Recapping the BSB Sunday action from Donington – SBK/SS/STK/Teens

2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Round Three – Donington Park
Sunday

Jason O’Halloran became the fourth different race winner in the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship as he celebrated a first win for Team Green, taking a hard-fought victory in an incredible four-way Donington Park dogfight with reigning Champion Tommy Bridewell, Danny Kent and Glenn Irwin in the final race of the weekend.

In race two, Irwin had returned to winning form as he held off a hard-charging Leon Haslam to win for Hager PBM Ducati by 0.035s, whilst reigning champion Bridewell completed the podium.

However it was the final race of the weekend that delivered another different race winner in 2024 with some sensational Bennetts BSB action as the battle went down to the wire and over the final two laps, the leading four riders traded positions 14 times in an intense dice for the final victory of the weekend.

Read on for how it all went down…

British Superbike Race Two

Glenn Irwin held off a hard-charging Leon Haslam to win the second Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Donington Park for Hager PBM Ducati by 0.035s, whilst reigning champion Tommy Bridewell completed the podium.

Irwin had made an incredible start and was able to break the chasing pack initially after the opening laps, but Haslam delivered another typically determined ride for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team to reel him back in over the closing stages.

Haslam was pushing hard, but Irwin was not giving up his lead, and he was able to keep the 2018 champion in second place.

Irwin took his fourth race win of the season to extend his advantage at the top of the standings.

Bridewell continued to show his pace with the Honda Racing UK team, returning to the podium and able to gap the group battling for fourth place.

Danny Kent was able to get the better of Kyle Ryde in the battle for fourth place.

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British Superbike Race Two Results

British Superbike Race Three

Jason O’Halloran celebrated a first win for Team Green as the Australian took a hard-fought victory in an incredible four-way Donington Park dogfight with reigning Champion Tommy Bridewell, Danny Kent and Glenn Irwin. Josh Brookes had a brake that put him out of the race.

The battle went down to the wire, and over the final two laps, the leading four riders traded positions 14 times in an intense dice for the final victory of the weekend.

At the start of the race, Bridewell had got the jump on his rivals to lead the pack into Redgate for the first time ahead of Kent, Irwin and Haslam. Glenn Irwin was instantly on the attack, though, and moved into second with a move at the Fogarty Esses.

O’Halloran was on a charge as he bid to make amends for his DNF earlier in the day. He was up to third by the fifth lap, trailing Bridewell and Irwin, with Kent ready to try and move ahead of his Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki rival.

The leading four had broken away from the chasing pack, and Irwin made another move at the Fogarty Esses to take the lead from Bridewell, whilst two laps later, O’Halloran pushed him back to third with a move at the Melbourne Loop.

Bridewell then regained the lead as O’Halloran moved into second as the pack shuffled again on lap seven but Irwin fought back and reclaimed second place at the Fogarty Esses again. A lap later and another move at the same place put him back into the lead.

Bridewell then had O’Halloran to fight off, and the Australian made a decisive move at the Old Hairpin to forge ahead. Irwin was trying to make a break, but O’Halloran was hungry for his first podium with Kawasaki and as he pushed to try to make a move, Bridewell stormed back ahead of him.

It came down to a final two-lap tussle, and at the start of the penultimate lap, Bridewell was leading from O’Halloran, Irwin and Kent. Irwin moved into second at Redgate but O’Halloran retaliated to reclaim the position.

O’Halloran then took the lead from Bridewell at the Old Hairpin as Kent made his move on Irwin at the same place. The reigning champion retook the lead at Starkeys, but O’Halloran was back ahead at Schwantz.

O’Halloran was then able to hold the advantage on the final lap, but behind there were seven changes of position as they scrap for the final podium places went down to the final drag to the line. Bridewell held on to second, with Kent out dragging Irwin to the finish line after a better exit line out of the final corner.

Kyle Ryde claimed fifth on the lone OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing R1 as Ryan Vickers was sidelined after his crash in race two, ahead of Leon Haslam, Andrew Irwin and Lee Jackson. Christian Iddon and Max Cook completed the top ten.

British Superbike Race Three Results

Jason O’Halloran

“It’s amazing to win. A massive thanks to everyone at Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki, everyone at AJN Steelstock for the support as well, the whole team has been working really hard since I joined.

“We’ve all been working hard just to make that adaptation to the Kawasaki and to get comfortable on it. The guys have put a massive effort in and I’ve felt good on the bike for a little while now, just our starting position hasn’t been great.

“The first race today was the first time where I felt like I was properly in the race; I felt like I had speed, I felt good on the bike, but unfortunately, we had a little technical issue. And then the guys put in a big shift and changed the engine and it was basically a brand new bike for the race.

“To go out and win is incredible. It’s really nice to get up here and win for the team, they haven’t won in a couple of years, so hopefully it’s the first of many.

“I didn’t want to be making my move on the last lap, because I knew it was going to be a bit scruffy, I knew I had plus zero on the board so I knew there was four of us as well and I didn’t want to miss out on the podium.

