There were plenty of fascinating stories at the opening round of the 2026 British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park last weekend. Defending champ Kyle Ryde hit the ground running, with an utterly dominant trio of wins, as the new Ducati Panigale V4R proved that it’s likely to be the benchmark bike in BSB this season, just as it is in the world championships.
Despite a relative lack of pre-season testing, Ducatis locked out the top two places in all three races – with Leon Haslam following Ryde home each time. Unusually the podium was the same in all three races, with a hattrick of thirds for last year’s runner-up Bradley Ray on his Yamaha R1.
And while the latest Ducati appears to have overtaken the aging R1 as the bike to beat (although next week’s visit to Donington Park may prove otherwise) behind the championship’s big two manufacturers, there was a new name in town making big waves – bimota.
Bimota is not a new manufacturer as such, but it is new to the championship. The Italian company was formed in the 1970s and built its reputation on putting the best Japanese engines of the day into bespoke racing style chassis. They won the first ever World Superbike race, at Donington Park, in 1988 with their Yamaha powered YB4 EI and after years of turbulence they’re back and more stable than ever.
Kawasaki took over a controlling interest in Bimota (now written as bimota) a few years back. As a result, all new bimotas are powered by Kawasaki engines (and in some cases, like the KB399, they’re badge engineered top spec versions of the Japanese company’s existing models) and it’s become their racing brand too.
The latest KB998 Rimini has been in World Superbikes since last year, replacing the venerable ZX-10RR Ninja as the factory Kawasaki Racing Team’s weapon of choice. Now, for 2026, Kawasaki UK’s supported team, FS-3 Racing, goes bimota too. Based on their Oulton Park debut, we expect to see them up there challenging on our more technically demanding BSB circuits too.
FS-3, who run under the AJN Steelstock bimota banner, have a policy of supporting young talent – something which is reflected in their rider line-up. Max Cook goes into his fourth season with the team and will clock up 100 BSB starts at Donington Park, despite still only being 23 years old, while team-mate Joe Talbot is a 22-year-old class rookie. Both have shown flashes of brilliance in pre-season testing and at the opening round, with the KB998 already proving more competitive than the aged ZX-10.
Cook fired warning shots at the opening Donington Park test, where he topped the timesheets – albeit with three of the Ducati Corse riders absent as they awaited delivery of their new bikes. The Cook/bimota combination proved the new bike wasn’t a one-trick pony, being on the pace at the tight and twisty Oulton Park too. Despite having a few rear brake issues, which caused him to make a few small mistakes, Max posted the third best lap of race one – giving a front row start and the opportunity to lead Sunday’s sprint race for the first two laps. The Swindon rider left Oulton sixth in the championship, behind four Ducatis and Ray on the well proven Yamaha, after posting two sixths and a seventh place finish.
“It was a solid debut for bimota in BSB,” he said afterwards. “I led a race, had a personal best lap time and a personal best grid position. I’m really impressed with how it’s going so far. We have got great speed but I just didn’t manage to put it all together.
“We’ve got a good amount of data and the bimota is a huge step in the right direction. I’ve got a really good feeling about this year. The bike is doing everything I want it to do and it’s only going to get better, so hopefully we can be at the sharp end in all the races.”
Talbot’s performance at his local circuit was arguably even more impressive. Having crashed heavily during the test a few weeks earlier, he gave one of the best performances seen by a genuine rookie for many years. He goes into round two 11th in the standings, having finished all three races in points paying positions and taking a best of ninth in the sprint race.
“Thirteen days ago it wasn’t looking possible that I would be racing,” said Talbot. “I’m stiff and sore but grateful to even be out there. Big thanks to the team for their efforts, helping me learn the process and to chase my dreams!”
The FS-3 squad enjoys high levels of support from the bimota WorldSBK team. They’ve shared winter test sessions in Spain and Portugal, but the two series have different technical regulations and very different tracks, meaning there’s not an automatic transfer of knowledge between the two teams. A big part of the team’s success comes down to the bimota’s stiff and highly adjustable chassis, which offers an improvement over the ZX-10RR’s mass-produced frame in the hands of a pro-racer.
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“This is more of a dedicated race bike compared to the ZX-10,” explains Cook. “That (the ZX-10RR) is designed to go on the road, and to carry a pillion and all that. This bike has a really stiff chassis in comparison. When you are going three to four seconds off the pace the bike doesn’t work and doesn’t feel very nice at all, but when you are pushing it to its limits that’s when the bike’s happy. That’s when you get all the feedback. Throughout testing I was trying to go out and get up to speed quickly and I’m experienced enough now on these circuits to know how the bike should feel… and I know the bimota’s really strong."
Check out our exclusive video feature with the AJN Steelstock bimota team, where Joe, Max and team owner Nigel Snook talk in more detail about their new bike and the season ahead.
Words: Paul Taylor
Photos: Impact Images
