June 18, 2022

More Points For MCE Ducati At Knockhill

MCE Ducati riders Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes added to their points tally in the opening race of the fourth round of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at a breezy Knockhill in Scotland today.

Double BSB champion Brookes and ex-World Superbike champion Sykes showed good speed during Friday’s damp action to make it inside the top 12 of the Superpicks Free Practice with Brookes in fifth and Sykes in tenth for Paul Bird’s Lake District-based team.

 

However, the pair couldn’t replicate that today and in the qualifying session, held in very strong winds, Brookes qualified in tenth to start from row four with Sykes three places and one row further back on the MCE Insurance-sponsored and factory-supported MCE Ducati Panigale V4Rs

Conditions remained tricky for the opening race of the weekend, the eBay sprint race over 22 laps of the short


Fife circuit, which saw the pair battle throughout with a group of riders inside the top ten. At the flag, Brookes managed to score tenth place with Sykes just a second behind in 12th.

 

As a result, Brookes occupies 11th in the standings on 58 points with Sykes in 14th on 36 points going into tomorrow’s two races.


Josh Brookes: “The race was a bit frustrating as I lost a few places in the early stages and that meant I was in a battle with my teammate which is always difficult as we are on the same machinery. I didn’t want to make any dodgy passes and take us both down, but the lap times were nowhere near what we needed to do to get on the podium. So, I’m a bit disappointed but I knew after qualifying we may struggle but I’m always optimistic. We’ve looked at what we can change for tomorrow’s two races and hopefully we can improve.”

 

Tom Sykes: “It’s been a bit frustrating to be honest, I felt good on the bike yesterday but today, we just couldn’t improve. Not being here for 14 years didn’t help, especially when many of the other riders have been every year but my lap times were OK. We tried different settings and all of the Ducatis were on a similar pace in qualifying, and in the race, I ended up in a scrap with Josh. I’m not happy and we just need to keep working hard to find what we need to progress from our limitations.”


eBay Sprint Race (22 laps)

1 B Ray (Yamaha)

2 J O’Halloran (Yamaha)

3 R Skinner (Kawasaki)

4 L Jackson (Kawasaki)

5 D Buchan (BMW)

6 K Ryde (Yamaha)

10 J Brookes (MCE Ducati)
12 T Sykes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship Positions (after 10 races)

1 B Ray 183pts

2 J O’Halloran 150

3 L Johnson 138

4 R Skinner 132

5 K Ryde 127

6 G Irwin 116

11 J Brookes 58
14 T Sykes 36

 

 

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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