Kyle Ryde “trying our best for some good news” as future hangs in the balance

Reigning BSB Champion Kyle Ryde has posted on social media saying that he is trying to find “good news” after the announcement of OMG Racing’s withdrawal from the 2025 British Superbike Championship.

Announced only a month ahead of the start of the season, and within a few days of the first official test at Navarra on 6–7 April, the news – made public yesterday (1 April 2025) – was not only a shock to BSB in general, but also had the effect of landing the reigning series champion without a ride only a few weeks out from the opening round of his title defence.

“Lucky to have so many good people around me, we’re trying our best for some good news,” Ryde posted to his Instagram story this morning (2 April 2025).

It’s a short post from Ryde but it does point to the speed at which OMG’s withdrawal from BSB seems to have happened, and the uncertainty in which the announcement has left the team’s members, including its riders.

Ryde, of course, is not the only BSB Champion to have been affected by OMG’s withdrawal, as the team had signed 2022 champion Bradley Ray for a return to the series for 2025.

Ray had spent the past two seasons in WorldSBK with the Motoxracing Yamaha team, achieving a best result of sixth at Imola in 2023. Teaming up with Ryde for 2025 was expected to result in a double title contention for OMG, but with the team’s recent announcement both Ryde and Ray are now shouldered with uncertain futures.

OMG’s news was paired with news of WTF Racing’s withdrawal from this year’s Isle of Man TT and North West 200 road races, where it was set to compete with James Hillier and Dominic Herbertson, the latter a new signing for 2025.

WTF was under the ownership of Alan Gardner, as was OMG, and was set up for the 2024 season running Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade machinery after OMG became Yamaha UK’s official BSB team due to Yamaha’s uninterest in taking part in road racing in an official capacity.

The outfit also competed with Hillier at the 2025 Dakar Rally with 450cc Kove equipment.