Sunday wrap from Snetterton

Images Dave Yeomans

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BSB Superbike Race Two

Christian Iddon had been victorious in Saturday’s opening race of the triple-header BSB weekend at Snetterton (Link), while his VisionTrack Ducati team-mate Josh Brookes celebrated his first victory in 2020 on Sunday.

At the start Glenn Irwin launched off the pole position into the lead for Honda Racing with Brookes, Tommy Bridewell, Christian Iddon and Bradley Ray all at the sharp end when the race got underway.

Glenn Irwin had been holding position at the front of the pack, but on the second lap Danny Buchan tagged Bradley Ray’s rear tyre and crashed his Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki at Agostinis. The contact left Ray forced to rejoin down the pack and the SYNETIQ BMW rider ended the race in tenth place.

Lee Jackson meanwhile was flying the flag for the Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki team; he had worked his way into fourth place meanwhile at the front of the field Brookes had made a move on Glenn Irwin to snatch the lead.

Brookes was holding off a hard-charging Glenn Irwin with Bridewell and Jackson the leading quartet who were battling for the podium positions. The championship leader made a move on Brookes for the lead at Agostini but he couldn’t quite make it stick, and then a problem towards the end of the race meant Glenn Irwin had to settle for second and the valuable championship points.

Bridewell had been on the attack too but he finished the race in third place and Jackson completed his best result of the season in fourth place, with yesterday’s race winner Iddon claiming fifth place.

Kyle Ryde was able to bag sixth place for the Buildbase Suzuki team, ahead of the battling McAMS Yamahas, with Tarran Mackenzie having the edge over Jason O’Halloran, with Luke Mossey in ninth place on the lone Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW, after Héctor Barberá crashed out unhurt.

Andrew Irwin had been carving his way through the field after his back row start, but the Honda Racing rider was involved in an incident with Ryan Vickers on lap 13 at Murrays, which saw both riders crash out of the race.

Race Direction penalised Andrew Irwin with a drop of three grid positions for his next race start and enabled two of the three suspended penalty points that were imposed on 9 August 2020.

Race Two Interviews

BSB Superbike Race Two Results

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BSB Superbike Race Three

Glenn Irwin became the fifth different winner in the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the final race of the day at Snetterton, and in doing so added his name to an illustrious list of previous winners by claiming the Monster Energy Race of Aces trophy.

In the final race of the weekend, Christian Iddon got the leap off the pole position to lead the pack, ahead of his VisionTrack Ducati teammate Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell on the Oxford Products Racing Ducati.

The Ducati trio were battling at the front with the order changing on lap four as Bridewell took the lead ahead of Brookes and Iddon when the trio went three deep into Wilsons. Meanwhile as they battled for the advantage, Glenn Irwin had been making his way up the order; he had been running seventh after the opening lap, but he was soon fighting with his brother Andrew for fourth place on track.

Glenn Irwin soon had made a move on his brother at Agostini on lap five, but Andrew was ready to fight back and a lap later regained the position at Riches.

As the Honda Racing pairing fought it out for fourth place, the VisionTrack Ducati teammates were also trading blows with Iddon moving ahead of Brookes into Wilson on lap six. The Australian was then coming under attack from Glenn Irwin, who had managed to get the better of his brother.

Glenn Irwin made his move on Brookes and then had Bridewell and Iddon ahead of him, after the Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider had taken the advantage at the front of the pack.

By lap nine it had all shuffled again with Iddon leading from Bridewell with Glenn Irwin pushing the Ducati pairing ahead of him, the Honda Racing contender then moved into second with a move on lap nine at Agostini and then a lap later claimed the lead.

Brookes had moved into third and back into a podium position with Bridewell back in fourth place by lap 11 with Lee Jackson, Tarran Mackenzie and Andrew Irwin also in the lead group as the leading manufacturers battled for the points.

By lap 15 Bridewell had moved back ahead of Brookes and then had Iddon in his sights for second place after Glenn Irwin had edged a gap at the front in the closing stages. Bridewell waited until the final dive into Murrays to make a move on Iddon to put him into second, which he held until the finish line.

Jackson meanwhile had got the better of Brookes for fourth place on the final lap with Mackenzie leading the McAMS Yamahas home, just ahead of team-mate Jason O’Halloran. Andrew Irwin, Bradley Ray and Kyle Ryde completed the top ten.

