September 25, 2022

Top Six For Sykes, Top Eight For Brookes At Oulton

The MCE Ducati team enjoyed one of their best days of the season in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park today with both Tom Sykes and Josh Brookes taking a brace of top ten finishes.

Indeed, Sykes was able to record his best set of results to date for Paul Bird’s Cumbrian-based team with sixth in the second race today being his best result of the year on the factory-backed MCE Insurance Ducati Panigale V4R.

 

Lap times from yesterday’s eBay Sprint race meant the two riders had a tough job on their hands for today’s opening 18-lap race with Josh starting from 16th place and the head of the sixth row and Tom three places and one row further back.

However, it proved to be a race of attrition with two red flags bringing a halt to proceedings and at the third attempt, it was eventually run over just seven laps, Tom getting the better start to complete the opening lap in tenth with Josh one place behind in 11th.

 

It was Yorkshireman Sykes who was able to make the most overtaking moves in the short race and he crossed the line in a strong seventh, equalling his best result of the season so far. Australian double BSB champion Brookes regrouped as the race wore on and was in eighth place at the chequered flag to make it a strong race for both riders and the PBM MCE Insurance Ducati team.

 

The results gave the two riders their best starting positions of the weekend for the final race with former World Superbike Champion Sykes in sixth and on the second row with Brookes in ninth and they both made it count, running with the leading pack throughout.

 

Both riders ran inside the top nine for the entire 15 laps and, at one stage, just two seconds covered the leading nine riders. Tom again had the better result as he finished sixth, which was so nearly fifth, whilst Brookes also had a strong ride into eighth.

 

Tom Sykes: “Today has been a better day in terms of the results achieved with sixth and seventh being my two best finishes so far this season but it’s still frustrating not being in a position to show my true potential. Fair play to the team, they made a number of slight changes to try and help with the feel of the bike I was getting so I was able to pull some average results out of the bag. If we could get a better package, we’d be able to show much better but getting closer to the leaders was a small step forward whilst starting from the second row also made things a lot easier. It’s Donington Park next, a circuit I love, so let’s hope we can make further improvements there.”

 

Josh Brookes: “In some respects, we’ve had a better day than some others, but today’s races were still hard, and I felt I could have visited the scenery myself on more than one occasion. I was glad I didn’t, but the weekend has again shown just how sensitive the bike is to the changes made. We’ve made some really minor changes to the bike this weekend, all of them in what we believed were in the right direction, but it was amazing how much they changed the characteristics of the bike. We went back to what we had in qualifying today, which was better than what we’ve had recently, and I felt like I was competitive again today, especially in the last race. They are small positives, but we’ll take every one we can.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “Today has proven what a difference it makes when you start on the first three rows and how critical it is for your race position. The riders are able to do the competitive lap times consistently as they’re running with the riders they should be, knowing when to brake, when to accelerate and not riding tense. We were only a couple of seconds off the race win in that final race and whilst we go racing to get wins and podiums, it’s nice to have both riders finish in the top ten in all their races and good to see Tom get his best result of the year. We’re still lacking in a few small areas so will keep looking to improve at the final two rounds whilst I’d like to wish all the injured riders a speedy recovery.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (7 laps)

1 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

2 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati) 

3 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

4 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

5 Danny Buchan (BMW)

6 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)

7 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

8 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three (15 laps)

1 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati) 

2 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

3 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

4 Danny Buchan (BMW)

5 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

6 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati) 

8 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship Standings 

1 Ray 1113pts

2 Bridewell 1073

3 Jackson 1065

4 Irwin 1062

5 O’Halloran 1048

6 Mackenzie 1031

12 Brookes 133

13 Sykes 120


 

Pictures courtesy of Double Red: Josh Brookes (25) and Tom Sykes (66).

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.

IRWIN AND HAGER PBM DUCATI END SUCCESSFUL SECOND TEST ON TOP

April 19, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team continued its strong testing form at Donington Park as rider Glenn Irwin once again ended the two days fastest overall. Although the team is still not concentrating on lap times, Irwin picked up where he left off at Circuito de Navarra earlier this month as he led the way on Friday before going even quicker on Day Two with an impressive fastest lap of 1min 27.015s in the final session. After a strong first test where he topped the timesheets at Navarra, the team headed to the second R&G Official test at Donington Park looking to work on a number of different things. Irwin was consistently quick across the opening day, ending Friday fastest overall with a 1:27.022sec lap in the final session to end the day at the top of the timesheets with what was the fastest ever BSB lap of the iconic track. Along with most of the pack, he opted to sit out of Saturday morning’s first session due to track conditions, heading out for the second to work through a few more things. He again shot to the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:27.468, before later going one better in the final session to clock his new fastest ever lap. Glenn Irwin: “It’s been really good, like Navarra, we’ve continued with a plan. Yesterday we had a really, really strong bike here and conditions were a little better. Today conditions were tougher with the wind but everyone still finds a way to go fast. “We probably persevered with a bike which is suited to the final sector, perhaps Turn One as well. As the day went on I realised we were losing a bit in some places but we stuck with it. “It’s pleasing because I would say that isn’t the bike of choice for here, perhaps maybe yesterday's bike was better, but to top today feeling like that, to do a lot of laps in the 27s with improved pace on old tyres is good. The test has definitely been a success.” John Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “I think it’s been a positive test where we’ve confirmed a number of test items over the two days. We had slightly better conditions yesterday than today but I think we’ve ticked a lot of boxes, gone fairly quick so it’s all positive – roll on Oulton Park. “The plan there is more of the same, just keep trying to understand the new tyre, try and work with it. I think longevity is going to be the key now for Oulton Park, we’ll do a couple of race runs, see how the tyre lasts and then get ready for Round One.” The team will now prepare for the final test at Oulton Park next Wednesday and Thursday, April 23 and 24 which will be the last chance to get everything ready ahead of the first round of the 2025 season at Oulton Park over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
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