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WorldSBK – Back to where it all began…


2022 FIM Superbike World Championship
Round Five – Donington Park


WorldSBK

WorldSBK goes back to where it all began this weekend, where on a cold Sunday in 1988, the Superbike World Championship was born.

Davide Tardozzi (Bimota YB4R) Image Phil Aynsley

The winners of the inaugural two WSBK contests at Donington were Davide Tardozzi on a Bimota and Marco Lucchinelli on the lone Ducati in the field. Other podium finishers that weekend included Joey Dunlop, Fred Merkel and Roger Burnett.

This Sunday, 34 years later, WorldSBK visits the Leicestershire circuit for the fifth round of the 2022 championship.

This 35th season of World Superbike action is proving to be one of the best yet and with a three-way fight for the title clear, but Donington could spring some surprises…

12 podiums from 12 races in 2022 and leading the Championship by 36 points, Alvaro Bautista has undertaken a more measured approach in 2022 in comparison to 2019 and it seems to be working. The Spaniard has won six races and is the only rider in the Championship to have finished on the podium in every race he’s finished.

However, Donington Park has been far from a happy hunting ground for Ducati in recent years; no win since 2011 and the Ducati Panigale V4 R has only had one third place – courtesy of Bautista in 2019’s Race 2. No top two finish since 2016, will Bautista change all of that?

His Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi had a successful test at Misano during the break and will look to back-up his findings and step back on the podium, whilst Ducati chase their 1000th podium place in WorldSBK; they currently have 998.

Chasing down Bautista and heading home to rule the roost, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will be keen to continue his success at Donington Park. Rea’s got amazing form at Donington Park. He’s been testing for the Suzuka 8 Hour race during the gap since Misano and will hope that he can hit the ground running.

Jonathan Rea

It’s very cool to face my home race. It brings a lot of excitement because a lot of my friends and family will make the trip. I always enjoy seeing the faces of the home fans who have been following me since my BSB days. Now the paddock is more open than it was last year so it will be nice to get amongst them and really soak up the atmosphere of a home race. It feels like a long time since we have raced, but we have been on the bike. We did some private testing at Aragon and also some preparations for the Suzuka 8 Hours. I have had a lot of bike time recently. I am looking forward to the first laps at Donington because it is a track that I really enjoy. It is a circuit of two halves. One fast and flowing, but the end of the lap is very much stop/start. The Ninja ZX-10RR has a good history at Donington and I have had a few wins there now. It is a good track to kick start this part of the season. Both Donington and Most come in quick succession, so it is important to capitalise. The target is to win so I am excited to see what we can do.”

Jonathan Rea

On the other side of the garage, Alex Lowes hopes to dazzle at home after a podium in Race 1 in 2021; Kawasaki as a manufacturer are one podium place away from 500 in WorldSBK – will they manage it?

Alex Lowes

Donington is the only time we get to race in front of the English fans so I am really looking forward to that this coming weekend. It seems there will be a big turnout of spectators and the weather looks like it is going to be mega. Typical English weather – so it is going to be really hot! Donington is a track I really enjoy, I have had good results there, the Kawasaki has had good results there, so there is no better place to get our first podium of the season – which is long overdue. I live really close to the track and I will enjoy it. We have been building up some good momentum, too. I feel good and I can’t wait to get started. It is going to be a good fun weekend in front of the home fans and let’s try to get onto the podium.”

Alex Lowes

Defending WorldSBK Champion Razgatlıoğlu celebrated his first win of the 2022 season last time out in Misano, and heads to Donington confident of the opportunity to add up to three more victories to that tally at one of his favourite circuits. 

In 2021, the Turkish ace put on a show for the history books when he carved his way through the field from 13th on the grid in damp conditions to second position in just one lap of the 4.023km circuit – a race he went on to win against title rival Jonathan Rea. It was one of two wins that weekend which enabled Razgatlıoğlu to take the championship lead for the first time last year. While the gap to the front is larger this time round, the goal remains the same – to challenge for victory in every race. 