Glenn Irwin leads the British Superbike Championship for Honda on 118-points with a handy 23-point buffer over Tommy Bridewell. Christian Iddon currently ranks third and Josh Brookes fourth with countryman Jason O’Halloran in fifth on 65-points.

Race Three Interviews

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Quotes

Christian Iddon

“The first race today was frustrating as I just couldn’t close the gap to the front group. The pace was the quickest it had been all weekend and I was struggling a bit with the bike as I was quick in some corners but slow in others and I was especially losing time through the mid-speed corners. The team had to change the engine between races, and they did a great job and I knew I had to make the most of my pole position. I didn’t have the pace to stay with Glenn and then Tommy mugged me on the final corner but with a first and a third, my first ever BSB win and a watch for pole position, it’s been a good weekend.”

Josh Brookes

“We’ve been through a lot of changes over the weekend; what an emotional roller coaster. In race one today, my settings were closer to where they should be, but not perfect. I was obviously happy to win which was a positive, but the last race was very frustrating, and my position was less than satisfying. The bike didn’t seem to work as well so I’m just disappointed and frustrated as I wasn’t able to control the race. We still have to work and make improvements but to take a second and first place is a strange feeling to be disappointed with. We will come back stronger.”

Johnny Mowatt – VistionTrack Ducati Team Co-ordinator

“Two wins and two podiums from a possible six results is very satisfying but we still need to strive for more. Now both riders have now got those first wins, we can definitely build on that and the plan is to carry that momentum into Silverstone. We need to work on why both Josh and Christian could only manage a pair of fifth place finishes each as well today, especially after yesterday’s 1-2, which we will do but to improve their championship positions is positive and we look forward to the next round.”

Andrew Irwin

“You can look at this weekend and take all the negatives, or you can focus on the positives. I came here and we were always going to struggle starting from the back of the grid after the penalty from Donington. In today’s third race, I wrecked the tyre trying too hard, we missed out on information from yesterday’s race and the first race today, but it’s a weekend where we had pace and we showed that. We can go to Silverstone now and continue to show the pace we do have, we’re one of the fastest teams’ in this class, and we have to keep believing and getting stronger.”

Glenn Irwin

“Getting my first win feels really good, it almost feels as good as the second places we’ve had! The seconds have felt like victories as we’ve always extended our championship lead, but this one was super-sweet, I really wanted that win and enjoyed how well the Fireblade was working. Getting the win is sweet and it’s a testament to how hard the team and myself work. The team is amazing there’s no egos whatsoever and everyone from either side of the garage, the Superstock 1000 team; we all work together, I’m really enjoying it and keeping our feet on the ground.”

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BSB Superbike Race Three Results

BSB Superbike Championship Points

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Superstock 1000 Race

Tom Neave grabbed a penultimate lap victory in the Pirelli Superstock 1000 class at Snetterton. It was Billy McConnell who grabbed the holeshot to hold an early lead, but Rouse had found a way past the Australian by the time they came across the line to start lap four. Unable to break away, the duo remained in close contention throughout the race with Matt Truelove, Tom Neave, Tim Neave and Lewis Rollo in the podium fight too.

Coming back across the line to start lap 10 saw Tom Neave slice his way past McConnell and begin to chase down the race leader, finding a way past on the penultimate lap. Coming down to the final lap, the Honda Racing star was able to hold off Rouse to take the win with McConnell completing the podium in third.

Kiwi Damon Rees finished tenth but remains in third place in the championship standings after his strong form in the opening races.

Tumut’s Brayden Elliott bagged a couple of points with his 14th place finish and is 16th on the points table.

Superstock 1000 Race Results

Superstock 1000 Championship Points

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Supersport Race

Rory Skinner continued his dominant form in the Quattro Group British Supersport class with a fourth consecutive win. Lee Johnston grabbed the holeshot on the opening lap, leading Harry Truelove over the line but it was Skinner who moved up to second as they entered turn one on the second lap. Wasting no time in getting to the front, Skinner had taken the lead just a few corners later and immediately set about pulling a small gap over the rest of the pack.

With Skinner maintaining the pace at the front, Gearlink Kawasaki’s Ben Currie was up to third by lap three, with Truelove and Korie McGreevy in close contention. With a spots of rain reported around the circuit, the leading five riders were bunched together, with Johnston in close contention with Skinner.

