April 7, 2022

MCE Ducati Conclude Testing In Positive Mood

Eight times champions, the MCE Ducati British Superbike Championship Team completed their preparation for the upcoming 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship with a successful final test at Silverstone this week.

With last Thursday’s planned outing at Donington Park eventually aborted due to the bad weather, hopes were higher for both Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes to get some good laps in aboard the Lake District team’s factory supported PBM Ducati Panigale V4Rs.

 

However, cool temperatures interspersed with rain showers once again affected their progress over the two days and didn’t allow as much track time as they would have liked leaving Australian double BSB champion Brookes in 14th place and Yorkshireman Sykes, who won the World Superbike Championship in 2013, down in 19th overall.

Brookes was consistently inside the top six for most of the sessions with Sykes returning to a track he’s not raced on for many years, gathering important data in readiness for next weekend’s opening round at Silverstone which gets underway on Good Friday.

 

Josh Brookes: “It was a fairly productive test despite the weather being difficult with rain and gusty winds at times. But it’s been the same for everyone and from our side, we’ve done a lot of work with various settings and combinations. Silverstone has always been tricky for our bike, but last year, Silverstone was a good round for us. We’ve struggled in the last sector of the track in the past so that’s an area we’ve concentrated on this week and now the bike is working as good as it ever has. So everything is positive going into the race weekend over Easter, it’s just a case of seeing what the weather will do but I’m ready to rock.”

 

Tom Sykes: “I came here in good spirits after a positive test at Snetterton and found how the Ducati works so came here excited to continue that work. The start of yesterday didn’t go to plan, but I was going about my business and finding where the bike was working and where we needed to improve. The guys have made some small tweaks to the bike with the information since Snetterton, so everything is definitely heading in the right direction. The cold temperatures and really gusty wind meant I didn’t take the best from the bike or myself today but found some more information in preparation for next week.” 

 

John Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “Traditionally, Silverstone isn’t our best track, but we knew which areas we needed to improve on, and we are confident that we now have what we need to be competitive next weekend. Josh chipped away in all the sessions and was only a fraction off the lap record whereas Tom, despite a slip off, methodically worked his way through lots of stuff to get a good load of data which will be important come the races. We will go back to the workshop and analyse the information and we fully expect to come out of the blocks fighting as it’s our intention to win back the title we lost after two years last season.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Silverstone, Official Test, combined times:

 

1.         Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 53.627s

2.         Rory Skinner (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.103s

3.         Kyle Ryde (Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha) +0.168s

4.         Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha) +0.172s

5.         Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing UK) +0.202s

14.       Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati) +0.656s
19.       Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati) +0.802s

 

The opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Silverstone over the Easter weekend of 15/17 April. 


