BSB: Bradley Ray sticks with Buildbase Suzuki for 2019

Bradley Ray will remain with the Buildbase Suzuki team for an assault on the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike championship.

The young gun shot into the limelight with a stunning double victory in this year’s opening round at Donington Park, before challenging six-time champion Shane Byrne for the win in round two at Brands Hatch.

While the 2018 season hasn’t gone completely smoothly for the 22-year-old and the Buildbase Suzuki squad, a return to the rostrum at Cadwell Park saw him do enough to secure a space in the title fighters’ Showdown.

Remaining with the factory-backed team for a second year in a row puts Ray in a strong position to fight for the 2019 crown, he’ll be one of few riders on the grid to enjoy the consistency of remaining with the same team while many other riders on the grid switch to unfamiliar machinery.

“I’m really happy to be staying with the team and with Suzuki for another year,” Ray said.

“I’ve got a great relationship with everyone and we enjoy working together, and that should only give us a head-start next season. This year was only my second year on a superbike and the second year of development for the new GSX-R, and we’ve won races, been on the podium, and made it into the Showdown, so we can only be happy with that, and I’m confident that will continue next season. It was good to have everything signed and agreed nice and early. We’ve now got one round to go and I can focus on my riding and to try to finish the season strongly at Brands.”

Buildbase Suzuki team manager Steve Hicken added: “Continuing our association with Bradley next season is really important for us. Like many, we recognised his talent early on, and when he was in the supersport class two years ago we wanted to get him onto a superbike as soon as possible. He’s one of the most natural young talents in the country, so of course we’re really excited to be able to announce that he’ll again be on a Buildbase Suzuki GSX-R1000R for a third season in 2019.

“While we’ve got one round to go and are aiming to finish the season strongly, having everything signed and confirmed means we’ll be going into the winter with a clear focus on building for a title assault next year.”