Moto Rapido Racing demonstrated front-running pace, resilience and outstanding teamwork during an action-packed fourth round of the 2026 ZYN British Superbike Championship at Snetterton.

Arriving in Norfolk third in the championship standings, the team sat 25 points behind Scott Redding in second while holding a narrow one-point advantage over Bradley Ray in fourth. Although Knockhill had delivered another strong points haul, there was a shared feeling that more had been possible. Valuable opportunities had slipped away, and with the championship beginning to take shape, the focus at Snetterton was on turning improved performance from the Ducati Panigale V4 R into stronger results. That intent was immediately evident.

A productive Friday secured Leon Haslam direct passage into Q2 and provided the foundations for the rest of the weekend. Saturday morning's final Free Practice was cut short after Leon returned to the garage early, but with the hard work already done, the team could focus fully on qualifying.

Qualifying

With exceptionally fast lap times expected, Leon was first out of pit lane as Q2 began. However, after several riders attempted to use him for a tow, the team adjusted its strategy, waiting for clear track before launching its attack. The decision paid off. Leon immediately lit up the timing screens with a series of green sectors before a purple speed trap placed the number 91 Ducati provisionally second. Although traffic prevented further improvements, the pace was undeniable.

Late improvements from Bradley Ray and Storm Stacey ultimately pushed Leon back to fourth on the grid, but the result represented another significant step forward. The top six riders all lapped beneath the existing circuit record, while Leon's qualifying time was a full second quicker than his best effort at Snetterton just 12 months earlier. Starting from the front of the second row, Moto Rapido Racing headed into Race 1 full of confidence.

Race 1: Fighting at the front

Saturday's opening race was interrupted by two red flags, but Leon immediately established himself among the leading group each time racing resumed. A close battle with reigning champion Kyle Ryde kept the Moto Rapido Racing Ducati firmly in podium contention as Leon traded positions at the front throughout the race.

When the second red flag brought proceedings to an early conclusion, Leon was classified fourth, collecting another valuable 13 championship points. While the podium narrowly escaped them, the pace shown throughout Saturday reinforced the progress being made and left the team optimistic heading into Sunday's double-header.

Sunday: Disaster turns into determination

Warm Up offered another encouraging sign as Leon posted the fourth-fastest time with a 1:46.923. Unfortunately, the Sprint Race lasted little more than a lap. Caught up in a multi-bike incident at Wilson, Leon had nowhere to go as the crash unfolded. The damaged Ducati was stranded away from the paddock, leaving the Moto Rapido Racing crew with just over an hour to recover and completely rebuild the machine ahead of the final 30-lap Feature Race. The response from the team was exceptional.

Working with remarkable precision, every member of the garage played their part in returning the Ducati to the grid. Starting 12th, Leon briefly slipped to 13th before launching an impressive recovery drive through the field. As the laps unfolded, he steadily worked his way back into contention, carving through the pack and rejoining the fight at the front. By the closing stages he had climbed into fifth, rewarding the team's extraordinary efforts with one of their most satisfying results of the season.

After the disappointment of the Sprint Race, the celebrations in the Moto Rapido Racing garage reflected far more than the finishing position. It was a result built on determination, teamwork and refusing to let adversity define the weekend. Leon left Snetterton having qualified on the second row, battled for the podium in Race 1 and produced a remarkable recovery ride in the Feature Race, underlining the continued progress of both rider and machine as the championship heads into its next phase.

Ian 'Hammy' Darbyshire, Team Manager, comments

"That final race genuinely felt like a win for us. The team were faultless all weekend, but what they achieved on Sunday was something special.

"Once we got the bike back from recovery, the team had just over an hour to completely rebuild it and get Leon back onto the grid. The job was executed with absolute precision. You would have thought they had three days back at HQ, not just over an hour in the middle of a race weekend. Every single person knew their job, got their head down and delivered.

"Then Leon rewarded all of that graft with an incredible ride. To start 12th, drop back to 13th at one point and then fight his way through to fifth was massive. The garage was absolutely buzzing when he crossed the line.

"That result belonged to everyone. The mechanics for the job they did, Leon for the fight he showed and the whole team for never letting the weekend get away from us. P5 might not look like a win on paper, but after everything that happened on Sunday, it certainly felt like one in our garage."

Moto Rapido Racing now heads to the next round of the 2026 ZYN British Superbike Championship with renewed confidence, encouraged by the pace shown throughout the Snetterton weekend and the determination that turned adversity into one of the team's defining performances of the season.