Plenty of points in the bag for the Moto Rapido Racing Ducati team at Snetterton

Moto Rapido Racing Ducati Team Manager Ian ‘Hammy’ Darbyshire reports back from a sunny Snetterton

Friday – Free Practice

Ben kicked off the team’s on-track activity in FP1, quickly getting to work and logging plenty of laps across both sessions. By the end of the day, his combined times placed him in a solid third overall, securing direct progression to Q2. With just 0.772s to find, it was a strong base to build from.

Leon’s day was far less straightforward. Red flags disrupted the flow, and there were plenty of debriefs as the garage worked tirelessly to figure out where we were losing pace and feel compared to the front runners. Thanks to the combined input of the whole crew, we found a direction that gave Leon a better feeling on the bike. He ended the day P4 overall.

Leon Haslam: "It's the first time we've rolled out and not had the natural pace of the front boys, so we've had to work hard."

Saturday – Qualifying & Race 1

Supersport qualifying was once again interrupted by a red flag. Thankfully, unlike in previous rounds, it didn’t hamper our momentum. Ben got out early and laid down his fastest lap quickly though, in doing so, he inadvertently gave a tow to a rival. Still, despite late-session challenges, including a last-gasp flier from Kennedy, Ben secured P3 for Race 1.

Leon was first out of the box in Superbike qualifying, leading the field out of pit lane. As he settled in, it became clear that he still wasn’t fully at one with the bike. But in true gritty form, Leon dug deep on his final flying lap and pushed himself to a valuable P6 start position.

Race 1 – Superbike

Leon launched well and focused on getting into a rhythm. While the feel on the bike still wasn’t perfect, his trademark determination saw him bring it home in P4 a vital haul of championship points.

Race 1 – Supersport

Ben lined up on the second row and was feeling confident. But after the formation lap, something didn’t feel right. With no time to diagnose the issue on the grid, it was a case of ride and react. He dropped back as far as P21 early on but showed immense grit and talent to fight his way through the field. A superb recovery saw him finish P10 a strong result considering the circumstances.

Sunday – Race Day

Sunday morning warm-up brought a welcome boost for both riders. We tried a setup on Leon’s Superbike that we hadn’t run all weekend and while warm-up isn’t always the most reliable indicator of race performance, it showed real promise in the areas where he’d been struggling most. The changes gave Leon a much-improved feeling, and he ended the session third fastest.

Ben also looked sharp in the Supersport warm-up, clocking the fourth fastest time and giving us confidence heading into the afternoon's races.

Sunday Races – Turning the Tide

Sunday saw a real transformation in our fortunes. The heat was still on another blistering day but this time high winds added a fresh challenge, noticeably affecting how the bikes handled across the board.

Leon Haslam had been digging deep all weekend, bringing the Panigale V4 R home in P4 and P5 in the earlier races despite not feeling fully at one with the bike. But before Race 3, the boys found something and Leon delivered in style.

After battling through a fierce mid-pack scrap, he broke free and hunted down the second group, making aggressive yet calculated moves on both Skinner and Bridewell to claim a hard-earned P3 podium. A brilliant ride and the perfect birthday present for the legend himself, Ron Haslam, who celebrated his 69th with us trackside.

Ben Currie once again had to come from deep. Caught in traffic while the front group made their escape, he stayed composed, kept chipping away, and delivered a calm, clinical ride to P4. More strong points in the bag and another reminder of just how quick Ben is when given half a chance.

Championship Standing as we head into Round 4 at Knockhill:

• Leon Haslam sits P3 in the championship, 38 points behind Brad and just 8 behind Kyle
• Ben Currie also holds P3, 20 points off Luke and 12 behind Rhys.

A huge credit goes out to every member of the team for their relentless effort across a tough, hot, and unpredictable weekend. And a massive thank you to our sponsors, partners, and the amazing fans both at the track and online who ride every high and low with us. We’ll regroup, keep learning, and come back swinging at the next one.