Maintaining positions throughout the middle of the race, Bradley Perie was charging through the pack, moving up to fourth on lap 11 before taking third just a few corners later. Disaster would strike Currie moments later when he crashed out unhurt at the final corner.

Keeping his cool, Skinner was able to hold on for his fourth win of the season with Perie securing his career best result in second with Johnston completing the podium in third. Mason Law was the leading GP2 machine in ninth ahead of Charlie Nesbitt and Jack Scott.

After taking fifth on Saturday (Link), Ben Currie took no points on Sunday.

Supersport Race Results

Supersport Championship Points

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Junior Supersport Race Two

Joe Thomas grabbed his maiden victory in the Hel Performance British Junior Supersport class, with a win in the second race at Snetterton. With wet weather arriving at the start of the second Hel Performance British Junior Supersport Championship race, it became a race of attrition in the tricky condition. Leatherland mastered the conditions early on, leading Jenner and Davie over the line at the end of the opening lap.

Holding positions, Jenner took over front running on lap four, with Davie and Dixie in close contention. Dixon moved ahead on lap five, but a fast-charging Thomas was in front just two laps later where he was able to pull away from the pursuers. Crossing the line to take his first win in the class, Jenner secured second with Leatherland third.

After taking second place in the first bout out Saturday (Link), Seth Crump scored P5 in the second stanza and remains second in the championship standings.

Junior Supersport Race Two Results

Junior Supersport Championship Points

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Ducati TriOptions Cup Race Two

Josh Day doubled up on Ducati TriOptions Cup wins at Snetterton, with another dominant display in Sunday’s second race. It was Josh Day who grabbed the holeshot, but Ed Best and Levi Day had soon found their way past the race one winner. Best moved into the lead on lap four, but the three front runners were being chased down by Elliot Pinson, making it a four way battle for the lead by the halfway stage.

Moving back into the lead on lap seven, Josh Day was able to edge away from the pursuing pack to eventually take victory by 2.5s. Levi Day finished second, with Ed Best completing the podium in third.

Ducati TriOptions Cup Race Two Results

Ducati TriOptions Cup Championship Points

Source: MCNews.com.au

Saturday wrap from Snetterton

Images Dave Yeomans

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Danny Buchan claimed his first Bennetts British Superbike Championship pole position of the season at Snetterton on Saturday afternoon, storming to the top of the times in Datatag Qualifying to put the Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki fastest by 0.067s.

At the start of Datatag Qualifying the initial pace had been set by Bradley Ray and the SYNETIQ BMW rider continued to push during the session as he bid for his first front row start with the team.

However in the final four minutes of the session, Buchan had pulled the pin and he was the only rider to dip into the 1m:47s lap times to give him the edge in the closing stages. Ray had been narrowly adrift and he was holding second place, just ahead of Josh Brookes who moved third on his final lap.

Kyle Ryde was on a charge again though on the Buildbase Suzuki and he leapt up the order from outside the top five into second place. That pushed Ray into third and Brookes off the front row for the opening race at Snetterton.

Glenn Irwin has a ten-point advantage at the top of the championship standings and he will start fifth on the grid for round four of the season, pipping Lee Jackson who completes row two.

Christian Iddon heads row three on the grid on the second of the VisionTrack Ducatis, with Andrew Irwin qualifying eighth fastest, however he will start the first race at Snetterton from the back of the grid following his accumulation of penalty points at Donington Park.

Ryan Vickers and Jason O’Halloran completed the top ten with the top 13 riders in Datatag Qualifying covered by less than a second.

Superbike Qualifying

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Superbike Race One

VisionTrack Ducati’s Christian Iddon claimed his first victory in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton this afternoon, becoming the third different race winner of 2020 following a dramatic opening race in Norfolk.

Josh Brookes got off to a flying start with the pack instantly on the attack and Danny Buchan had grabbed the lead as the pack hit Wilson for the first time with Iddon in second. However, a crash on the opening lap for Andrew Irwin, and his stricken Honda Racing Fireblade in the middle of the track at Agostini, caused the deployment of the BMW Safety Car.

The pack lined up with Buchan, Iddon, Brookes, and Jason O’Halloran the leading contenders; but when the race went green on lap four, Buchan crashed his Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki out of the lead at Palmer, putting him out of contention.

