August 13, 2022

Top Ten For Sykes At Thruxton

Punishing heat greeted the MCE Ducati team at Thruxton, venue for round six of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, but although both Tom Sykes and Josh Brookes found themselves with plenty of work to do, Sykes gave the team a top ten finish in today’s opening eBay Sprint Race with a solid ninth place.

It was Sykes who had the strongest day on Friday with the fourth fastest time sealing him a direct entry to Q2 but although he improved his time in this afternoon’s qualifying session by a tenth of a second, a number of other riders improved by a greater margin and the 2013 World Superbike Champion found himself back in 14th for the 15-lap race.

 

With an air temperature of 33 degrees and a track temperature of almost 44 degrees, the race was going to be challenging affair, but the Huddersfield rider made a good start and immediately moved forward three places. Second time around, he moved up inside the top ten and although progress after that was limited, he only just missed out on eighth place at the chequered flag.

Crucially, he also set the eighth fastest lap of the race which will see him start tomorrow’s opening race, held over the longer distance of 20 laps, from six places and two rows further forward.

 

For teammate Brookes, it’s been a tough weekend to date and, just like 2021, he’s suffered with a lack of grip on the MCE Insurance-sponsored and factory-supported Ducati Panigale V4R. Unable to lap at the pace required, both he and the team have worked tirelessly over the first two days and after qualifying in a disappointing 26th place, he was only able to take 20th at the chequered flag.


Tom Sykes: “It’s been 14 years since I’ve raced at Thruxton but practice on Friday went to plan, and everything immediately fell into place on the MCE Ducati. Expectations were a lot higher but the clear limitations we’re working under haven’t gone away and, unfortunately, qualifying saw me fall back down the order. That made today’s race that bit harder, but I was able to move forward and gain a few places which will put me two rows higher up for tomorrow’s first race. Hopefully, we can improve again tomorrow and get a result I feel we deserve.”

 

Josh Brookes: “After the problems I had at Thruxton last year, it’s the round I’ve been looking forward to the least but after good progress shown at Donington, Knockhill and Brands, I was holding onto that hope and that trend continuing when we got underway. It was clear straightaway though that the same problems existed, and it doesn’t matter what we try, I’m still suffering with a major lack of grip. No matter what we change, we don’t go forward, we just stay stagnant which is incredibly frustrating. You want to scream and throw things but that doesn’t change anything so it’s a question of staying composed and professional and just keep trying as hard as you can.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “Tom’s made good progress this weekend and although the qualifying position didn’t reflect that, he was able to lap consistently and moved forward throughout the race. He only just missed out on eighth and whilst we know the issues he’s been experiencing haven’t gone away, the nature of the circuit puts us in a better position. Unfortunately for Josh, he’s suffering the same issues as 2021 with a lack of grip preventing him from steering the bike. With a different engine spec from last year, we were obviously hoping for a lot better so all we can do is keep working hard to try and turn it around tomorrow.”
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Sprint race (15 laps)

1 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

2 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)

3 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

4 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

5 Peter Hickman (BMW)

6 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

9 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

20 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship standings

1 O’Halloran 290pts

2 Ray 271

3 Jackson 197

4 Skinner 181

5 Ryde 175

6 Irwin 169

12 Brookes 87

14 Sykes 65

 

Images 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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