“I knew where I was fast on the track and where I could make a clean pass, and I just had to get close enough to do it. We all had strong points on the track so it was a bit of a yoyo effect. But I got close enough with a lap to go. On the last lap I just put my head down, tried to hit every apex and didn’t make any mistakes. Winning today is a massive thanks to the team.”

Glenn Irwin

“We had a bit of a problem with the bike after the North West 200, which hindered us on Friday and Saturday, and we were nowhere, but the team worked beyond midnight on Saturday to give me a bike I could win on. The bike felt so good today, and the hard work paid dividends in the first race. I was able to go flat out from the word go with some incredibly fast laps, and we were ultimately rewarded with the victory.

“The final race of the weekend was just one of those you’re glad to be involved in. And whilst I would have been happy with any of the top four positions, I feel it should have been a podium. On the plus side, it was my first win on the GP circuit, and we’ve extended our lead in the championship, so on we go. I feel great, and I’m enjoying the pressure of being the championship leader.”

Tommy Bridewell

“It feels fantastic to be walking away from Donington with three more podiums and the rider of the round award.

“That last race was a proper good old dog fight and I absolutely loved it, we were having a right ‘ding dong’ for the entire race. Jason just timed his move at exactly the right time and nicked it, so credit to him. I enjoyed every lap, getting the elbows out and having a good scrap.

“This weekend is a testament to all of the hard work that the team and I are putting in, and in truth, we are overachieving for where we are in this project. There is so much more to come and that first Honda win is not far away at all.

“There’s a little break now before Knockhill, while the team head off to the Isle of Man, but trust me, we will keep on working behind the scenes and come out fighting again next round.”

Josh Brookes

“I’m a bit downbeat after the final race, the lap time from the Sprint race meant I started on the second row for race three. I had an okay start and had to fight for positions on the first few laps, but everything felt good, and we were doing pretty well. But I had some brake problems where the lever was coming in closer and closer to my hand, I had an adjuster but I didn’t have the chance to adjust it before I had already crashed into the final turn of the lap. I was holding onto the brake, but it wasn’t stopping enough; I went in too deep to the corner with too much brake still on and lost the front.

“I obviously feel bad for the whole team; we were hoping for a good finish to the day in high spirits, but I fell off trying. We will come back, try harder and keep pushing forward. The weekend was a step in the right direction, we are making progress we just need everything to come together, and we need a better qualifying lap time so we can start the race already well within the front group.”

British Superbike Championship Points

British Supersport / GP2 Feature Race

Tom Booth-Amos celebrated victory in Sunday’s Feature Race at Donington Park after beating World Supersport wild card Can Oncu.

Oncu, who won Saturday’s Sprint, was quickest off the line and led for much of the race, but Booth-Amos wasn’t giving up on the idea of victory and pushed him hard.

He took the lead with two laps to go and quickly edged a gap at the front, crossing the line 1.339secs clear at the end of the 15-lap race.

Luke Stapleford was third, almost a second ahead of reigning champion Ben Currie as Jack Kennedy rounded out the top five.

In GP2, Owen Jenner was on a charge, crossing the line p11 overall and taking the class win by 15 seconds over his Kramer Racing team-mate Jack Nixon.

Adon Davie grabbed the Cup win, after making a pass on Sprint winner Mikey Hardie on the final lap as Cameron Hall finished third.

British Supersport / GP2 Feature Race Results

British Supersport Championship Points

GP2 Championship Points

Supersport Cup Championship Points

Pirelli National Superstock Race

Davey Todd emerged the winner in a close battle with Joe Talbot to boost his championship points lead at Donington Park.

From pole, Todd was first into Turn One but Talbot was right behind him, hitting the front moments later and leading for a handful of laps until Todd found a way back ahead.

From there, Talbot kept him honest, sticking close to his back wheel but despite putting up a strong fight, was unable to topple Todd and had to settle for second.

Scott Swann took third, ahead of Tom Ward as David Allingham rounded out the top five.

Pirelli National Superstock Race Results

Pirelli National Superstock Points

Pirelli National Sportbike Race Two

Italy’s Edoardo Colombi extended his championship points lead with yet another dominant sweep in the second race at Donington Park.

Aboard the Gradara Corse Asd Aprilia, Edoardo beat Richard Cooper by more than six seconds in the opening race of the day to bank his fourth win in a row.

Thomas Strudwick took third after squeezing past Harrison Dessoy on the final lap, as Dessoy had to make do with fourth place, just ahead of Ash Barnes.

Pirelli National Sportbike Race Two Results

Pirelli National Sportbike Points

Tracker Kawasaki British Superteen Race Two

Carl Harris powered to an emotional first win in Sunday’s Tracker Kawasaki British Superteen race after a dramatic 10-lap scrap.

The son of late BSB star Karl held off Australia’s Brodie Gawith after a five-rider full race battle to cross the line two-tenths clear of Gawith.

Gawith’s ROKiT Rookies team-mate Kalvin Kelly took third, as Calum Beach was fourth, with Chloe Jones fifth and Henry Snell sixth.

Tracker Kawasaki British Superteen Race Two Results

Tracker Kawasaki British Superteen Points