Three in a row for Niall Mackenzie - another British Superbike Championship for himself and Yamaha in 1998, again followed by Chris Walker who now represented Kawasaki. Mackenzie still felt the pressure from his new teammate Steve Hislop, but a crash in qualifying at Cadwell Park injured Hislop badly enough to put him on the sidelines for 4 races and out of contention for the title. And showing the depth of talent the championship now attracted, 10 riders claimed victories over the course of the year - at least one for every manufacturer as well. The 3-way fight for the Privateers Cup ended in favour of Phil Giles after bad luck struck his rival Max Vincent at the finale and hindered Pete Graves all season.