Moto Rapido Ducati Race Report – Round 8, Donington Park

A return to Donington Park saw Round 8 mark the start of the back end of the season. After a positive Cadwell Park in both team performance and championship standings, we arrived knowing every opportunity needed to be taken.

Friday – Building a Base

First time here last year saw Ben take a clean sweep: topping every session, breaking the lap record, and completing the perfect hat-trick with a double race win and pole position. Living up to that was always going to be tough – but the ultimate aim was simple: finish ahead of Rhys Irwin and continue chipping into the championship lead.

Friday was a day of set-up and searching for the pace we knew was there. Leon showed promise straight away, but wanted a different sensation from the Panigale V4 R. We worked through the programme but couldn’t quite unlock extra speed. By the end of the day, Leon was 7th combined with a 1:27.929 – just 0.475s off the top.

Ben had a similar day: solid, but wanting more. The opening session was positive and felt like a good building block, but as has been the case at previous rounds, the raw pace wasn’t quite there yet. He ended Friday 6th combined with a best lap of 1:31.254, just 0.253s adrift.

Saturday – Qualifying & Sprints

Qualifying saw Superbikes run a 20-minute open session instead of the usual Q1/Q2 format. Leon put in a strong showing to secure 6th with a 1:27.488, just 0.707s away. Ben’s qualifying proved tougher, with traffic costing him two flying laps late on. He settled for P7 with a 1:30.653, -0.451s off.

In the Supersport sprint, Ben launched brilliantly from 7th on the grid and quickly made ground. Staying calm while the front five scrapped, he struck decisively, moving into 3rd at the Esses and then diving under Kennedy for 2nd. Lining up Irwin for the lead, he simply ran out of laps and had to settle for a classy P2 finish.

Leon’s opening 12-lap Superbike race was one of both promise and frustration. After losing a place off the start, he regrouped and showed real strength through sector two, but the final corners limited his ability to attack. Despite pushing hard, Leon crossed the line 8th, booking 9th on the grid for Race 2.

Sunday – Race Day

Superbike Race 2
Starting from 9th, Leon fought through early battles to settle into 10th, then began to build pace. Closing on Bridewell, he struck late to take 7th, with data showing he was among the fastest riders on track in the closing laps.

Superbike Race 3
A tough start dropped Leon to 12th, but after the safety car period he regrouped. Once past Cook, he closed a two-second gap to Bridewell and passed him on the last lap for 6th. Another sign of growing pace and progress heading into the final race.

Supersport Feature Race
Ben started 3rd and made a rocket launch into the lead, controlling the early laps. Kennedy struck earlier than expected, and chaos unfolded as the lead became a seven-bike scrap. Contact with McManus unsettled Ben and allowed the leaders to edge away, though he fought hard to stay in the mix. Eugene McManus challenged late, and while Ben retook him once, the second move stuck, leaving Ben 5th at the flag. Disappointed, but still crucial points in the championship chase.

Superbike Race 4
The final race of four was Leon’s best of the weekend. From 5th on the grid he slotted into 6th before quickly moving into 4th and latching onto the lead group. After the safety car, he pounced on Brad Ray into Redgate, but Scott Redding was looming. The pair ran nose-to-tail for the closing laps, with Leon holding his line. On the final lap, Redding lunged into Melbourne with a block pass. Leon tried to cut back but Scott ran deep, leaving no way through. Leon crossed the line 4th – his strongest finish of the weekend and further proof of the steps made with the Panigale V4 R.

Championship Picture

It was a weekend of highs and hard graft at Donington Park. Ben’s podium on Saturday and fighting ride to 5th in Sunday’s Feature Race mean he now sits 2nd in the Supersport Championship, just 3 points adrift of Rhys Irwin with everything to play for.

For Leon, steady progress across four tough Superbike races delivered 8th, 7th, 6th and a strong 4th in the finale – results that keep him right in the mix. He leaves Donington 4th in the standings, only 4 points behind Rory Skinner in 3rd.

With momentum and motivation, the team now looks ahead to Assen in 12 days’ time.

Team Manager – Ian “Hammy” Darbyshire
“Donington was a real graft of a weekend. Leon kept building and by that last race he showed just how much progress we’ve made with the V4 R – he was properly in the fight with the front three. Ben had another action-packed set of races and even on a tricky day, he leaves just three points off the lead. That tells you how strong he is this year. Both sides of the garage are working flat-out, and we’ll roll into Assen knowing we’re right in the thick of two championship battles. A massive thank you to every sponsor and partner who helps us get on track we couldn’t do it without you.”