The 2022 BSB grid so far... And what's next for Tom Sykes?

The grid for the 2022 British Superbike Championship is slowly starting to take shape.

Unsurprisingly, McAMS Yamaha have retained their line-up of reigning champion Tarran Mackenzie and team-mate Jason O'Halloran, who scored twenty-one race wins combined for Steve Rodgers' team.

2021 runner-up Tommy Bridewell also remains with Oxford Products Ducati for a fourth successive campaign with Steve 'Wilf' Moore's successful privateer team.

FS-3 Kawasaki (Lee Jackson and Rory Skinner), SYNETIQ BMW (Danny Buchan and Andrew Irwin) and Honda Racing (Glenn Irwin, Ryo Mizuno and Takumi Takahashi) also remain unchanged, although Honda have promoted reigning Superstock champion Tom Neave to form a four-rider team.

FHO Racing BMW have acquired the services of youngster Ryan Vickers to partner the much more experienced Peter Hickman, in the team's second year of existence after taking over from Smith's Racing.

Meanwhile, RICH Energy OMG Racing remain unchanged rider-wise with Kyle Ryde and Brad Ray, but have switched from BMW to Yamaha machinery. Ray recently broke the lap record at a private test at Cartagena on-board an R1.

However, Paul Bird's PBM Ducati team are yet to announce their rider line-up for 2022. Christian Iddon, who finished fourth in the standings and achieved two victories in 2021, is still unconfirmed as to whether he's staying or going elsewhere. Likewise Josh Brookes, who endured a disastrous title defence. 

Buildbase Suzuki, Lee Hardy Racing and a few other teams are also yet to announce their plans, but more rider line-ups are expected to be announced prior to the opening official BSB test at Snetterton at the end of March.

What next for Tom Sykes?

The 2013 World SBK champion Tom Sykes was dropped by the factory BMW team to make way for Scott Redding in 2022. Since then, it's been heavily rumoured the Yorkshireman will either return to BSB with PBM Ducati or make the switch to MotoAmerica.

However, Sykes could also be set to remain in World Superbikes after all, after it emerged earlier this week he's held talks with Lucio Pedercini to join the Italian's privateer Kawasaki outfit. Sykes of course won his world title on a ZX-10RR and would surely push the Outdo TPR Kawasaki further up the grid, but it's unrealistic to expect him to challenge for podiums and wins with a low-budget privateer team.

It's definitely a good situation for the 36-year-old who has plenty of options, but surely a move to BSB or MotoAmerica would give him a better chance of challenging for wins and championships.

A return for the Pocket Rocket?

One British rider who's definitely out of World SBK is Leon Haslam. Since clinching the BSB title in 2018, his return to World SBK saw him spend a year as Jonathan Rea's team-mate at the factory Kawasaki team, followed by two years with HRC on a brand-new CBR1000RR-R, both with limited success.

Haslam, however, is still fast and hungry to win and a return to the British paddock seems the most likely scenario, as well as a ride in the Endurance World Championship.

It's rumoured Haslam could be back in BSB on a Kawasaki, but whether that's with Nigel Snook's FS-3 Racing team (Kawasaki's official BSB team) or a completely separate outfit remains unknown.

2022 BSB Rider Line-Up so far...

McAMS Yamaha
- Tarran Mackenzie
- Jason O'Halloran

Honda Racing
- Glenn Irwin
- Ryo Mizuno
- Takumi Takahashi
- Tom Neave

FHO Racing BMW
- Ryan Vickers
- Peter Hickman

TAG Racing Honda
- Luke Mossey

FS-3 Racing Kawasaki
- Lee Jackson
- Rory Skinner

Black Onyx Security Honda
- Luke Hopkins

SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad
- Andrew Irwin
- Danny Buchan

Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki
- Liam Delves
- Josh Owens

Powerslide/Catfoss Racing Suzuki
- Bjorn Estment

RICH Energy OMG Racing Yamaha
- Bradley Ray
- Kyle Ryde

Oxford Products Racing Ducati
- Tommy Bridewell