Iddon then had the lead and he had begun to edge out an advantage, but as the race continued the chasing pack had reeled him back in and Bradley Ray was soon into second for the SYNETIQ BMW team ahead of Brookes and Tommy Bridewell.

The battle for the podium places went down to the wire and Iddon had the margin he needed to claim his first win, but behind the pack had shuffled again and Brookes and Bridewell had managed to get back ahead of Ray.

Brookes was able to hold off an equally determined Bridewell to the chequered flag as they completed a Ducati podium top three, but Glenn Irwin was in the fight too. The Honda Racing rider was also able to make a last lap move on Ray to claim fourth place to maintain his championship lead ahead of rounds four and five tomorrow.

Lee Jackson was sixth on the remaining Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki with the McAMS Yamaha team locking out the next two places in seventh and eighth with Ryan Vickers in ninth.

Buildbase Suzuki’s Kyle Ryde completed the top ten after an impressive performance of carving through the field during the race, following a problem on the opening lap, which put him at the very end of the train of riders behind the BMW Safety Car before the race resumed.

Christian Iddon – P1

“The race was an interesting one! From the very first lap I had a problem with the gearbox and I hit neutral going in to the second corner. Thankfully, because there was a bit of everything going on, it gave me a bit of an escape route and I had to be very careful in to the first gear corners, of which there are three on the track for me here. We had the Safety Car and the minute that we got going Danny lost the front immediately and that put me in the lead. I kind of thought to myself, ‘well here we are’ and I just tried to keep it consistent. Josh came through and I thought I wanted to continue to lead. He came through with a couple of laps to go and I had done all the donkey work and I didn’t want someone else to reap the benefits so I tried to get him straight back, which I did make stick. I actually won the race twice; I had the emotion twice because I misread the pit board so I came out the last corner with two laps to go, thinking it was the last lap and I was all excited thinking that no one had managed to pass me and then had to do it all over again! It was a horrible last two laps rather than just a horrible last lap, thinking about all the things that we had been through to get to this point, so a big thank you to the team. I don’t think we have dropped on the setting that any of us are really looking for but to be able to win the race without feeling absolutely awesome on the bike is amazing. A big thanks to everyone who has supported me for a very long period, hopefully this is a bit of a repayment.”

Josh Brookes – P2

“I’ve got to be happy with second place and finishing on the podium again as that’s really important with the shortened championship, but I felt a little bit off and am missing a little something. I can’t attack in the race like I’d like, and I’ve got to look at all possibilities as to why that is, so it was a hard-fought race. There was lots of passing going on, but I didn’t feel I was riding as aggressively as I know I can so there’s mixed emotions with second and a bit of work to do.”

Johnny Mowatt – VistionTrack Ducati Team Co-ordinator

“It’s been a good day for the whole VisionTrack Ducati team and PBM. Our first 1-2 of the season gets us nicely back on track and gives us something to work with going into tomorrow’s races. Congratulations to Christian on his first BSB win, we are really proud that he was able to do that with the PBM team.”

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Superbike Race One Results

Superbike Championship Points

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Supersport/GP2 Sprint Race

Rory Skinner made it three from three in the British Supersport class overnight with victory over Harry Truelove and Lee Johnston.

Victorian Ben Currie took sixth place.

Supersport/GP2 Sprint Race Results

Supersport/GP2 Championship Standings

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Ducati TriOptions Cup Race One

Josh Day led the way after the opening lap, just 0.094s ahead of Ed Best, with David Shoubridge in third. By lap three, Day had been able to extend his lead at the front to 0.5s, with Elliot Pinson moving up to second, however a string of fast laps saw Pinson takeover front running by the halfway stage.

Day immediately responded though, setting the then fastest lap of the race on lap five to move back into the lead, with Best holding third ahead of Levi Day and Shoubridge. Levi Day was able to move up to second by lap eight, as Josh Day continued to set the pace to extend his lead at the front to one second.

Josh Day was able to hold on at the front to take victory ahead of Levi Day, with Pinson taking third. Best eventually finished fourth, ahead of Shoubridge, Cox, Neve, Compton, McGuinness and Cheetham.

Levi Day – P2

“Qualified on pole this morning and feeling really comfortable on the BPS Racing Ducati V2. Got a really bad start in the race and dropped to 5th for the opening few laps. Made hard work for my self because of it but managed to get back to 2nd place in the final standings. Try again tomorrow.”

