After the Italian Superbike Championship CIV, the Panigale V4 R also dominated the British Superbike

Ducati has absolutely dominated the championship, its three participating bikes placing in the top three positions and having won as many as 22 out of 27 races on the calendar. A devastating demonstration of competitiveness shown by the Panigale V4 Rs put on the track by PBM - Be Wiser Ducati Racing and Oxford Racing Ducati, expertly supported by the men of Ducati Corse and coordinated by Giovanni Crupi, a veteran in the pits of all the races of the British Superbike. 

In the capable hands of Scott Redding, Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell the three Panigale V4 R bikes proved to be extremely fast and reliable, allowing the three riders to perform at the top of their game.

Scott Redding won the title after a fierce battle with his two brand mates. Just because forecasts at the beginning of the season named him as a favourite doesn't mean that the rider from Quedgeley had it easy. Notwithstanding 11 victories during the season, he was still forced by Brookes to fight it out down to the last race of the season to get his hands on the title. Redding showed his experience by coming from MotoGP and "taking some time" in the first two rounds to study the championship, the bike and the tyres, and then launched an impressive series of victories. The doors of the official Superbike team are now opening up to him and we're sure he'll be able to make his mark there.

Raise your hand if you remember Josh Brookes riding a Ducati. In fact, the Australian rider debuted in the World Supersport Championship in 2005, precisely on a 749R of the NCR team. And while that experience ended early with some problems, his return to Ducati has been much more positive. The winner of the BSB 2015 fought tooth and nail for the title, all the way down to the final race with his teammate with 10 trophies on his shelf (one less than Redding) and experience in the British event that allowed him to be fast and consistent on all tracks. 

In some ways Tommy Bridewell was the surprise of the 2019 British Superbike even though the British rider was already famous for his speed. Beyond his single success at Oulton Park, Tommy was consistent and effective on all the tracks, collecting an impressive array of podiums that allowed him to stay in the race for the title until the final round. In 2020 he will surely be one of the riders to beat for the overall championship.

For the PBM - Be Wiser Ducati team this was the fifth victory in the English competition, but this time the success was complete having placed its two riders in first and second place in the standings. The team of Paul Bird, who has competed in both the MotoGP and the SBK World Championship, worked perfectly together to bring home 21 races and a series of impressive finishes on the podium.

A note of merit also goes to the Oxford Racing Ducati team which was able to put Tommy Bridewell on the championship podium. Led by Steve Moore, the team got the final phase of the Showdown for the first time, took home the first win in the most important category and was in the running for the championship until the final round. Not bad for a team that is nothing more than the competitive side of the Ducati dealer Moto Rapido. 

The list of Ducati's triumphs in British Superbike is quite extensive. The first success dates back to 1995 when Steve Hinslop rode the Devimead Ducati 916 to victory. Four years later an Australian brought the 996 back to the top position. Indeed, after a year of apprenticeship Troy Bayliss won the title that would be the first of many worldwide. Troy was the trailblazer for five consecutive years of Ducati triumphs, followed by Neil Hodgson (2000), John Reynolds (2001), Steve Hinslop (2002) and Shane Byrne (2003). In 2003 the 999 entered the World Superbike Championship and in 2005 it was victorious in the land of Albion with Gregorio Lavilla. In 2008 it was up to the 1098 RS to bring the title back to Borgo Panigale, ridden by Shane Byrne, but with the change of the technical regulations wanted by the new management of the British championship the 1098 RS lost its competitive edge. 

Despite this, the love for Ducati in Britain was so strong that thanks to some local dealers one or more Ducatis continued battling it out on the track. In 2011 the time came for Panigale to make a run for the title. There weren't any noteworthy results until 2015, but the Moto Rapido team believed in the project from the start. The turning point came in 2016 with one of the teams of the British championship, PBM - Be Wiser, which adopted the Panigale R project and won the titles in 2016-2017 with Shane Byrne. The 2018 season seemed to be headed towards a "triplet", but "Shakey" was involved in a frightening accident during a private test run and was forced to end his sporting career prematurely. In 2019 the two Ducati teams were equipped with the brand new Panigale V4 R. After the necessary adaptation to the technical specifications required by the British event, they immediately began to show their competitiveness spirit by dominating in almost every round. With Scott Redding's victory the number of wins in one of the most important national championships has risen to 10, also winning over the hearts and minds of the huge British motorcycle racing fan base.