September 28, 2021

VisionTrack Ducati Head For Donington In Good Shape

The penultimate round of the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Donington Park this weekend with both Christian Iddon and Josh Brookes still in contention to add a third successive crown for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team.

Following on from the success at Oulton Park last weekend, which saw both VisionTrack Ducati riders on the podium, the pair arrive at Donington Park’s Grand Prix track in confident mood.

 

Tyneside-based Iddon occupies fourth in the standings after two podiums in as many meetings and is just 33 points adrift of the series leader with six races left of the season. He would have been higher had he not clashed with another rider in the final race at Oulton Park which left him down in 11th place so will be looking to make amends this weekend.

Defending champion Brookes has endured a tough season but is coming good when it matters and posted a pair of second place finishes at Oulton to record his best results of the season. Despite a crash in race two at the previous round, the Bedfordshire-based Aussie has scored four podiums in the last five races and although his 51-point gap to the leader is substantial, there are still 150 points up for grabs so it's distinctly possible to retain his title.

 

Christian Iddon: “We had good pace when we were at the Donington Park national track a couple of months ago, but we didn’t capitalise on that and get the results we were capable of. Now we really need the results so I’m going all out to make that happen. The longer track tends to suit us even better so that should be good, and everything is still to play for. After Oulton Park, the gap to the leaders has reduced which can only be positive so I’m looking for a really strong weekend to get myself in contention and we can fight it out going into the final three races at Brands Hatch.”

 

Josh Brookes: “My thoughts are haunted by that crash at Oulton as I threw away valuable points, so I need to forget about that and concentrate on the job in hand. The podiums have been coming fairly consistently lately so that’s a good thing. We just need to stay positive, and I know we have a mountain to climb to win the championship but if that’s not possible, then the plan is to go out with some good results and our heads held high. We’ve come so close to winning recently that it would be good to box some off now. The bike is good, I’m a lot more confident and optimism is high right now.”

 

Images courtesy of Double Red: Josh Brookes (25) and Christian Iddon (21) 

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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