Ducati TriOptions Cup Race One Results

Ducati TriOptions Championship Standings

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Junior Supersport Race One

Owen Jenner secured victory in the opening Hel Performance British Junior Supersport race following last lap battle with Crump. Brody Crockford grabbed the holeshot to lead at the end of the opening lap, but Seth Crump had slipped through by the time the pack came across the line to start lap three.

Jenner stormed through the field, setting a string of fastest laps to move into the lead on lap five, with Crockford holding third, just 0.1s behind the leader.

Coming down to the final lap, Jenner was able to fend off Australian Crump to take victory, with Ash Barnes completing the podium in third.

Junior Supersport Race One Results

Junior Supersport Championship Standings

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Superstock 1000 Qualifying

Matt Truelove stole the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 pole position on his final lap at Snetterton ahead of team mate Chrissy Rouse and Billy McConnell.

After five minutes of the session Rouse led the way by a narrow margin from Truelove with Tim Neave in close proximity. The Newcastle born rider looked set to take pole for Sunday’s race, but on his final flying lap, Truelove stole the pole position from his teammate with Rich Energy OMG Racing’s Billy McConnell rounding out the front row in third.

Kiwi Damon Reed qualified ninth and Tumut’s Brayden Elliott 11th.

Superstock 1000 Qualifying Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

2020 British Superbike Championship
Round One – Donington

Images Dave Yeomans

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Superbike Race Two

Andrew Irwin put the brakes on his brother Glenn winning the second Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Donington Park, with a last lap move on the brakes into Roberts in an incredibly close battle for the victory.

At the start of the race Josh Brookes got the launch off the pole position onboard the VisionTrack Ducati, but into the Old Hairpin Glenn Irwin had made a move to lead the pack ahead of his Australian rival and a freight train of riders including Tommy Bridewell and Christian Iddon.

Iddon was on the move though and he was soon in third place on the second VisionTrack Ducati with Andrew Irwin for company after the Honda Racing rider had recovered from a big moment on the opening lap.

The leading trio then was headed by Glenn Irwin ahead of his brother Andrew by lap five when he pulled a sensational manoeuvre around the outside of Iddon at Craner Curves. However, Jason O’Halloran had also carved his way into contention and he was holding fourth place for McAMS Yamaha by lap six.

O’Halloran was soon under pressure from Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider made his move on the seventh lap, and then was defending hard as he bid to move up the order in the leading pack. O’Halloran was ready to fight back and he had moved back ahead by lap 13 as Bridewell then came under attack from Danny Buchan, with the pair trading places during the lap.

O’Halloran meanwhile had Iddon in his sights and he made a pass to edge ahead on lap 16 to put him his McAMS Yamaha within striking distance of the two Honda Racing team-mates before Bridewell nudged Iddon back a further place as he moved into fourth position.

O’Halloran then moved into second with five laps remaining with a decisive move on Andrew Irwin but he wasn’t giving up the position and he seized the opportunity to regain the position at Schwantz Curve.

As Glenn and Andrew Irwin held 1-2 positions on the track Bridewell made his move to snatch third place from O’Halloran as he joined the fight for the victory. However, on lap 24 a small error cost dearly as he ran through the gravel at Roberts and whilst he was able to save a crash he had to rejoin further down the field, but was able to fight back to ninth at the finish.

At the front Glenn Irwin was still holding off Andrew Irwin at the front with O’Halloran eager to get the better of the Honda Racing riders. The trio were locked together over the final lap but on the brakes into Roberts Andrew was able to dive down the inside to take the lead to the line.

The move had pushed brother Glenn wide, but he was able to cross the line second and just 0.094s ahead of O’Halloran who claimed his first podium finish of 2020 for McAMS Yamaha.

Kyle Ryde had an incredible race to score his best result in fourth place for the Buildbase Suzuki team after a last lap move on Buchan who completed the top five for Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki.

Brookes was able to regain some ground he lost earlier in the race to claim sixth place at the chequered flag ahead of Tarran Mackenzie and Iddon.

Héctor Barberá was tenth for the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW team after pushing Ryan Vickers just outside the top ten.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Donington Park Race Two Results

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Superbike Race Three

Andrew Irwin sensationally doubled up on victories during a dramatic opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park this weekend; however it took a dramatic change in race three when he was involved in an incident with Josh Brookes, which later saw the Honda rider disqualified from the result.

