July 23, 2022

Top Six For Brookes At Brands

MCE Ducati’s Josh Brookes enjoyed one of his strongest rides of the season in the opening race of round five of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship season at Brands Hatch this afternoon, coming home in sixth place and just 5.5 seconds behind race winner Jason O’Halloran.

After three solid free practice sessions which saw Brookes and teammate Tom Sykes sit in eighth and 14th respectively, both riders were able to improve their lap times and positions in this qualifying session, with Josh moving up to a fine sixth which was good enough for a second row start and Tom up to 12th.

 

The 15-lap race got underway in perfect conditions at the Kent venue and Josh maintained his sixth place on the opening lap around the undulating 2.4-mile circuit although Tom slipped back two places from his starting position.

Josh was overhauled two laps later by Kawasaki’s Rory Skinner and the duo found themselves locked in battle until two thirds race distance when former double BSB champion Brookes worked his way by on the factory supported and MCE Insurance-backed PBM Ducati. He was able to keep the young Scot at bay and duly took a strong sixth place which enabled him to move up to eighth in the championship standings and into one of the Showdown positions.

 

Further back, 2013 World Superbike Champion Sykes got pushed back to 15th on lap four. But gained a place back when Ryan Vickers crashed out at half race distance. With two laps to go, he overhauled Andrew Irwin to move up to 13th, a position he held until the chequered flag.

 

Josh Brookes: “Starting from the second row was a bit more like it but just before the start, the bike temperature went up to 120 degrees. I thought it was from the heat of the day and although it dropped, it only went to 110 rather than the 90 it usually runs at. It distracted me in the early laps and allowed the front five riders to get away but when I realised it wasn’t going to get any worse, I concentrated on getting into a decent rhythm. It was a bit frustrating as we’re so close to the front group now but we’re making progress all the time and to now be in the top eight is something. We’ll hope to make another step tomorrow.”

 

Tom Sykes: “It didn’t take me too long to get into the 1:25’s on Friday, which is a very respectable time around the Brands GP circuit, and I hoped to progress from there, but I haven’t been able to do what I’d like with the bike. Corner entry is fine but, in the middle and on the exit, it’s not doing what I’d expect and I’m losing a lot of time which is really disappointing. We’ll keep working and will hopefully find something for tomorrow.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “The progress we’ve been making with Josh in the last couple of rounds has continued here at Brands Hatch and to only be 3.5 seconds off the podium is something we could only dream of at the beginning of the season. There hasn’t been a miracle fix but we’ve kept chipping away and with a good grid position putting us in the mix, he was able to convert it into a strong result. Tom’s still struggling and with him not having the experience on the bike like Josh, it’s taking longer to get to where he wants to be but, again, we’ll keep chipping away.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship Sprint race (15 laps)

1 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

2 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)

3 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

4 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

5 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)

6 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

13 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship Standings

1 Ray 229pts

2 O’Halloran 225

3 Jackson 181

4 Skinner 157

5 Ryde 152

6 Irwin 134

8 Brookes 87

15 Sykes 50

 

 

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.
More Posts