Following the announcement of their WorldSBK wildcard, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha team are ready to battle as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship resumes at Oulton Park for the first of three showdown rounds to cap off the 2024 season.

After a short break since the party at the park in Lincolnshire’s Cadwell Park, the OMG Racing UK outfit is ready for another big push this weekend as the Bennetts BSB series returns to Oulton Park for the second time this season.

Sitting second in the standings ahead of Round 9, Kyle Ryde is eager to continue the form his side of the garage is in, which has seen him take six podium finishes in the last nine races, including a win at Thruxton and two sensational victories at Cadwell Park last time out. For Youth, the last visit to Oulton Park ended with a sour taste, after a technical problem forced him out of the third race. However, up to then, it was a strong round for the #77 Yamaha, who finished third and fifth in the weekend’s opening races. The Nottinghamshire rider will be aiming to hit the ground running and continue to cut the gap to his rival ahead.

Meanwhile, Ryan Vickers is determined to bounce back once again after a tough Cadwell Park, which left the #7 rider unable to show the pace demonstrated throughout the weekend. Thankfully unhurt following his Race 3 crash, the Thetford rider has enjoyed a short break and is ready to launch a strong attack at the Cheshire venue which saw him finish on the podium in the final race of the weekend across the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Oulton Park marks an important point of the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike season, with the start of the ‘BSB Showdown’. Rather than the previous 18 points for the race victory, this weekend, and the next round at Donington Park, sees the maximum points for a race win return to the traditional 25 points, before being bumped up again for the finale at Brands Hatch in October.

The weekend’s action kicks off on Friday with Free Practice 1 at 11:00. The important fight for Q2 comes to an end with Free Practice 2 at 15:40. A ten-minute Free Practice 3 kicks off a Super Saturday, followed by Qualifying and the 18-lap Race 1 at 16:15. The weekend’s action concludes on Sunday, following a later start, with Warm Up and two further races.

Kyle Ryde
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Championship: 2nd (275 points)
“I’m excited to ride my bike again this weekend and get stuck into the Showdown rounds. Oulton Park was a mixed round for us earlier in the year; we had a few top-five finishes and then an unfortunate technical problem which robbed us of another probable top-five finish, but that’s racing. My team has come a long way since then with improving my bike, which should put us in a strong position for this weekend. With the podiums and victories across the last three rounds, we have good momentum behind us, and now the points are increased, it matters now more than ever to make sure we keep that going.”

Ryan Vickers
OMG GRILLA Yamaha
Championship: 5th (208 points)
“We finished Oulton Park earlier in the year really strong, and I’m looking forward to going back there. This time of year always throws up something out of the ordinary with the cooler temperatures, meaning it can take longer to dry under the trees if it rains, or just general track temperature – which adds a bit of uncertainty into the mix. This round also marks the start of the Showdown, which is exciting to try and capitalise on the extra points available. I can’t wait to get back to work with my team. We’ve had a great run of form recently and hope to bounce back to that form after the tough run at Cadwell to get ourselves into a stronger position heading towards the final two rounds.”

Alan Gardner
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Owner
“It’s been an exciting few weeks for us as a team, but we’re ready to give it our all for the final three rounds of the BSB Championship. It’s been a purple patch for us, we’ve won eight of the last nine races and stood on the podium in ten of the last 12, and it’s important we keep that going. Kyle sits second, just 19 points behind the leader and now the points are increased, there’s a big chance to make up ground, but you can also lose a bit more if things don’t go your way. We know he will be up for it as always, as will his team. Ryan will be looking to bounce back after a tough Cadwell Park. He got a podium at Oulton Park earlier this year and was fast over the weekend at Cadwell. I’m looking forward to seeing both riders battling at the front.”

Paul Curran
OMG GRILLA Yamaha, Team Principal

“We’re heading into the final three rounds of the BSB season, and it’s an important time for our team. The Showdown rounds are always important because not only is it the rounds where there are more points on offer, but it’s also the rounds where we have a race weekend’s load of information, so it’s important that we capitalise on that. Kyle has made big steps since Brands Hatch in improving the feeling with his R1, and we’re confident that he can build on that to claw some important points back this weekend. For Ryan, I’m looking forward to seeing how he bounces back; he can use the tough days to come back stronger, as we’ve seen already this year. He’s currently fifth in the standings, so he will go all-out attack to try and work his way up the order before the season comes to an end.”