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

In Misano on Sunday, we made a big improvement with the bike set-up and I enjoyed the Superpole Race a lot – first win of the season was good but I need more! I am happy to be riding like my style and enjoying, also the race pace was incredibly fast, so I hope we can continue in Donington and fight for the wins again. I love Donington track, it is one of my favourites with hard braking and nice high speed flow in the other part – also, very nice memories from last year and before. We finished Misano in a good way and I am feeling ready for the UK round. I have a lot of motivation to win and I am excited to jump back on my R1 again on Friday morning.”

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

Team-mate Locatelli’s goals are also clear, to close the gap to the front group of riders – Razgatlıoğlu and competitors Rea and Bautista – and challenge for podiums. The 25-year-old Italian currently lies fourth in the Riders’ Championship with a small buffer to the chasing pack, a credit to his consistent run of top six results in 2022. 

Andrea Locatelli

We hope for the good weather in Donington! Last year the weather was quite strange and it was the first time I rode the R1 WorldSBK at Donington, so it was not easy. In Race 1 on Saturday, I had a big crash on the second corner – but on the Friday, we worked really well and I had a good feeling with the bike. For sure, we can start again with a good feeling at Donington this year because we arrive after a lot races with more experience. Now I want to try to close the gap to the front, stay with the front group and fight for a good position. I think we can do this and after the break we will arrive at the track ready – we try to push 100% and trust in myself to do a good job because it’s also a special home race for our team.”

Andrea Locatelli

Team HRC rider Iker Lecuona completed a brief test at the classic British track on 21 June, but neither he nor team-mate Xavi Vierge have any race experience at Donington, and so the Spanish duo will be keen to make the most of the first free practice sessions as they get to grips with the rather tricky layout. Almost one month ago, Team HRC scored some very positive results during the fourth round of the championship at the Misano World Circuit in Italy. Lecuona finished both of Sunday’s races in fifth place, while Vierge crossed the line fourth in the Superpole race. Unfortunately, Xavi then was involved in a race incident during the second SBK race, sustaining hand fractures in the process. Having focused on his recovery since then, Xavi hopes to be able to compete without too many physical issues this weekend.

Iker Lecuona

These four weeks between Misano and Donington have been quite busy for us. We went to the UK for a one-day test, then we had another two-day session at Misano and finally a trip to Japan for a test for the Suzuka 8 Hours, before heading back to Donington for the race weekend. I had never been to Donington before so having the chance to learn it ahead of time was very positive and means that this week, we’ll immediately be able to focus on bike set-up. I used some of the British riders as a reference early on, and they helped me to quickly learn the best lines through some of those blind corners in the first sectors. I really like the track, although it’s a demanding one from a physical standpoint. I felt it especially in my right arm, which has been operated on in the past following arm pump problems. That’s one more thing I’ll need to consider this weekend. I’m happy to race at this track anyway, in fact I would definitely put it among the three best tracks I’ve ever ridden.”

Iker Lecuona is currently fifth in the championship with 99-points.
Xavi Vierge

I’m quite happy because I’m feeling better than I expected following my injury. The surgery went very well, and I was soon able to get training and cycling again and have worked hard with my physio. I’m looking forward to Donington and have been lucky to have this break between rounds four and five to work on my recovery. It was a pity I couldn’t take part in the recent test, so I’ll have the added job of learning the track but at least I was able to join the team in the garage during the Misano test, where I worked with my data technician, analysing all the data that was collected at Donington. I won’t know exactly how I am until I get back on the bike of course, but on paper it looks like a very nice layout that can suit my riding style, so hopefully I will be fully fit and able to enjoy it right from first practice.”

Xavi Vierge

One of Scott Redding’s career highlights came at the British circuit, when in 2008, he became the then-youngest Grand Prix winner in the 125cc World Championship Grand Prix, aged just 15. Since then, wins in BSB but no podiums in WorldSBK have come at the circuit, with a best of fourth in Race 2 last year.

