam on 294 and Vickers on 289 points.

No rookies secured a point in the final race, so all scores stay the same, with Talbot leading the way on 124, Mikhalchik second on 87 and Rhys Irwin third on 24, just ahead of McManus with19 points.

Full results from BSB Race 3: