June 19, 2022

Brookes And Sykes Battle Hard At Knockhill

The MCE Ducati pairing of Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes had an encouraging day at Knockhill today with three top ten finishes recorded in the two Bennetts British Superbike Championship races, with former champion Brookes recording a best result of sixth place to move within one place of the Showdown.

With the strong winds of yesterday having subsided, Brookes and Sykes started the opening 30-lap race from 12th and 15th respectively on the grid, but both were able to make good strides forward on the factory-supported and MCE Insurance-backed Ducati Panigale V4Rs and put in a number of overtaking manoeuvres. 

 

Indeed, a great start by double BSB champion Brookes saw him immediately up inside the top ten and he was rewarded at the chequered flag with a fine sixth place, his second highest finish of the season to date. Yorkshireman Sykes, meanwhile, was up into the top ten by half race distance, but ultimately had to settle for 11th.

Indeed, a great start by double BSB champion Brookes saw him immediately up inside the top ten and he was rewarded at the chequered flag with a fine sixth place, his second highest finish of the season to date. Yorkshireman Sykes, meanwhile, was up into the top ten by half race distance, but ultimately had to settle for 11th.

 

With a second row start for the final race of the weekend, Australian ace Brookes was hopeful of improving upon his sixth place and it looked like he’d do just that when he moved into third on lap 11. However, a slight mistake at the chicane a lap later dropped him back to fifth and in the second half of the race, he found himself shuffled back to an eventual seventh. Teammate Sykes, the 2013 World Superbike champion, ended his weekend with a solid tenth place.

 

The day’s results moved Brookes up to ninth overall in the championship table, just seven points off the all-important top eight Showdown places heading into the next round at Brands Hatch next month with Sykes in 14th. 

 

Josh Brookes: “We’ve shown some promise this weekend and although the results don’t show it, we’ve been a lot closer to the front and closer to fighting where we should be. We brought the progress made at Donington here to Knockhill, not a circuit I’ve enjoyed the best results in the past, and we’ve made constant steps in the right direction. We had a bit of a lull in qualifying but other than that, we’ve moved forward and whilst I was disappointed to have made a mistake in the final race, the fact we were in third place at the time is positive. It’s been a better showing all round and we can be optimistic heading into the next round.”

 

Tom Sykes: “The weekend started off well and despite not riding here for so long, I felt at home in the wet conditions on Friday. I was fastest for the most part and I felt really comfortable but despite me doing a rain dance, it was dry conditions that prevailed and that’s where we are struggling. There are lots of areas that the MCE Ducati is really good in, but in a couple of crucial ones, we have a lot of work to do. It's tough and I’m finding I’m not able to perform to my best ability but hopefully we can find an improvement soon.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It was a positive day for us to be fair and although the first race results were compromised again by our grid positions, the changes we’d made overnight certainly helped and Josh was able to lap quicker than what he’d done in qualifying. Row two for the final race was a million miles better and put him in a better position to be in the fight. It was nice to be at the sharp end again and it was a shame that he had one small mistake as the rest of the pack pounced on that and he went from third to an eventual seventh. He was fighting for a podium finish, and we’ll look to build on that. For Tom, he’s still trying to understand the parameters of the bike and its limitations whilst not having been to Knockhill for 14 years was always going to be tough. We’re still trying to get him comfortable on the bike and understand the changes that are being made so it was a bit of a test session, and we’ll look to re-group over the break. There are positives to take away and we go to Brands Hatch next where both riders have good memories.”

 

The next round takes place at Brands Hatch on July 22-24.

 

Bennetts British Superbike race two (30 laps)

1 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

2 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

3 Rory Skinner (Kawasaki)

4 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

5 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

6 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

11 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

 

Bennetts British Superbike race three (30 laps)

1 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

2 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

3 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

4 Danny Buchan (BMW)

5 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

6 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

7 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

10 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship standings (after four rounds)

1 Ray 216 pts

2 O’Halloran 200

3 Jackson 174

4 Skinner 148

5 Ryde 141

6 Irwin 134

9 Brookes 77

14 Sykes 47

 

Images courtesy of Double Red: Josh Brookes (25) and Tom Sykes (66).