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

PODIUMS, POINTS AND PRIZES FOR HAGER PBM DUCATI

May 18, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team heads home from Donington Park fired up for the rest of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike season after rider Glenn Irwin clinched a second and a third in today’s two races. Irwin narrowly missed out on what could have been two wins at the iconic Derbyshire track – but he and the team leave feeling excited about the rest of the year after a strong performance. It had been a tougher start to the weekend as the team struggled with a few niggling issues, but after topping Friday’s timesheets, Irwin clocked the third quickest time in Qualifying to line up on the front row for Saturday’s race. Moving into second position at Turn One, he settled into a good rhythm and as he found himself in a three-way battle, took the lead on Lap Eight. However, a few issues struck in closing laps which left him unable to hold off his rivals and he slipped back to fourth. Determined to make amends on Sunday, Irwin once again started from third on the grid. Getting a good start, he was up to second by the end of Lap Two and quickly began reeling in leader Bradley Ray. A move for the front at the Fogarty Esses on the fourth lap didn’t pay off but he wasn’t giving up, quickly closing back in on his rival. On Lap Eight, he tried again to dive down the inside at the same spot but wasn’t able to make it, running down the slip road and slipping back to fourth. He fought hard in the remaining four laps to catch the bike ahead, making the move into the chicane on the final lap to secure third place. It was another front row start for the final race and he held third place into Turn One, settling into position for the opening laps. By Lap Eight he was challenging Rory Skinner for third and as the race reached the halfway point on Lap 10, he made the move into Turn One and moved into second position. More than two seconds adrift of leader Ray, Irwin put his head down and pushed hard, quickly reducing the gap and with three laps to go was just 0.296 behind. Once again, he tried a move at the Fogarty Esses but wasn’t able to make it work and despite pushing on, wasn’t able to pass. He crossed the line just 0.396secs behind his rival and picked up another strong haul of points. He also set a new lap record, with a 1min 28.832s on the penultimate lap. Glenn Irwin: “We’ve had a fourth, a third and a second so we’re going in the right direction. Race one was really, really tough. We had a limiting factor with the bike on Friday and Saturday which wasn’t rectified until Sunday morning, and it was a good chunk better today. “I think the Sprint race was one that we could’ve won but we made a mistake. I think in the last race we played the right game, we were patient and again we could perhaps have won. I made a similar mistake at the same corner and it left us a lot of work to do with two laps to go. “Setting a new lap record on Lap 19 was good and we may have lost a couple of points but at this stage of the year, two points here or there is nothing and I’m quite happy either way. “Hats off to the team because they worked very hard this weekend and they gave me something that was missing and it’s so much better now. We now have a bit of a break, I’ll head to the TT for 10 days and chill out but keep training hard, working harder and trust that the wins will come.” Frank Bird Jnr, Team Co-owner: “It’s been a very positive weekend, very consistent, which is obviously a good sign. We got there with the bike setup, I think we’ve found what we were missing at Oulton Park. “It’s still only the second round so everyone is still getting into it, learning the bike, learning the new tyre but thank you to all the boys, they’ve been mega all weekend and have really worked hard. “Glenn rode his heart out in all three races and we are definitely in the mix…now we will just keep going and look forward to the rest of the season.” The championship now takes a break until mid June, when the pack will resume duties at Snetterton.

ROUND TWO BECKONS FOR HAGER PBM DUCATI

May 14, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati squad is heading to Donington Park this weekend as the second round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship roars into action at the iconic track. The team and rider Glenn Irwin will be looking to build on their success at the opening round, where the Northern Irishman clinched two second place finishes, putting him third in the championship chase but equal on 32 points with his rivals sitting first and second. It’s been a tough fortnight where the racing community has mourned the loss of riders Owen Jenner and Shane Richardson – and the team has been particularly affected by the death of Owen, a close friend of owners Jordan, Frank and other team members. Now, hopes are high that the team and Irwin can deliver a string of podium finishes this weekend, with performances which both boys would be proud of. Glenn Irwin, rider: “Looking ahead to the weekend you almost feel a little bit guilty, because obviously we all want to continue to pay our respects to Owen and Shane’s families, and when we look back at Oulton Park, the whole event is overshadowed by this sadness. “But if I was to look just purely at the riding side of things and the teamwork, I felt we did a good job. We had some difficult moments but we did well to come from 14 th to second in Race One and particularly Race two, after four laps we were 3.3 off and eight laps later to only be 0.1 off the win was very pleasing. “I think as riders, we all know what we achieved in terms of race pace over the two races, we only ever took time out of Bradley (Ray) and Leon (Haslam) and for me that was confidence inspiring. I think we fired our own warning shots without winning races which is important for our own confidence and important to cement ourselves in the thoughts of our rivals as well. “This weekend and the whole championship in general is going to be close. The three of us who were in it at Oulton will be there, I expect Kyle (Ryde) to be there and Danny Kent to also join the party this weekend…it’s going to be a good one.” Jordan Bird, Team Co-owner: “As usual, we are ready for business this weekend - although this one is a little different. We race at Donington Park for Owen and Shane. “Of course, we have a job to do but our thoughts will never be far away from both of them and we continue to send our love and best wishes to their families. “We know it’s going to be a tough weekend in many ways for the team and for the paddock as a whole but we look forward to doing the best job we possibly can in memory of Owen and Shane.”  Round Two of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship gets underway at Donington Park this Friday, May 16 with two free practice sessions ahead of Qualifying and Race One on Saturday, followed by two further races on Sunday, May 18.
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