Bridewell P7 in Sunday’s Superpole race at Donington

Superbike Advocates Racing rounds out this eighth WorldSBK round at Donington Park with some unfortunate luck in Race 2. Fifth in Saturday’s race 1 and a strong seventh in Sunday’s Superpole race, home rider Tommy Bridewell was sadly prevented from completing the final SBK race due to a technical problem.

Ninth on the grid for the morning’s Superpole Race, Tommy maximized the first turns and moved straight up to seventh. Lapping with times almost identical to those of his closest rivals, the Brit oscillated between sixth and eighth position with his Panigale V4 R during this short ten-lap sprint. Closing in on Vierge on the last lap, a well-timed pass assured him of P7 across the line, less than 8 seconds from the winner. This result equals his previous best Superpole race finish at Aragón and benefitted Bridewell in terms of grid position for the weekend’s final race.

P7 on the grid thanks to his earlier Superpole race result, Tommy lined up for Race 2. Immediately up into fifth when the lights went out, Bridewell chased hot on the heels of the Lowes brothers. Sixth on lap eight and looking strong, the Brit suffered an unexpected technical problem that forced him to immediately return to the pits and retire from the race. An unfortunate end to a very positive weekend. Nevertheless, with the points scored in the first of the weekend’s races, the Superbike Advocates Racing rider positions fifteenth in the classification, with a tally of 59 points.

Having dominated the first eight rounds of the 2026 championship, Ducati has banked the maximum possible points in the manufacturer’s standings – 496 to date – and currently lies 276 points clear of its nearest rival. This means that the Bolognese constructor has secured the manufacturer’s title, with four rounds of the championship yet to run.

The championship now takes a summer break, with the action set to resume on 4-6 September, when the France’s Magny-Cours circuit will stage the ninth WorldSBK round.

Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates Racing #46)
“This morning’s Superpole race was okay. I was happy enough, and although we had a small issue, I was able to manage it over just ten laps. We didn’t get too punished, and I was able to bring it home in seventh. I’m gutted about Race 2 of course, for me and the team, but we’ve had a really positive weekend overall, particularly finishing P5 in Saturday’s race. 

The start of this afternoon’s race was tougher, and it was so windy through sectors 1 and 2 that I had a hard time managing the lap. I again suffered with some chattering, but it was a pity I couldn’t finish because I think we were on course for another good result. 

Overall though, this weekend has shown that our level continues to increase, and I think we should now expect to be regularly fighting for the kind of result we achieved in Race 1. There are things I need to improve in terms of my riding, but we now have the long summer break in which to keep working. A big thanks to the team – they’ve done an amazing job this weekend.”