MCE Ducati Aiming High At Oulton
MCE Ducati riders Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes are hoping for better fortunes when the second round of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship heads for Oulton Park this bank holiday weekend.
Both riders were disappointed with their results from the opening round at Silverstone and are looking to kick-start their season for Paul Bird’s Lake District-based team at their local track where traditionally the Ducatis have a record of working well.
Valuable data was gained at last week’s official test at the Cheshire track, so confidence is high going into the weekend, especially as Oulton Park is a track with good memories for double BSB champion Brookes and former WSBK champion Sykes.
Bedfordshire-based Aussie Brookes has eight wins to his name around the 2.6920-mile International track as well as a record 21 podiums, two of which came on the team’s last visit in September last year. Brookes also set pole position and was well to the fore at last week’s test so is feeling confident ahead of the three races.
Meanwhile Warwickshire-based Yorkshireman Sykes returns to the track which saw him achieve his first wins in BSB when he romped to a double back in 2008 so will be hoping he can add some serious points to his tally and ignite his challenge for the team’s ninth BSB crown aboard the factory-supported MCE Ducati Panigale V4R.
Josh Brookes: “I’m definitely looking forward to Oulton Park after a really positive test there last week. We have a lot more encouragement moving forwards, especially as we always knew Silverstone would be a difficult round for us. The pace has increased so much this year but the times at the test proved we are in the competitive range. We have some good settings to work with, but the weather could be a factor as is sometimes the case, so we’ll see how we get on. My confidence is good, and we have a decent record around Oulton, so the plan is to continue with those results.”
Tom Sykes: “To say round one was a disappointment is a massive under-statement, so we need to turn things around this weekend at Oulton. I spent a lot of time working on various settings at the recent test, so I wasn’t chasing a lap time like the other riders. Hopefully we now have a set-up to allow us to run at the front as Oulton will suit the MCE Ducati so much better than Silverstone. I have great memories of the place and it’s a fantastic track so hopefully we can get the results we need this weekend.”
Pictures attached courtesy of Double Red: Josh Brookes (25) and Tom Sykes (66).
