October 15, 2022

Top Ten For Sykes At Brands

The final round of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship got underway at Brands Hatch this afternoon, but it proved to be a mixed day for the MCE Ducati team with Tom Sykes taking a best result with a solid tenth for Paul Bird’s Cumbrian-based squad.

However, there was disappointment for teammate Josh Brookes as the former double BSB champion was hit by another rider at the first corner which left the bike too damaged to continue.

 

Both practice and qualifying saw a variety of conditions and although Sykes successfully progressed from Q1 on the factory-backed MCE Insurance Ducati Panigale V4R, both he and Brookes found their ultimate grid position compromised by a rain shower which fell just three minutes into Q2.

That meant they, along with several other riders, only managed one flying lap and the net result was that Australian ace Brookes qualified in ninth place and on the end of the third row with 2013 World Superbike Champion Sykes four places and two rows further back in 13th.

 

The 16-lap eBay Sprint Race got underway just after 4pm, by which time conditions at the Kent venue were fine once more but Brookes’ race was over before it began with several riders coming together at the first corner. The end result was that two riders crashed out with Josh pushed wide in the melee and heavy contact from another rider damaged the bike too much for Josh to be able to continue.

 

That just left Tom to fly the flag for the team with a strong start seeing him immediately move forward three places. Despite quickly closing up to the group of riders battling for eighth, none of them were able to make any passes on each other. That meant Tom had to settle for tenth place at the chequered flag, which consolidated his 12th place in the championship standings.

 

Tom Sykes: “I got unlucky in qualifying today as I was on a good lap when the rain came down at the far side of the circuit and that meant my starting position wasn’t as good as it could, and should, have been. I had a better feeling with the bike than what I did when we were here in July but was still finding it difficult in some areas. That was obviously frustrating as we had a couple of places where we were really strong, but we did what we could today and will look to make a few changes ahead of tomorrow’s races to end the season on a positive note.”

 

Josh Brookes: “The pace has been pretty good this weekend and things have been going well at a circuit I have a strong affinity with and although qualifying could have been better, the rain came at the wrong time. I didn’t string the lap together as well as I could but still had high hopes of a good result only to be victim of a first corner melee. People were being pushed wide and another rider ploughed into the side of me which damaged the bike with the gear lever bent right up against the motor. It was impossible to change gear and impossible to continue, which was obviously disappointing, so we’ll aim to end the year strongly tomorrow.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It wasn’t the best day for the team and the rain in qualifying prevented what could have been two really strong grid positions. With a great record at the circuit, Josh was understandably hopeful of a good result, but he was hit hard by another rider which damaged the bike considerably and to be forced out so early, through no fault of his own, was disappointing. Tom managed to avoid the trouble and salvaged a top ten result, but we’ll definitely be hoping for more tomorrow.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (16 laps)

1 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

2 Peter Hickman (BMW)

3 Andrew Irwin (BMW)

4 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

5 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

6 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

10 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

DNF Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship standings

1 Ray 1182pts

2 Irwin 1130

3 Bridewell 1117

4 Jackson 1095

5 O’Halloran 1087

6 Ryde 1058

12 Sykes 176

14 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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