August 15, 2022

Sykes Salvages Another Top Ten At Thruxton

It was another challenging day at Thruxton on Sunday for the Lake District-based MCE Ducati team with the two Bennetts British Superbike Championship races seeing Tom Sykes claim tenth and 12th place finishes whilst teammate Josh Brookes scored a single point for 15th in the opening race of the day.

With another hot day in the Hampshire sunshine, Yorkshireman Sykes started the first race from eighth position and a superb start on the factory-supported and MCE Insurance-sponsored PBM Ducati Panigale V4R enabled him to complete the opening lap in fifth place. By lap ten, half race distance, he’d slipped back to seventh but hopes remained high of a top six finish. However, in the final third of the race, his pace dropped, and he eventually took the chequered flag in 12th place.

 

Starting the final race of the weekend back in 13th, another good start meant the former World Superbike champion advanced four places forward on the opening lap and, continually moving forward, he was up to sixth by half race distance. The second half of the race was a lot more challenging and for the final third of the race, his pace again dropped, and the end result was tenth place.

For Australian teammate Brookes, it was another challenging day, but he dug deep in the opening race and, after starting from 24th on the grid, he moved forward throughout the race and was rewarded for his efforts with 15th and a hard-earned championship point.

 

After his best showing of the weekend, the 2015 and 2020 BSB champion lined up for the final race of the weekend from 18th on the grid and again looked more competitive than earlier in the weekend. He was soon up inside the points and looking good to climb up into the top ten, but all hopes were dashed when the bike slowed on the fourth lap and he was, unfortunately, forced to retire.

 

Tom Sykes: “It’s disappointing to finish tenth and 12th as that’s not what I came to BSB for but I’m not able to do any better than that at present. It was obviously nice to be at the sharp end and run in the top six for most of each race but there was little grip left at the end in either race. I rode conservative at the beginning and waited before making my move but when the time came, there wasn’t the grip to allow me to make that move. I know both my own and the team’s capabilities, so we’ll keep working hard as it’s not in our ethic to do anything but that.”


Josh Brookes: “To come away today with just a single 15th place finish is massively disappointing but we made progress in each race and whilst it’s obviously come a bit too late, I was really happy with the bike in the last race. It was chaotic in the first few laps, like BSB often is, but I out drove some riders at the back of the track which was a real thrill as I hadn’t been able to do that all weekend. The changes to the set-up worked and the bike was working really well but all of a sudden, it stopped, like the ignition had been turned off or something. It’s frustrating that we couldn’t show the improvements in an end result, but I never give up and my spirits have improved so I’ll come out fighting at Cadwell.”


Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “After a top ten finish yesterday, hopes were high for Tom improving upon that today but although he ran as high as the top six in each race, he had no grip for the last five laps, and he dropped back. It’s a shame as it was the best form he’d shown all season. For Josh, he ended the weekend a lot more optimistic as the changes he and the team made for the final race worked as they’d hoped. He was definitely on course for his best result of the weekend, but it wasn’t to be, and we’ll need to check the bike and data to find out what happened. He never stopped trying, which is typical of Josh but, unfortunately, we haven’t given him the tools for the job and one point from the last five races means getting into the Showdown will be a mammoth task.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (20 laps)

1 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

2 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)

3 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

4 Peter Hickman (BMW)

5 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

6 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

12 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

15 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three (20 laps)

1 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)

2 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

3 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

4 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

5 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

6 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)

10 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

DNF Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship standings (after six rounds)

1 O’Halloran 331pts

2 Ray 307

3 Jackson 219

4 Skinner 199

5 Irwin 192

6 Ryde 173

13 Brookes 88

14 Sykes 75

 

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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