August 29, 2022

Tough Time at Cadwell for MCE Ducati

The MCE Ducati team continued their difficult season at the seventh round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship which took place at Cadwell Park this weekend.

After yesterday’s promising start with Tom Sykes qualifying the MCE Insurance-sponsored and factory-supported Ducati Panigale V4R inside the top six, his crash when taken out by another rider in the sprint race set the precedent for what was to follow today.

 

The ex-World Superbike champion battled to a tenth place in today’s opening race before crossing the line in a disappointing 20th in the third and final race after losing time early in the race. 

The challenging Lincolnshire track didn’t favour teammate Josh Brookes either whereby the Aussie was hoping to improve on his top ten position of yesterday for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team.

 

The double BSB champion crashed out over the Mountain in today’s opening race with a couple of laps to go, luckily without injury, but battled back to record an 11th place finish in the final race of the day.

 

The team’s disappointment was compounded by the fact that neither rider can now qualify for the title-deciding Showdown later in the season. 

 

Josh Brookes: “Again it’s difficult to put a positive spin on things. We continued to make changes to the bike in the hope of improving it but today, that compromised us getting it off the line. And whilst the set-up was better for the races, I was hampered by getting bad starts. I got stuck in a battle with Tom both times and tried to pass him but crashed on the Mountain and in the final race, it took a long time to pass him, by which time I’d no chance of catching the riders in front. It’s been a painful weekend in more ways than one but that’s the situation unfortunately.” 

 

Tom Sykes: “I don’t really have a lot to say. It’s been another very tough weekend for us and I’m disappointed with the results after a promising start in Superpole yesterday. We’ll regroup and hope for better luck next time out at Snetterton.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “It’s a very disappoining day as for the first time since it came into play, PBM haven’t made the Showdown which is a significant factor for us. There were some positives, especially as Tom showed his mettle in Superpole, which is where he made his mark in World Superbikes. Josh was lucky to get away without injury after his big crash which was a relief too. We move on to Snetterton where we enjoyed a good pre-season test earlier in the year so hopefully, we can replicate that sort of form.” 

 


Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two

1 Danny Buchan (BMW)

2 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

3 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

4 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)

5 Rory Skinner (Kawasaki)

6 Andrew Irwin (BMW)

10 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

DNF Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three

1 Danny Buchan (BMW)

2 Bradley Ray (Yamaha)

3 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

4 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)

5 Rory Skinner (Kawasaki)

6 Peter Hickman (BMW)

11 Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati)

20 Tom Sykes (MCE Ducati)

 

Championship Standings (after seven rounds)

1 Ray 372pts

2 O’Halloran 359

3 Skinner 241

4 Jackson 225

5 Irwin 214

6 Bridewell 201

12 Brookes 99

15 Sykes 81


 

Pictures 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.
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