Ulster Superbike frontrunner Jonny Campbell is seeking a new challenge in 2026 when he hopes to compete in the British Superbike Championship in the Superstock class.

The Lisburn man won the Ulster Superbike title for the first time in 2024 and after making a change from a Yamaha R1 to a BMW M1000RR this season, Campbell needed some time at the beginning of this year’s campaign to iron out a few teething problems with the German machine.

However, he found some strong form in the second half of the year and won his first races at Bishopscourt and Kirkistown in July and September respectively.

The best Campbell can hope for is second place in the championship behind Carl Phillips after the penultimate round at the end of September was wiped out by wet weather, leaving only 50 points available at the final round at the Sunflower Trophy races from October 24-26.

placeholder image — Jonny Campbell (155 Racing BMW) won the Ulster Superbike Championship in 2024 and is currently second in the standings. (Photo by Rod Neill/Pacemaker Press)

Phillips has a 58-point lead at the top and can’t be caught as he clinched the title for the second time on his return this season on the SBT Ireland Kawasaki after several years away from the sport.

Looking to 2026, Campbell’s big goal is to test himself in the British championship in the National Superstock 1000 class, although the finances required could be a difficult hurdle to overcome.

He said: “My plan would be to try and do BSB Superstock 1000 next year in BSB, and not race at home.

“We want to try and save up as much money as we can, and once the Sunflower is over, if we can get the Yamaha R1 sold, and then go around and see what kind of sponsorship money we might be able to gather up over the next five months or so.

“If it means we could go and do six rounds next year, I’ll go and do those six rounds, and see if we can even get a few sponsors from England interested – anything to try and keep it going.

“If the chance did come up to go to BSB, it’s somewhere I don’t know half of the tracks, but I’m someone who wouldn’t be wasting the money, effort and time to go and do it if I wasn’t getting into the top ten.

“I’d be there to win, the aim would be to try and win the British championship; I wouldn’t be there to be mess about, so if the results weren’t coming I wouldn’t waste everybody’s time,” he added.

“It’s extortionate to go and race there and if you don’t put on a show for your sponsors, they wouldn’t put up with that for long.

“You need to do your best to keep any sponsors on board for a second year and at the minute, that’s the plan I have in my head for next year – that’s what I want to do.”

The costs involved could prove a major stumbling block for Campbell, who says if all else fails, he will be back on the Ulster Superbike grid next Spring with the objective of winning back the title.

“Realistically, you’re looking at £50,000 to £60,000 to go and race there and that’s without factoring in any crash damage,” he said.

“It’s a fine line between pushing hard and going over the limit and crashing, and suddenly your £40,000 out of pocket and your BMW M1000RR is wrecked.

“If it doesn’t happen, we’ll race at home again next year and we’ll have all the data with the BMW from Kirkistown and Bishopscourt, and we should be able to start off a lot stronger than we did this year.”