Scott Redding

Donington Park – the home race for me which I am really looking forward to. It’s the first time for me in WorldSBK to have fans in the paddock there so it will be a crazy weekend and I look forward to it. I am also looking forward to the second part of the season. Donington Park is a cool track for me, it is a lot of history there, the track has a lot of character and hopefully we can show what our hard work has been doing in pushing for some good results.”

At Donington in 2008 Scott Redding became the then-youngest Grand Prix winner in the 125cc World Championship Grand Prix, aged just 15 – Image AJRN

Illia Mikhalchik (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) will once again be present in the place of double Donington Park winner Michael van der Mark who is still recovering from injury; he’s scored points in WorldSSP and STK1000 at Donington Park before.

Ilya Mikhalchik

I am looking forward to my third WorldSBK race weekend. The first race at Aragón was pretty good; I was within the top ten and riding with the really fast guys. Then the Misano weekend was a bit little difficult, because I did not have too much time to get used to the bike again after two months on the Stock and endurance bikes with different tyres. We just had a few free practice sessions and then went immediately into qualifying and race. But now, between Misano and Donington, I almost did not ride and this means that my mind will remember the bike from Misano. Donington is a really good track, I enjoyed it a lot when I was there in the past. It has a nice layout, the people there a great. So I am looking forward to it.”

Ilya Mikhalchik

BMW technicians have also been hard at work on the M 1000 RR during the break.

Marc Bongers – BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director

We did not fail to take advantage of the break since the race at Misano and have been working hard on further development of the BMW M 1000 RR. The brief test with Scott and Loris two weeks ago at Donington went well, and we were able to evaluate and confirm a range of updates. Both riders provided positive feedback. Donington Park is a circuit where we have enjoyed success in the past. Now we are hoping to continue that at the weekend and close the gap to the leaders with both teams. Everyone will be working hard and concentrating on that. However, we are also really looking forward to Peter Hickman and the FHO Racing BMW Team competing at Donington with a wildcard. It is great that Faye Ho’s team is now taking the step onto the world championship stage. I am sure that it will also be a highlight for the British fans to see ‘Hicky’ in action in the WorldSBK.”

The Independent battle is led by Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), who returns to Donington Park, historically a tricky circuit for him, despite being top Ducati in Race 1 last year. Eighth overall and just seven points behind Alex Lowes, he’s 23 ahead of Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), who aims to return to the top six at a track he knows well, having fought for victory in 2014.

Loris Baz

I’m really looking forward to the race weekend Donington is always a place I really love since my first Superbike race there in 2012, which was actually my first Superbike race ever. I’ve been able to do some laps there two weeks ago thanks to our Bonovo action BMW Racing Team and BMW. We tried some updates so I hope it gets us closer to the top. It was good to have a break after Misano, because it was a tough weekend for us, so we had time to forget about it and move forward. Everyone is really highly motivated after the test. It looks like we are going in the right direction. Also, Donington was a great track for the BMW last year, so we come back to hopefully be able to fight for the top five.”

Loris Baz

11 points further behind Baz is Garrett Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team). Previously in Misano, Gerloff managed to score a pair of top 10 finishes in Race 1 and the Superpole Race with eight and ninth, while unfortunately he was unable to finish Race 2 after a promising start. The 26-year-old American heads into the weekend with good memories of Donington Park, having clinched a second-place finish in Race 2 there last year, his best WorldSBK feature race result to date.

Garrett Gerloff

I’m so excited for Donington, I love the British fans and energy. The track to me is pretty special, there’s a lot of history and it reminds me of a lot of American tracks that are really close to my heart. We had a nice weekend last year for the most part and I’d love to have a similar one this time. I cannot wait to get there and be back with my team after this little break.

Garrett Gerloff

Philipp Oettl (Team Goeleven) will race at Donington Park for the first time, whilst Eugene Laverty (Bonovo Action BMW) has a podium to his name at the track; both complete the top five in the Independent standings.

Two wildcards to keep an eye on: the long-awaited debut of British Superbike Champion Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) and the return of Peter Hickman (FHO Racing) on a BMW M 1000 RR.

