OMG Racing UK and Kyle Ryde began their FIM Superbike World Championship wildcard today, concluding Friday’s action at Jerez in 23^rd overall.

Following the Bennetts British Superbike Championship success, the Cannock-based squad travelled straight to the Circuito de Jerez Angle Nieto in Spain, with a short stop off at Andalucía to dial in the World Superbike electronic package.

Ready to hit the track on Friday morning, running the #33 plate, Ryde ventured out aboard his OMG Yamaha R1, completing his first few laps before pulling into the pits. A day hampered by small teething issues with the new electronic package, the Jacksdale rider and his crew, with support from Yamaha Motor Europe Motorsport & Racing Development, battled on, ultimately ending the opening session in 22^nd place.

As cloud covered the 2.7-mile venue for Free Practice 2, it was more of the same for the 27-year-old, who completed a few laps before returning to the pits.

Able to get a run under his belt in the closing stages, “Youth” slowly closed the gap to the front, ending the first session in 23^rd place, 2.056 seconds adrift of the top time.

The action continues on Saturday for Free Practice 3, before Superpole and the weekend’s opening 20-lap Race.

Kyle Ryde
OMG Racing Yamaha
Practice: 23rd (1’41.647)
“It was nice to be sharing a track with some of the best riders in the world. I wish I could have done a few more laps, but a few teething issues with the electronics side of the bike just held us back. Obviously, we don’t use them in BSB; the team and I don’t, so we’re all trying our best. We tried everything we wanted to do, and I’ll take being only two seconds off after the day we’ve had. Thanks to the team and Yamaha Motor Europe for their hard work today.”

Alan Gardner
OMG Racing Yamaha, Team Owner
“It was very exciting to see Kyle and our OMG Yamaha R1 on track in the FIM Superbike World Championship at Jerez today. We had a few small bumps along the road, which is to be expected when we’re adapting to new electronics, but overall, we managed to get quite a few important laps in. I’m happy to see Kyle with a smile on his face and enjoying being back in the WorldSBK paddock. There’s no pressure on him or the team, we’re just here to soak it up, give Kyle the opportunity to race in World Superbikes and to enjoy the weekend. For saying we’ve only had the parts to finish building the SBK-spec R1 for a week, and fighting for a British Championship, I think we can be proud of pulling together and getting some laps under our belt today and to be not too far off the top 20. The boys have a bit of work to do tonight to make things a bit smoother for Superpole and Race 1 tomorrow.”

Paul Curran
OMG Racing Yamaha, Team Principal
“It’s been a bit of a school day for us at Jerez as we get Kyle and the R1 dialled into Jerez. The boys have worked incredibly hard to get the OMG Yamaha on track today, and the lap time Kyle achieved was strong for his first day. Thank you to Yamaha Motor Europe Motorsport Racing & Development for their assistance throughout the day. There’s a few things to look at overnight and then we’ll see how we get on tomorrow.”

Kyle Ryde and OMG Racing UK took the chequered flag in today’s 20-lap race at Jerez, as they completed their first of three FIM Superbike World Championship races.

After a tricky Friday, which saw the team take to the Circuito de Jerez for the first time and working through electrical teething issues, the Cannock-based team returned to the track on Saturday morning, hopeful of improvement.

Another challenging Free Practice 3 saw the Nottinghamshire rider head into Superpole in the unknown but continued to push on throughout the 15-minute session.

Completing his first flying laps, “Youth” sat on the cusp of the top 20 before returning for a new rear tyre. Unable to improve his time further, the 27-year-old took the flag in 25^th position.

Getting off to a strong start to the 20-lap Race, Ryde made up a handful of positions in the opening corner but was shuffled back as the field battled through the circuit’s first sector. Opening lap crashes for Tommy Bridewell and Tarran Mackenzie promoted him up to 20^th, before Philip Oettl and Ivo Lopes worked their way through.

With further incidents ahead, Ryde remained on the cusp of the top 20, aiming to push on with fellow Yamaha rider Luca Bernardi, but a few big moments in Jerez’ fast final sector left the 27-year-old unable to stick with the Italian.

Pushing to his and his R1’s limit till the very end, he crossed the line in 22^nd position, marking a significant achievement for the 2022 and 2024 British Superbike Champions, as they took the flag in their WorldSBK debut.

Racing continues on Sunday 20^th October with morning warm up, before the Tissot Superpole Race and the season-closing Race 2 at 14:00.

Kyle Ryde
OMG Racing Yamaha
Superpole: 25th (1’41.008)
Race 1: 22nd
“It’s a shame that we couldn’t have had the bike today for the practices yesterday, because it was working better compared to Friday. It’s not anybody’s fault, it’s just one of them things that happens when racing at this level for the first time – everything is new and takes some time to dial in! Anyway, I’ve enjoyed racing round in the sun even if I was having a few moments with the front tyre, which we will work on improving the set up to fix. Hopefully, we can fix them for tomorrow and have a good day.”

Alan Gardner
OMG Racing Yamaha, Team Owner
“Well, what can I say other than we finished our first WorldSBK race. It wouldn’t be possible without the guys and girls in our team. Yes, it isn’t where we want to be, but for now, that’s the situation and each and every one of them are working as hard as they can to make it possible. We still have a lot to learn to get Kyle up the order, but I know they’ll be working hard and come out swinging in tomorrow’s races. As I’ve said before, there is no pressure on Kyle to perform, we’re just here to enjoy it, and I certainly enjoyed watching him line up for, and finish his first WorldSBK race.”

Paul Curran
OMG Racing Yamaha, Team Principal
“Credit to the team for getting our Yamaha R1 on the grid for Race 1. We can be proud to say we finished our first WorldSBK race given the teething problems we’ve faced so far this weekend. Unfortunately, that’s part of racing and these issues will pop up when you’re in the position we are in. We managed to make a step with the electronics, but unfortunately, we faced a few other issues during the race which held Kyle back. There’s still a lot to learn for tomorrow, but we’re certainly proud to have taken the chequered flag today. The guys will evaluate everything, make the changes we need to hopefully give Kyle a bit more feeling for tomorrow’s two races.”