The Irwin brothers had been formidable all weekend with the new Honda Racing Fireblade, and after their one-two finish in the opening race of the season when Andrew pipped Glenn on the final lap, the pair were shaping up for another intense battle in today’s two races.

Glenn Irwin had been holding the lead throughout race two, but yet again Andrew Irwin struck on the final lap, putting the brakes on his brother to double up his achievement for Honda Racing in an incredibly close battle for the victory.

The pair looked set to reignite their sibling rivalry in race three, and after fighting their way up the order, they were in the battle for the podium positions in the closing stages after Tommy Bridewell delivered a dominant performance. The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider led from the start and edged an advantage to become the second different race winner of the season.

By lap 24 Glenn Irwin was into second and Brookes split the Honda Racing team-mates, however disaster struck as Andrew Irwin made contact with the VisionTrack Ducati rider at Hollywood sending him crashing out at high-speed and into the safety fence. The Australian was able to walk away from the incident but he was out of contention. The race result was then subsequently under investigation by Race Direction.

As they crossed the line Bridewell won by 2.064s ahead of Andrew and Glenn Irwin. However following a long deliberation by the Race Direction panel it was announced at 1930 that Andrew Irwin would be disqualified for his part in the incident for avoidable and unfair contact causing a collision and crash with Brookes. Irwin also receives six penalty points and by virtue of his total penalty points accumulated, he will start his next Bennetts BSB race from the last grid position.

The result means that brother Glenn Irwin leaves the opening round of Donington Park leading his brother by ten points in the championship standings as BSB heads to Snetterton.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Donington Park Race Three Results

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BSB Superbike Quotes

Andrew Irwin

“Even with the outcome this evening from the final race, this has been a great weekend, with two race wins at the first round on a brand-new machine. It’s been a good start to the season with Honda and the Fireblade, and I’m looking forward to the progress we can make. I’ll keep working hard, putting in the time and effort in the next two weeks, to arrive at Snetterton even better. But we have to be realistic there, we know it’s a different track and a different style to Donington, so we have to hope the bike is also competitive there, so I’ll go, try my best and hopefully we can do a good job.”

Glenn Irwin

“It’s been an amazing weekend! Race 2, for sure I chucked away a win! The final race today was probably my favourite ride, even though we finished third, (then moved into second). I wanted to not do anything stupid and if Andy came past me then fair play, but to come from 12th, same for Andy he was 7th on the grid was a good job. That race was enjoyable I got to him and he was stuck behind the Ducatis and I felt I could pull him through, so was nice to overtake him and the others, to be honest I never give up and I stayed in 1.06s to try and catch Tommy . I threw everything at that race and when you do that and come away with a podium, it’s the icing on the cake – a victory would have been sweet, but we never expected the results we had this weekend and we leave here as a happy team, with a really happy rider with his confidence back – a lot due to what I’ve been working on off the track. Thanks to Harv and everyone at Honda for this weekend.”

Honda Team Manager Havier Beltran

“We’ve had a fantastic start to the season, we arrived at Donington without any expectations and the results this weekend across the Superbike and Superstock classes show what a great bike the new Fireblade is. I’m proud of everyone in the team for what we’ve achieved this weekend and we’re now leading BSB with Glenn and also the manufacturer standings. We’ve learnt a lot across the weekend and have more of an understanding and more information of where we need to be stronger. Of course we can’t take anything for granted and Snetterton is such a different circuit to Donington, but we will refocus, set our goals and see where Round 2 takes us.”

Josh Brookes

“What can I say? Despite a podium, I wasn’t happy with the bike in race one, so we made some changes overnight. They really didn’t make a lot of difference in today’s opening race and I ended up making a couple of silly mistakes, so I’ll take the blame for that one. We had to change the bike again for the third race and that worked as we were competitive and had I got a better start; I think I could have gone with Tommy. And then I encountered the situation with Irwin. Glenn got past me fine, but Andrew touched me as he went past and down I went. These things happen so we move on and hope for better results at Snetterton.”

Christian Iddon

“It’s been a big learning curve for me this weekend. Race one yesterday felt good PBMand I was happy enough but in today’s opening race, I really struggled, especially in the last third of the race. The final race was better, and I was able to maintain a good pace. I was closing in on the leaders, but I made a minor mistake which let a couple of others past. From then onwards, I fell away and couldn’t manage a final push for the podium. Two fourths and an eighth isn’t what I want but we can work with those results. It’s three finishes, loads of data and no crashes so there’s room for improvement and my feeling with the bike is brilliant until the late stages of the race, so we just need to work on that and we’ll be somewhere near.”