Tarran Mackenzie and dad Niall, 25 years between their British Superbike Championship victories. Tarran won BSB in 2021 but was injured early this season and has been struggling

Hickman already has some WorldSBK experience, including his appearance as a replacement for Markus Reiterberger (GER) at Donington Park in 2019 for the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. The wildcard spot marks the WorldSBK debut for the FHO Racing BMW Team, for which Hickman is also enjoying success in the British Superbike Championship (BSB).

Peter Hickman

I am really excited about the opportunity to take the FHO Racing BMW Team to the World Superbike stage. It is going to be the first time that FHO as a team will do an international event like this and I think that is really exciting. The team has only been going for a year and a half so to already be entering their first ever world championship race is pretty epic, really. I’ve raced in WorldSBK twice but both times it has been a last minute deal and I had ridden bikes that I did not know and I had never sat on before until the Friday morning. This time, I am going to ride my BSB bike, albeit with more electronics that are allowed in WorldSBK, but it is going to be the same bike that I have ridden quite a lot so I am looking forward to that. It will be a new experience for me, actually. Expectations wise, I think we are all very realistic. We are going for the experience to see what happens. I think it’s great for us as a team. Quite a few of us have done world championship races through one way or another, individually or with other teams, but  we have never done it as a team together so I am looking forward to getting the whole group of us all in the same place having a go in World Superbikes. It is going to be really good weekend and I can’t wait to get started.”

While he is most widely known for his exploits on the Isle of Man, Peter Hickman is a regular top runner in the British Superbike Championship
While he is most widely known for his exploits on the Isle of Man, Peter Hickman is a regular top runner in the British Superbike Championship

WorldSBK Championship Points

Pos Rider Points
 1  Alvaro Bautista  220
 2  Jonathan Rea  184
 3  Toprak Razgatlioglu  141
 4  Andrea Locatelli  108
 5  Iker Lecuona  99
 6  Michael Ruben Rinaldi  92
 7  Alex Lowes  75
 8  Axel Bassani  68
 9  Xavi Vierge  63
 10  Scott Redding  48
 11  Loris Baz  45
 12  Garrett Gerloff  34
 13  Philipp Oettl  20
 14  Eugene Laverty  18
 15  Roberto Tamburini  18
 16  Luca Bernardi  15
 17  Lucas Mahias  14
 18  Xavi Fores  12
 19  Michael Van Der Mark  11
 20  Illia Mykhalchyk  10
 21  Kohta Nozane  9
 22  Christophe Ponsson  8
 23  Leon Haslam  3
 24  Leandro Mercado  1

WorldSSP

A three-year absence from Donington Park for the FIM Supersport World Championship will end with the Prosecco DOC UK Round, as the Championship returns to the iconic British circuit for the first time since 2019.

It presents a different situation with only a handful of riders on the entry list having raced at Donington Park in WorldSSP in the past and only one winner at the circuit on the grid.

Reigning Champion Dominique Aegerter holds a 54-point lead in the Championship but will tackle Donington Park for the first time on his Yamaha YZF-R6 machine, although the Swiss rider raced there in 2009 in the 125cc World Championship.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) lies second in the Championship ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team); both of whom will make their first appearance at Donington Park. They were both in the battle for victory last time out at Misano, with both bidding to do the same on British soil this time around.

With WorldSSP not racing at Donington Park since 2019, Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha) is the rider with the most Championship experience at this venue and his record at Donington is remarkable: six podiums in seven WorldSSP races between 2012 and 2019, while in 2013 he scored two ninth place finishes in WorldSBK. Cluzel has endured a difficult start to the season and sits 12th in the standings but will be hoping his experience at the circuit can help push him up the order, especially as he is the most recent winner at the circuit back in 2019.

Two more riders on the grid have taken podiums at Donington Park in WorldSSP, with Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing) claiming second in 2019 and Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura WorldSSP) third in 2018.

Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) currently sits fourth in the standings and will be hoping he can cut the gap to the top three over the course of the Prosecco DOC UK Round, with the Turkish star currently 24 points behind Bulega. Oncu has a 17-point advantage over 2022 revelation Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team), whilst the Dutchman is only one point ahead over Oncu’s teammate, Yari Montella. Van Straalen raced at Donington back in 2019, finishing 16th, while Oncu and Montella will take part in their first race at the British venue, a quirky circuit that they’ll need to get up to speed with straight away.

Triumph made their return to WorldSSP in 2022 and will compete at their home round for the first time since 2018 when Stefan Hill finished 17th. In 2022, both Triumph riders are inside the top ten of the standings, with Stefano Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph) seventh and team-mate Hannes Soomer ninth. The team took part in a track day between the Emilia-Romagna and UK Rounds at Donington Park with Hannes Soomer, so will this help in their search for a first podium of 2022?

There are two British riders racing full-time in WorldSSP this season, with Kyle Smith (VFT Racing) and Tom Booth-Amos (Prodina Racing WorldSSP) both looking for strong results on home soil; although Booth-Amos will need to pass a medical check before competing.

There will be two wildcard riders on the grid for the UK Round. Harry Truelove (ColinAppleyard/Macadam-Yamaha) will compete on a Yamaha YZF R6 machine for his first WorldSSP outing, having raced in the British championship.

Simon Jespersen (CM Racing) will return to the Championship, after numerous stand-in appearances throughout 2021 and 2022.  The UK Round will be his first time competing on the Ducati Panigale V2.

Niki Tuuli’s (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) return to action following surgery will not occur at Donington, with the Finn once again replaced by Mattia Casadei.

One rider to also watch is Ben Currie (Motozoo by Puccetti Racing), with the Australian achieving an emphatic double at Donington Park in British Supersport in 2018.  Countryman Oli Bayliss will be eager to get down to business and move up the points standings.

At D34G Racing, Filippo Fuligni once again misses out through injury with the Italian rider replaced by Isaac Vinales; the Spaniard scored five podiums in 27 WorldSSP races before moving into WorldSBK for 2021.

WorldSSP600 Championship Points

Pos Rider Points
 1  Dominique Aegerter  195
 2  Lorenzo Baldassarri  141
 3  Nicolo Bulega  104
 4  Can Oncu  80
 5  Glenn Van Straalen  63
 6  Yari Montella  62
 7  Stefano Manzi  51
 8  Federico Caricasulo  44
 9  Hannes Soomer  44
 10  Adrian Huertas  41
 11  Niki Tuuli  40
 12  Jules Cluzel  39
 13  Kyle Smith  33
 14  Oliver Bayliss  21
 15  Raffaele De Rosa  21
 16  Patrick Hobelsberger  17
 17  Mattia Casadei  16
 18  Andy Verdoia  16
 19  Marcel Brenner  15
 20  Bahattin Sofuoglu  15
 21  Leonardo Taccini  13
 22  Ondrej Vostatek  12
 23  Peter Sebestyen  11
 24  Tom Edwards  7
 25  Luca Ottaviani  5
 26  Unai Orradre  5
 27  Thomas Booth-Amos  4
 28  Simon Jespersen  3
 29  Nicholas Spinelli  1
 30  Benjamin Currie  1

Donington Park WorldSBK Schedule
All Times AEST

Time Class Event
Friday
1800 R3 bLU cRU FP1
1930 WorldSBK FP1
2025 WorldSSP FP1
2230 R3 bLU cRU Superpole
0000 (Sat) WorldSBK FP2
0100 (Sat) WorldSSP FP2
Saturday
1800 WorldSBK FP3
1925 WorldSSP Superpole
2010 WorldSBK Superpole
2045 R3 bLU cRU Race 1
2300 WorldSBK Race 1
0015 (Sun) WorldSSP Race 1
0115 (Sun) R3 bLU cRU Race 2
Sunday 
1800 WorldSBK WUP
1825 WorldSSP WUP
2000 WorldSBK Superpole Race
2130 WorldSSP Race 2
2300 WorldSBK Race 2



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