Mountain Mayhem: Vickers Doubles Up as Skinner Claims Cadwell Glory
The British Superbike Championship descended on Cadwell Park over the August Bank Holiday weekend for Round 8 of the 2026 season, and the Lincolnshire circuit once again delivered the drama that has made it one of the most anticipated weekends on the BSB calendar.
With its famous Mountain section, fast changes of direction and little room for error, Cadwell Park produced a weekend of crashes, comebacks and some spectacular racing — with Rory Skinner and Ryan Vickers emerging as two of the biggest stars.
Bradley Ray arrived at Cadwell Park in confident form after topping both practice sessions, and the McAMS Yamaha rider carried that momentum into Sunday's Omologato Superpole.
Ray produced a stunning 1:25.361, putting himself on pole position and setting the outright Cadwell Park lap record in the process. He finished 0.396 seconds clear of Rory Skinner, giving Yamaha a front-row lockout. Skinner impressed throughout the session, initially taking provisional pole after a strong lap through the final sector. Kyle Ryde completed the front row on his Ducati after overcoming a crash earlier in the weekend.
Storm Stacey headed the second row in fourth, with Leon Haslam fifth and rookie Joe Talbot producing an impressive sixth-place qualifying performance.
Ryan Vickers was seventh, ahead of Christian Iddon, Max Cook and Scott Redding.
Bradley Ray
Rory Skinner
Kyle Ryde
Storm Stacey
Leon Haslam
Joe Talbot
Ryan Vickers
Christian Iddon
Max Cook
Scott Redding
Danny Kent narrowly missed out on Superpole after qualifying fourth in Q1, meaning he would start Race 1 from 16th. Danny Buchan, making a return to racing to help MET fonaCAB Racing, qualified 17th.
The opening race immediately delivered drama.
Despite starting from pole, Bradley Ray was beaten off the line by Rory Skinner, who launched his Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha into the lead. The pair quickly began to break away from the field, while Storm Stacey, Leon Haslam and Kyle Ryde battled behind them.
Ray remained determined to find a way past and made his first serious attempt at Park on lap four. The Yamaha rider ran wide but managed to stay upright. One lap later, however, Ray tried the move again — and this time there was no escape.
The McAMS Yamaha crashed out of second place, ending Ray's challenge. Almost immediately afterwards, Storm Stacey also crashed at the same corner.
The drama continued as Ryan Vickers, who had recovered from an earlier mistake, fought his way back towards the podium positions. His charge ended at Park when he crashed while battling Joe Talbot, taking the rookie down with him.
At the front, Skinner was now clear.
Kyle Ryde eventually fought his way past Leon Haslam for second, while Haslam held on to complete the podium.
Scott Redding finished fourth, ahead of Jason O'Halloran and Lee Jackson. Max Cook, Danny Kent and Josh Brookes completed the next group, with Ilya Mikhalchik rounding out the top ten.
For Skinner, it was a hugely important result — his first victory of the 2026 season and a major boost for the Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha team.
Monday brought two more BSB races, and Ryan Vickers wasted no time making up for Sunday's disappointment.
The Honda Racing UK rider launched brilliantly from the front group and immediately took control of Race Two.
Behind him, Rory Skinner was once again running strongly, but his hopes of another victory disappeared on lap five when he crashed at Charlies. That left Vickers at the front with Bradley Ray applying constant pressure.
This time, Ray couldn't find a way through.
Vickers held his nerve to the chequered flag, winning by just 0.282 seconds and securing his third victory of the season.
Ray took second, while Kyle Ryde recovered from a difficult opening race to claim third.
Leon Haslam continued his strong weekend with fourth, while rookie Joe Talbot produced another excellent performance to finish fifth.
If Race Two was impressive, Vickers went one better in the final race of the weekend. The Honda Racing UK rider once again got a lightning start and immediately moved into the lead.
Bradley Ray followed closely, while Kyle Ryde and Rory Skinner battled behind. Ray quickly made his intentions clear, moving into second at Park and beginning the chase for Vickers.
Skinner looked capable of challenging for another podium, but his weekend ended in frustration when he crashed at the Chicane on lap four.
At the front, however, Vickers remained composed.
Ray piled on the pressure but couldn't find a way past, allowing Vickers to cross the line and complete a spectacular double victory at Cadwell Park.
Ray finished second again, while Ryde completed the podium.
Joe Talbot produced another standout performance to finish fourth, underlining what had been an impressive weekend for the Bimota rookie.
The weekend belonged to Vickers.
After crashing out of Race One while battling for the podium, the Honda rider bounced back brilliantly to win both Monday races. His double victory was particularly impressive given the pressure from Ray in both races.
Skinner enjoyed a weekend of highs and lows. After qualifying second, he converted that strong grid position into a commanding Race One victory — his first of the season. Although he crashed out of Race Two and again in Race Three, his pace throughout the weekend demonstrated that the Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha rider has genuine front-running potential.
Ray's weekend was something of a mixed bag. He was outstanding in qualifying, taking pole and setting the new outright Cadwell Park lap record. However, his Race One crash threw away a potential victory. He recovered strongly on Monday, taking second in both races and finishing the weekend with two podiums.
One of the weekend's surprise performers was rookie Joe Talbot. After qualifying sixth, Talbot backed that up with a fifth-place finish in Race Two and fourth in Race Three. His consistent pace against the established BSB riders was one of the highlights of the Cadwell Park weekend.
Cadwell Park once again lived up to its reputation. From Ray's record-breaking qualifying lap to Skinner's first victory of the season, followed by Vickers' spectacular double, Round 8 had everything fans have come to expect from the British Superbike Championship.
There were crashes, comebacks, rookie breakthroughs and intense battles throughout the field — with the famous Mountain section providing plenty of spectacular moments along the way.
With the Showdown now looming ever closer, every point is becoming increasingly important.
Written by Lauren Moore
Comments