A crash at Donington Park sees Christian Iddon battle through pain, while Ben Currie now leads the British Supersport championship after another podium
After a very successful Oulton Park silverware haul, the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team were excited to head to Donington for Round 3 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. The weekend started positive with both boys coming out the traps hot in free practice and feeling good leading into qualifying.
British Superbikes
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati #21)
"I felt really good coming into this round especially with the setup we ended up with at the Donington test. Instantly we could see how fast the pace was going to be, but we were excited and motivated to see how far we could push. This round was back to the Superpole format which isn’t a strength of mine, but I was actually excited to see what we could produce. My lap was just a bit vanilla. We were quick but just didn’t push the bike hard enough, which was on me.
Starting on the grid in P7 for race one wasn’t the end of the world though. I like it here and I’m fast here with some of last year’s best results here. The race started and I instantly felt fast. Confidence peaked after just a lap. Bike felt mega and I was thinking very early on of a strategy to give me the best chance of fighting for the win. Third race distance and I started to lose a feeling in myself but still capable of pushing on. Ticking off the laps and finding a rhythm was the plan, and before I knew it I'm in the air and had a huge crash coming out of the Old Hairpin. I tried to ride through it and nearly caught it but as I landed back on the bike the weight on my body on the bars just sent me off it again. The race was red-flagged, and I was on my way to the medical centre.
It doesn’t need saying but all the staff from track to medical were amazing as always. After lots of test and examines they were happy to keep me there for checks. We quickly learnt there were no breaks. It was a case of trying to rest and get fit for Sunday, but I was carrying heavy ankle and shoulder injuries.
Come Sunday and it was time to pass the medical, which I did ahead of warm up. I left pitlane and felt amazing but as soon as I hit Craners I could tell this wasn’t going to be easy. I was in an incredible amount of pain. We finished the session and assessed, sitting with Wilf and Hammy to form an action plan. We all reached the same conclusion. Once I passed fit to race with the medical team I knew I had the fight to give it my all and not put anyone else in danger. The rules were simple. If I felt a danger to other or myself then pull in straight away.
Race two I started from pole! This was everyone’s biggest concern. Going into Redgate injured for the first time with a pack full of talent, hunger and determination behind me was the unknown. Off the line and got the holeshot. I rode the hardest I possibly could on the day and came home in P5. I couldn’t have given anymore but it was a small token back to the team for all their efforts, and also keeping my championship fight alive.
Race three we started eleventh. Again, this was all about maximising points but a 20-lap race with the way I was feeling was no joke. Off the line and a mega start again instantly sees me in the top five. My pace became harder and harder to maintain. I was in a huge amount of pain, and it was the longest race of my life. I managed to roll over the line in ninth.
I gave Sunday everything I had. We leave Donington with lots of positives, but also a lot to review. The priority is to get some professional opinion on my situation and then do everything in my power to be fit as soon as possible. I can't thank the team and sponsors enough for the weekend."
British Supersport
Ben Currie (Oxford Products Racing Ducati #1)
“It was a scorching weekend at Donington Park. The lap times were fast and ferocious from the first session. And with the addition of a few World Supersport riders there, it was good to test ourselves against the best guys.
From FP1 it wasn't the easiest weekend for me, certainly not as easy I’d previously found to get a setting and up to speed, compared to when we were at Donington for the test earlier
in the year. The bike we had at the test, compared to what we had arriving at the weekend for the third Bennetts British Superbike round, was a fair bit different due in part to the fact we’ve had two rounds in between and a Spanish test too.
The bike’s evolved and we’ve made positive steps forward. But in hindsight the bike we had at the test far suited the Donington layout then perhaps it did at Navarra and Oulton Park. However, we were still very much in the mix, and fighting for the podium on Saturday. I managed to finish third, and importantly ahead of all my British Supersport rivals.
On Sunday after the morning warm up session, it became apparent to me that we needed to try something for the race. The team and myself worked super hard and my crew chief Steve came up with a brilliant plan to revert to a setting that somewhat resembled the test. It was quite a big change to be made ahead of the race, but one I was feeling super confident about as soon as the race took off.
I knew we'd done the correct thing, and I had way more pace and consistency, and I was able to stick in there the whole race with the best guys. Unfortunately, with a little bit of lost grip on the last two laps I slipped back from second to fourth, but nonetheless I'm very happy with my performance. Yes, it could have been better, but it could have been a whole lot worse as I was pushing very, very hard, and any potential mistake would have been very costly.
The weekend was great for the championship as I've now extended my points lead to three points at the top, and we continue to trend in the right direction. As always, I can't thank my team enough. The guys were absolutely faultless with everything. And a huge thanks goes to all my sponsors that came out to support me, it was a brilliant weekend.
We now have a few weeks off, so can recharge the batteries before we go again in Scotland when we race in the fourth BSB round at Knockhill (14-16th June).”