September 24, 2022

Solid Points For Brookes And Sykes At Oulton

The MCE Ducati team were in action at Oulton Park today for round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship with Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes taking tenth and 11th place respectively in the 14-lap eBay Sprint race for Paul Bird’s Cumbrian-based team.

Lap times from yesterday meant Australian Brookes had to go in the opening Q1 qualifying session but he comfortably topped that with a lap of 1.34.291 to progress into Q2 and although he went quicker on the factory-backed MCE Insurance Ducati Panigale V4R with a lap of 1.34.175, which was his quickest of the weekend, it was only good enough for 13th overall and the fifth row of the grid.

 

However, his lap time was only four tenths of a second adrift of a front row start whilst Yorkshireman Sykes was only three tenths of a second slower. That put him three places and one row further back with the former World Superbike Champion having to settle for 16th after losing some time in the pits at the beginning of the session whilst changes were made to the MCE Insurance Ducati.

In the race which got underway under threatening skies, both riders made steady starts, Josh in 14th and Tom in 15th but there was little change for the first half of the 14 laps and it wasn’t until lap 11 that both riders were able to gain a position. However, there was plenty of drama in the closing laps, which included Jason O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie crashing out, and the net result was that Josh took the chequered flag in 11th place with Tom one further place back in 12th.

 

However, Peter Hickman, who’d crossed the line in fourth, was excluded for his part in O’Halloran’s crash and that promoted Josh and Tom up to tenth and 11th respectively to add to their points tallies.

 

Josh Brookes: “Qualifying went well but the lap times we were doing were wearing out the tyre after six laps, so we softened the suspension and power for the race in order to extend the tyre life in the 14-lap race. The consequence was that we lost quite a bit of pace and it might have been better to leave the set-up as it was, lap at a strong pace in the first six laps and then hang on as best we could in the second half. The conservative option we took didn’t work out but we’re trying to adapt all the time and maybe focusing on our speed is the way forward tomorrow. They’re longer races so we're going to have a good think overnight about what our best strategy should be.”

 

Tom Sykes: “I was pleasantly happy with the way things were going in free practice with some good lap times and I was hoping to climb higher up the order with a new tyre in qualifying. Unfortunately, fitting a new tyre didn’t seem to agree with the bike and I wasn’t able to push on like I wanted. That meant the starting position wasn’t that good and although I got a good launch, I found myself blocked in and unable to move forward. It’s obviously disappointing and frustrating to come 12th.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “Both riders in the points is a positive result but we aren’t happy to be on the fringes of the top ten, we know we should be fighting much higher up the order. But it’s proving difficult right now so as we always do at PBM, we’ll work on how we can make things better and hopefully we can give both riders what they need after we’ve studied the data. The two races tomorrow should suit us better so hopefully we can make the changes which we need so we can challenge further up the field.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship eBay Sprint race (14 laps)

1 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

2 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati) 

3 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)

4 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

5 Danny Buchan (BMW)

6 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

10 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

11 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship Standings

1 Ray 1086pts

2 O’Halloran 1048

3 Mackenzie 1031

4 Irwin 1029

5 Bridewell 1028

6 Jackson 1024

13 Brookes 117

15 Sykes 101


 

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.
More Posts