October 1, 2022

Sykes Wins Again At Donington But Denied Treble Victory

Tom Sykes and the MCE Ducati team added another Bennetts British Superbike Championship win to their collection at Donington Park today with victory in the opening race following swiftly on from the inaugural success for Paul Bird’s Cumbrian-based team yesterday. But hopes of a career first treble win were scuppered when he was the innocent victim of a collision in the third and final race.

Sykes’ first victory of the season yesterday on the factory-backed MCE Insurance Ducati Panigale V4R put him on the front row for the opening 20-lap race today whilst teammate Josh Brookes had a lot more work to do from the fifth row of the grid.

 

A sluggish start saw Sykes drop back to fourth going into the first corner but by the end of the lap, he was into second and on lap three he hit the front for the first time, slipping up the inside of race and championship leader Bradley Ray. The two remained close for the rest of the race, with Tom’s lead hovering around the half second mark.

However, in the final four laps, he began to edge away and, aided by a new lap record, the Yorkshireman took his second win of the weekend by 1.4 seconds once more. Brookes, meanwhile, gained two places on the opening lap and on lap three he moved up another place to 11th. Locked in battle with Danny Buchan and Ryan Vickers, the 2015 and 2020 BSB champion overhauled both riders to take over ninth place which is where he finished.

 

Starting the final race of the weekend from pole position, both Tom and the team were hopeful of completing the treble but a red flag on just the second lap brought a halt to proceedings. Restarted over 18 laps, the 2013 World Superbike champion was running in third place when another rider collided with him going into the Melbourne Hairpin on the sixth lap and although he stayed on, damage to the bike forced him to retire.

 

Teammate Brookes made a good getaway in the first start and was up to eighth, but the restart didn’t go in the same way. Changes to the bike after the race earlier in the day didn’t work as he planned and after holding 13th in the early stages, he dropped back as the race progressed and just missed out on the points in 16th.

 

Tom Sykes: “It’s been great to take another race win today and I’m more pleased for the team than I am myself as they’ve not stopped working all year and deserve the success. I was in third place in the initial stages of today’s first race, but the bike was fantastic and once I’d got the lead, I felt really comfortable and was able to control the race very nicely. We made some small alterations to the bike, nothing major, but with the red flag, the performance with edge grip on the tyre dropped off. I still thought a good podium was on the cards but, unfortunately, another rider made a mistake and hit the back of me, which was obviously not their intention. It’s a shame to end with a DNF but we’ve got to be happy with two wins and have some smiles back in the garage.”

 

Josh Brookes: “We made some minimal changes to the bike overnight with ninth place the outcome and I ended up letting the team take responsibility for what we did in race three to try and get us further up the field. Unfortunately, the changes, which were quite substantial, were in the wrong direction and whilst the intentions were good to make the bike shorter to try and improve the rear grip, they were counterproductive. The more I tried, the more it felt like I was going to come off, so it was another difficult day at the office.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “All in all, it’s been a very good weekend and with two wins, it’s been great to see the PBM MCE Ducati team back on the winner’s step. It was good to back up Saturday’s victory with another win and it was another, controlled ride from Tom. We were hopeful of making it a treble, but the restart didn’t work out for us with the drop in tyre performance, but a podium finish was a strong possibility. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be as Tom was hit from behind by another rider with damage to the bike making it impossible to continue. Josh had a tough day, and it won’t have been easy for him to have seen his teammate take two wins, but he’ll evaluate everything with his team and look to end the year strongly at Brands Hatch, a circuit that’s been good for him in the past.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (19 laps)

1 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

2 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

3 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

4 Andrew Irwin (BMW)

5 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

6 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

9 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three (18 laps)

1 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

2 Andrew Irwin (BMW)

3 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

4 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

5 Danny Buchan (BMW)

6 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)

16 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

DNF Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship Standings (after 10 rounds)

1 Ray 1171pts

2 Irwin 1105

3 Bridewell 1104

4 Jackson 1095

5 O’Halloran 1077

6 Ryde 1051

12 Sykes 170

13 Brookes 145

 

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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