Johnny Mowatt – VistionTrack Ducati Team Co-Ordinator

“It’s been a disappointing weekend and we intend to look at where we need to improve before the next round. It was great to see Josh get a podium yesterday, but we struggled today, not helped by another rider causing him to crash at high speed. Luckily, he’s not injured but disappointing all the same that it happened. Christian continued to get to grips with the bike and with a pair of fourth place finishes, he was unlucky to miss out on a podium. Our aim is to bounce back at Snetterton so that’s our focus now.”

Ryan Vickers

“Overall, it’s been a good weekend and I’m pleased to have come away with three trouble-free races and a good haul of points. I had a few crashes in 2019 and that was the last thing I wanted in a shortened season so with the bike even better than what it was last year, I came away with some good results. That was the aim from the outset; to finish all three races, get some good experience and get three strong results. I probably exceeded that with two top ten finishes and although qualifying could have gone better, my pace in all three races was very good both in terms of consistency and actual lap times which were more than comparable to the front runners. I didn’t make any mistakes and we learnt a lot so I can go to my home round at Snetterton in confident mood. It’s obviously a shame there won’t be any spectators but I’ll be looking to put on a good show for everyone at home.”

Kyle Ryde

“To be honest I didn’t expect that from the weekend. In FP2 we changed the front tyre we were working with and that made a huge difference and I managed to pull a lap time out in qualifying that I didn’t think we’d get near this weekend. Leading race one I kept waiting for people to pass me but it took about 10 minutes, but then a stone put a hole in the radiator and that was that. It was obviously a real shame but there were plenty of positives to take from it.  I was happy with race two, to come through to finish fourth and get on the front row again for the final race but I just struggled early on with the full fuel tank, as the pace was pretty hot from the start. But then it clicked midway through and I managed to start moving forward again and with another lap or two we could have had sixth and our pace was good enough for the podium at that point. I was disappointed to cross the line in eighth, but if someone had offered me that before the weekend I’d have taken it, which shows what a good weekend we’ve had. We just need to work on that early race pace and hopefully we can be fast for the full race distance, starting at Snetterton.”

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British Superbike Championship Points

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British Superstock 1000

After storming through from the back of the grid in the opening race on Saturday to salvage fifth, Chrissy Rouse was able to clinch victory in the second Pirelli Superstock 1000 race by a handy two-second margin over New Zealand’s Damon Rees at the end of the 21-lap encounter. With Tom Neave forced to start from the back of the grid, it was Tim Neave who grabbed the holeshot ahead of Kiwi Damon Rees and Rouse.

Moving up to second on lap three, and then the lead on lap five, Rouse had to fend off a late charge from Lewis Rollo to take his first win of the season. Rollo slipped back over the final few laps as Billy McConnell picked his was through the pack to claim second place at the finish line.

Superstock newcomer Rees completed the podium in third as Danny Kent crashed out of fourth on the final lap, seeing Rollo claim the spot ahead of Tom Neave who had fought his way through the pack.

The great start to the season for New Zealand’s Damon Rees saw him bag a 36-point haul to end the opening round in joint second place in the championship standings.

Damon Rees

“After a long day waiting, we finally got out for Race 2 at 6pm BST  I got off to a solid start, and sat in 2nd for the opening laps, I slowly slipped back and was 6th midway through the race. I wasn’t going to settle for that and knew I had more in me and made a charge in the closing laps, finishing 3rd! I now am in a 3-way lead for the Championship!  It’s been an absolute stellar start to the season and has made the delayed start all worth it! I couldn’t be happier with my Carl Cox Motorsport supported Astro JJR Racing BMW S1000rr, and I can’t thank the team enough for their hard work all weekend. I really feel like I have hit the jackpot to be working with such an incredible team! It’s also been great to be racing alongside my best bud Shane Richardson – it’s been a tough weekend but I’m sure he will regroup and be firing at round 2!  And thanks to my incredible sponsors who have persevered with their support, after a very slow start to my BSB Campaign – your support means the absolute world to me!”

Billy McConnell’s run-off in the opening race of the weekend saw the South Australian of course take no points on Saturday but he bounced back on Sunday with that second position to bag 20-points and move up to fifth in the championship standings.

