Home Round heroics at Thruxton for Moto Rapido Ducati Racing

Moto Rapido Racing Ducati returned to their home county of Hampshire for Round 6 at the legendary Thruxton Race Circuit. One of the fastest tracks in Europe and a venue that levels the playing field like no other. With no testing or track days allowed in the build-up, the weekend was always going to be a mental and physical challenge for riders and crew alike.

Thursday’s preparations were a complex, number-crunching exercise. Thruxton is notorious for throwing up contradictory feedback and the team’s garage felt like a game of high-speed charades as riders’ words, body language and data didn’t always align.

Supersport – Ben Currie sets the tone
Ben and his crew hit the ground running, finding a good feeling straight out of the traps… something rare at Thruxton! The first session was quick and confidence inspiring. In the second session though, despite the bike feeling equally strong, the lap times didn’t match up. Crew Chief Les worked closely with Wilf to analyse every detail before qualifying. When pit lane opened, Currie rolled out with conviction. Lap by lap, the pace returned and his final time of 1:16.831 put him an impressive second on the grid, just 0.308s off pole setting up a genuine shot at the podium.

Superbike – Leon Haslam battles through
Leon entered Q1 after a calculated tyre choice in combined practice, aiming for more time on the soft compound race tyre. He delivered with a 1:15.240 to progress into Q2, where a fresh tyre and near-perfect execution put him third on the grid for Race 1’s 20-lap battle. 

Saturday Sprint – Mixed fortunes
First up, Currie’s 12-lap Supersport sprint was a more settled affair than anticipated, with Irwin taking the win ahead of McManus, and Ben securing a solid P3. While happy with the podium, the team were frustrated at losing ground to Irwin in the championship.

Haslam’s race was anything but calm. A slow launch dropped him to seventh in a chaotic midfield, with bar-banging battles and strategic lunges defining the early laps. Haslam fought his way up to fourth before being forced wide at the final chicane. A two-second penalty for not loosing a second in the last sector dropped him from P5 on the road to P9 in the results, costing vital championship points. We did however show light on the long-held belief that Ducatis don’t work here might be a thing of the past.

Sunday – High drama and high rewards

Superbike Race 2 (12 laps)
From P4, Haslam launched well, but an early red flag saw the field return to pit lane. A restart on fresh tyres didn’t bring the comfort Leon needed and he rode a measured race to secure P8 – and a P6 grid slot for the feature race.

Supersport Race 2 – A red flag triple drama
Currie’s second race was a masterclass in staying cool under pressure. Starting P3, he quickly slotted into second before a huge crash for Irwin brought out the red flag. After a long delay and tyre changes, the race restarted – only for another multi-bike incident to halt proceedings again.On the third attempt, Currie rocketed from second into the lead and controlled the pace at the front. In one of the wildest races of the season, a final red flag brought proceedings to an end – declaring Ben the winner and banking maximum points.

Superbike Feature Race (20 laps)
Haslam started from sixth, a strong position on such a volatile grid. In a constantly changing order with the eventual race winner as far back as P11 at one stage Leon clawed his way through aggressive midfield fights, running as high as fourth before a big moment dropped him to tenth. Digging deep, he salvaged P6 at the flag, adding valuable points despite feeling there was more potential in the package.

Championship shake-up
The weekend closed with mixed emotions. Proud of the points haul, but conscious that opportunities for more had been missed. Ben Currie now leads the Supersport standings, nine points clear of Irwin, with Kennedy 39 points back and Stapleford 46 adrift. In Superbikes, Leon Haslam sits fifth, 97 points off Brad Ray. 

Team Manager Ian ‘Hammy’ Darbyshire
“To be honest, we’re already looking forward to Cadwell Park and have our prep plans set. Thruxton is always one of the toughest circuits to get the bike right for and we scored far more points here than last year, so we can’t be too negative. We remain constructive with our reflections and know how important some big results will be from now on.

We’ve had a mixed relationship with Cadwell over the years, but as we proved this weekend, we’re capable of putting this bike in a good place to maximise the points on offer. Less than two weeks and we’re back at it – with the famous Friday night test, the possibility of a fan-favourite Superpole and a proper party in the park… we cant wait to see you all there”