The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads for the United Kingdom for the UK Round and the sixth of the season, with history very much on the horizon. However, whilst a turning of the tide is anticipated to mark the halfway point, the stats – as always – make for intriguing reading. Will we see a massive milestone, or is this the start of a comeback for summer?
250 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) left Misano with three top five finishes, but no podium, so he’s still one podium short of the milestone of 250. Similarly, the pair of riders who have shared the highest number of podiums at the moment is Chaz Davies and Jonathan Rea, at 73. The couple of Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu is just one shy at 72.
150 – The Superpole Race will be Alvaro Bautista’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 150th WorldSBK start, equalling his compatriot Carlos Checa. Only two Spanish riders count more starts: Ruben Xaus (215) and Gregorio Lavilla (188).
99 – With 96 career podiums, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) can end up at 99 in Donington: that will take him to the sixth all-time spot, joining Chaz Davies. Razgatlioglu is currently on a 12-race podium streak started at Mandalika, Race 1. This is his best streak.
55 – Ducati have built up 55 podium finishes at Donington Park. Kawasaki are second-best with 52. Ducati have scored only one podium here in the last two years: a 2nd by Bautista in Race 2 last year.
52 – In 61 races run at Donington Park, 52 different riders have stepped on the podium.
24 – British riders have won 24 races here: in 2018, Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) stopped a record sequence of 11 wins by British riders.
17 – With 14 wins so far in 2023, a hat-trick at Donington Park would mean Bautista equals the all-time record for wins in a single season with 17; joining Doug Polen from 1991 and Jonathan Rea from 2018 and 2019.
17 – Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) holds the record for most podium finishes: 17. 13 came in sequence from 2012 Race 1 to 2018 Race 1.
15 – Yamaha is on its best podium streak ever, 15 at the moment: with three more they will reach the 14th all-time sequence, scored by Ducati from Sentul 1997 to Laguna Seca 1998.
9 – 26 different winners at Donington Park: the most successful is Sykes at nine, followed by Carl Fogarty and Jonathan Rea at six.
7 – Seven riders have taken a career-first victory in WorldSBK at Donington Park. They are: Davide Tardozzi, Race 1 in 1988, Marco Lucchinelli, Race 2 in 1988, Giancarlo Falappa, Race 2 in 1989, Carl Fogarty, Race 2 in 1992, Neil Hodgson, Race 2 in 2000, Marco Melandri, Race 1 in 2011 and Michael van der Mark, Race 1 in 2018.
1 – The only win by a Spanish rider here came in 2011, Race 2, with Carlos Checa. Coincidentally, that is the last Ducati win at Donington Park.
SHORTHAND NOTEBOOK
2022 race winners:
- Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha, Race 1, Superpole Race and Race 2)
Last three pole-sitters at Donington Park:
- 2022: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 1’26.060
- 2021: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 1’40.101
- 2019: Tom Sykes (BMW) 1’27.619
Manufacturer podium places accumulated from all races at Donington Park (and wins):
- Ducati: 55 (17)
- Kawasaki: 52 (19)
- Yamaha: 27 (14)
- Honda: 22 (7)
- Suzuki: 9 (1)
- Aprilia: 8
- BMW: 8 (1)
- Bimota: 2 (2)
Key gaps from Donington Park 2022:
- Front row covered by: 0.426s
- 1 second in Superpole covered… the top three: 0.958s
- Closest race gap between 1st and 2nd: 1.089s (Razgatlioglu 1st, Rea 2nd, Superpole Race)
- Closest race podium: 2.615s (Razgatlioglu 1st, Bautista 2nd, Rea 3rd, Superpole Race)
- Closest Donington podium of all-time: 0.556s (Chili 1st, Hodgson 2nd Corser 3rd, Race 2, 2001)
Manufacturer top speeds at Donington Park, 2022:
- Ducati: Alvaro Bautista – 279.5 km/h, Superpole Race and Race 2
- Honda: Xavi Vierge – 275.2 km/h, Superpole and Race 1
- Kawasaki: Alex Lowes – 274.5 km/h, Superpole Race
- Yamaha: Andrea Locatelli – 273.8 km/h, Superpole Race
- BMW: Scott Redding – 273.2 km/h, Race 1
Watch all of the 2023 Superbike season take-shape round-by-round with the WorldSBK VideoPass!
Source: WorldSBK.com