Brayden Elliott backed up his 13th place finish on Saturday with an 18th on Sunday.

There was quite a few of the international road racing contingent using the event to keep their hand in. Michael Dunlop carded 22-20 results across the two bouts while Ian Hutchinson scored 17th in the opening bout but didn’t start race two.

British Superstock 1000 Race Two Results

British Superstock 1000 Points

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British Supersport

Rory Skinner continued his dominant weekend in the Quattro Group British Supersport class by doubling up on race victories. Just as he did in yesterday’s Sprint race, Skinner leapt off the line and wasted no time in getting to the front. Cruising away over the 23 laps, the Tyser Yamaha rider was able to take victory by 9.356s, setting a new lap record in the process.

However, behind Skinner it was an action-packed battle as James Westmoreland, Bradley Perie, Brad Jones and the GP2 machine of Jack Scott battled for second position. Trading places with every lap, it came down to a last lap battle and it was the Gearlink Kawasaki of Westmoreland that came out on top, with Perie completing the podium in third.

Scott was the leading GP2 machine in fourth, with Jones eventually receiving fifth ahead of Mason Law, who was the second of the GP2 machines. Richard Kerr finished seventh, with Alastair Seeley completing the GP2 podium, finishing eighth overall. Completing the top ten was Rob Hartog and Joel Boerboom.

Ben Currie

“Race one DNF due to mechanical. Race Two P7 with x2 time penalty’s after starting from the back of the grid as I had some more technical problems just before the start with the bike cutting out, also the bike was not 100% in the race. Unfortunately the weekend was far from alright with only a 6 round championship. We need to pull it together real fast ready for round two next weekend. Meanwhile I’ll just keep putting in the work. Thanks everyone for the support”

A brilliant start in British Supersport for Goulburn youngster Tom Toparis with a fifth place amongst the Supersport riders on Saturday came to a tumbling halt on Sunday when he made a mistake while battling for fourth place that has cost him a broken wrist.

Tom Toparis

“Overall, I’m super proud of my team this weekend. After arriving at a rollercoaster of a circuit like Donington Park which we’d never seen before, and having pace for the top 5 was a big positive that we’ll take away from this weekend. I’ll heal up and be back at the track as soon as possible.“

British Supersport Championship and GP2 Cup
Feature Race, Donington Park

Quattro Group British Supersport Championship Standings

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Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup

Josh Day made it two wins from two races in the Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup, cruising to victory by 2.1s over Eliot Pinson. Grabbing the holeshot, Day was able to pull away from the pursuing pack, with Pinson holding second from the start.

Ed Best held third place early on in the race, but Craig Neve was able to move ahead at the half race stage. Best eventually secured fourth ahead of David Shoubridge, Sam Cox and John McGuinness.

Levi Day had scored a podium on Saturday but race two didn’t quite go to plan after a failed passing move ended up with the South Australian negotiating the gravel trap and lost 36-seconds in the process to slip back to 31st before clawing his way back up through the field to card four-points for 12th place at the chequered flag.

Road race legend John McGuinness participated in the event and after qualifying seventh he carded 5-7 results across the two races.

Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup Race Two Results

Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup Championship Points

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British Junior Supersport

Owen Jenner made a dream start to the 2020 Hel Performance British Junior Supersport class, taking his third victory of the weekend. Brody Crockford grabbed the holeshot, but the two young riders would swap places throughout the race.

Coming down to the final lap, Jenner was able to take the lead on the final corner to take his third win whilst Seth Crump completed the podium in third. Owen Jones finished fourth overall, ahead Elliot Pinson and Adon Davie.

Owen Jenner had also won the preceding second Junior Supersport bout of the weekend in a red flag affected encounter.  Young Australian Seth Crump had grabbed the lead from the opening lap, pulling a minor gap over second placed Crockford and Jenner who held third.

The group then quickly bunched together, with a four-way battle for the lead ensuing.  The battle continued until the final lap, however a red flag brought a halt to proceedings leaving Jenner to take the victory with Crump second and Davie third.

Owen Jenner is the early championship lead with his perfect 50-point haul while Seth Crump is ranked second with 36-points.

British Junior Supersport Race One Results

British Junior Supersport Race Two Results

British Junior Supersport Championship Points

Source: MCNews.com.au