October 1, 2022

Sykes Wins At Donington Park

Tom Sykes and the MCE Ducati team claimed their first Bennetts British Superbike Championship win of the season at Donington Park today with the 2013 World Superbike champion putting in a faultless ride for Paul Bird’s Cumbrian-based team.

Yorkshireman Sykes led from start to finish to take his first BSB victory since Brands Hatch in 2010 when he took the PBM Kawasaki to a hat-trick of victories whilst it was the team’s first win in the series since Christian Iddon took the win at Brands Hatch in July 2021.

 

Heavy rain yesterday had meant only one practice session was able to take place where Midlands-based Aussie Josh Brookes posted the tenth quickest time on the factory-backed and MCE Insurance-sponsored Ducati Panigale V4R with Tom further back in 19th. But with dry conditions today, albeit with a blustery wind, the duo were third and sixth in the final free practice session, with Sykes the quicker of the two teammates.

Sykes comfortably progressed from the opening Q1 session to join Brookes in Q2, and he continued with his good form, posting the third quickest time for his first front row start of the season. Brookes was slightly further back in tenth which was his first top ten qualifying position since Brands Hatch in July.

 

That put both riders in good stead for the afternoon’s 15-lap eBay Sprint Race and it was Sykes who grabbed the lead at the first corner, from where he never looked back and despite coming under pressure throughout, he controlled the race perfectly to eventually win by 1.4 seconds.

 

Teammate Brookes found the race a bit more difficult and although he held station in tenth for the first half of the race, the 2015 and 2020 BSB champion found himself back in 12th on lap eight. He regrouped in the closing stages to take 11th with the results seeing the two riders swap places in the championship table, Tom now in 12th overall and Josh 13th.

 

Tom Sykes: “I can’t thank the team enough and this win is for them. I was obviously hoping for more this season but Donington Park is more of a Superbike circuit than some of the others we’ve been to and although I still had a couple of limitations with the bike, I was able to ride round them and put the MCE Ducati where I wanted to, taking advantage of the strengths we had in other areas. I’ve a lot of experience around here and the two qualifying sessions was more beneficial as it enabled us to understand the bike a bit more. We made a slight change in between Q1 and Q2 and although I had to be conservative in some corners and lost a bit of time, it was good to be on the front row. I wanted a good, clean start and get away with the leaders and that is exactly what I did.”

 

Josh Brookes: “On the timesheets, it looks a bit better than where we’ve been of late but three leading riders were absent so it’s hard to see the real progress. I got away fine in the race, not losing any places, I just didn’t have the momentum to go forward. I lost two places mid-race eventually regaining one of them but with the limitations, I can’t perform. Tom and I have been pretty much glued together all year, in terms of pace and results, so I’m a bit mystified at his gains in performance this weekend although I’m obviously pleased for him and the team. I’d love to replicate what he’s doing here at Donington, so we’ll go again tomorrow.” 

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “If Tom was going to win anywhere, it was going to be here at Donington given what he’s done previously in the World Superbike Championship and he rode a superb race, controlling it perfectly. Leading from start to finish is no easy task in BSB but that’s what he did despite the pressure he was under, and it was awesome to see and brilliant for the MCE Ducati team to be back on the top step. Behind the scenes, it’s been doom and gloom at times but, like all teams, we’ve continued to work hard, week in, week out and there’s been no shortage of effort. Congratulations to all the lads and to everyone that’s stuck by us through thick and thin.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (15 laps)

1 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

2 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

3 Peter Hickman (BMW)

4 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

5 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

6 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

11 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship Standings

1 Ray 1126

2 Bridewell 1081

3 Jackson 1075

4 Irwin 1073

5 O’Halloran 1068

6 Ryde 1036

12 Sykes 145

13 Brookes 138

 

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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