HAGER PBM DUCATI FIRED UP AHEAD OF OULTON PARK SEASON OPENER

May 1, 2025
HAGER PBM Ducati and rider Glenn Irwin are all set and ready for the start of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike season, as the championship roars into action this weekend at Oulton Park. The team will head to its local circuit in Cheshire for the May Bank Holiday weekend, keen to get a strong start to its 2025 campaign and looking to emulate its success from two visits there last year, when Irwin celebrated four victories from six race starts. The opening round follows a solid pre-season testing programme for the team, with Irwin topping the timesheets in two of the three R&G Official tests. Over the three events, the squad worked through a busy schedule, testing a host of new components for its Ducati Panigale V4R and while not specifically chasing lap times, were never far from the top the board. Now, as they prepare for the first round at one of their strongest tracks, the team and Irwin are feeling quietly confident they can hit the ground running and emerge from Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday with a strong haul of points to get their championship off to a flying start. Glenn Irwin: “It’s fantastic to be finally going into the opening round at Oulton Park – it’s almost seven months since the last season ended so it’s been a long wait. But now it’s time to go and put everything we’ve done, everything we’ve learnt over the off-season into practice. “We’ve had a great testing programme, there’s a new addition on my side with my rider spotter which has been a nice refresh and I’ve also made some small adjustments to my own riding style. “The team has brought some new items this year which have been nice, not performance parts but parts which can equate to performance…it’s not as simple as an extra 10 bhp or anything like that, but it’s nice to go racing with something new. “I can’t wait for the weekend and to get going. My motivation is high, so let’s go and kick-off the year with the best possible points haul for the Hager PBM Ducati team.” Frank Bird Jnr, Team Co-owner: “It’s finally time to get going. A lot of hard work has been put in over this winter, the team has had three solid tests so we should be right in the mix from the word go – that’s the plan, anyway. “It’s felt like a long wait so it’s mega that the first round is finally here. I’d like to thank all our sponsors for helping us get here and we’re all hoping we can put on a good show and bring back some trophies. “It’s fantastic to be starting the season at Oulton Park, particularly on a Bank Holiday weekend. A lot of our sponsors are north-based, it’s also our local round as a family too, so it’s obviously an important one for us. Here’s to a strong weekend and kicking-off the season with three great race results.” The 2025 Bennetts British Superbike action opens with free practice on Saturday, May 3 followed by Qualifying and Race One on Sunday, May 4. The weekend will draw to a close following two further races on Bank Holiday Monday, May 5.

IRWIN AND HAGER PBM DUCATI WRAP-UP SUCCESSFUL TESTING PROGRAMME

April 24, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team and rider Glenn Irwin have completed another successful R&G Official test at Oulton Park, with the opening round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship now just over a week away. Irwin and the team have spent the last two days at the Cheshire track, grabbing as much track time as possible in the final days on track before the season begins. After ending last weekend’s Donington Park test on top, the team was keen to continue to push in the final two days, working through a busy schedule and trying a host of new components and ideas. Irwin ended the test second quickest overall after clocking the best lap of Thursday afternoon’s final session, banking a 1min 33.313s lap on his last run. He leaves feeling confident about next weekend’s opening round and can’t wait to get back out. Glenn Irwin: “That’s us finished pre-season testing and I’m feeling good. We’ve been working, working, working and the bike felt better today but we still have a bit of work to do. “It’s been really, really enjoyable, we’ve tried a number of different things and I think now we’re finding a bit of a balance. Today we unlocked something in that middle session, I did a good few 33s in that run so I think we’re strong. “It’s definitely been very productive. We haven’t gone for lap times, we’ve been focussed on getting the bike right and when that happens, the lap times come. That’s what we’re starting to see and I think we’re in a good place to come back next week and start the season.” Frank Bird Jnr, Team Co-owner: “It’s a mega way to finish, this puts us in really good stead for the season and we’ve got a lot of boxes ticked off with the bike. All the boys are working well, we’ve got everyone back into the swing of things and Glenn seems to be riding well, so we’re in a good window for the first round. “It’s been a long winter but all the hard work seems to be paying off and we’re right in the mix. It means we can come here for Round One and we’re in a great place to start from.” The opening round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship roars into action at Oulton Park over the May Bank Holiday weekend, May 3-5.
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