Kyle Ryde says he can be satisfied with second place during race one for Round 4 of the 2025 British Superbike Championship [BSB] at Knockhill after surviving a big moment that ‘woke him up’ in the latter stages.

The defending champion overcame issues in qualifying to place his OMG Nitrous Competitions Yamaha on the front row, a position he took to his advantage when he grabbed the hole-shot to lead during the early phase of the race.

However, after being passed by Rory Skinner, when an attempt to retake the position on lap 18 led to him running wide at Taylor’s, he slipped behind Brad Ray to third instead.

Though he’d make up a position soon after when Ray’s pass on Skinner ran the Scot wide enough to allow him back through, Ryde reveals he almost lost the front of his Yamaha R1 while trying to second-guess the outcome of the fracas ahead.

“I wouldn’t look big on the TV but when Brad passed Rory into Turn 3, I sat back and completely folded the front, so that woke me up and made me understand the bike was working better with fuel. Had to ride the bike differently, couldn’t catch Brad but didn’t lose any time back either.”

Accepting that it was either a ‘second place or a crash’, Ryde held back to complete his fifth podium of the season.

“It was a good start, hole-shot, first of the year. I felt really good on the bike and I was trying to set a pace I could maintain for the half-and-hour. 

“Rory came past so I tried to settle in and save the tyre for the end but when it came to the point where Bradley hit the front and tried to ride his lines, I had the pace to do it, I just kept struggling in a few corners and I thought it could be a second place or a crash, so I just had to remember we hadn’t done any long runs on the tyres so there is a lot going on. 

“First 15 laps I felt I had the bike to put in a good move and maybe win the race, but the last 15 laps I struggled enough to lose a second to Brad.”

Though Ryde is yet to win a race this season, unlike Ray who has now won eight of the opening nine races this season, the tighter points’ margins keeps him within solid range of the top at 32 points.