British Super Bikes Donington Park
British Superbikes Round 11
Donington Park
The second visit of the British Superbikes race series arrived at Donington Park to take on the Grand Prix Circuit in cold, blustery and wet conditions.
This three day event was a little different to Round 3 held back in May. The National Circuit was used for that round whereas Round 11 would be using the much longer Grand Prix Circuit.
This is good news for the spectator photographer as it includes the Melbourne loop, which is one of the best places to take photographs at Donington as it's one of the few spots that you can get close to the action.
Anyone who has visited will know what I mean and if you don’t, take a look at our circuit guide for the venue. It has details of where to get that great shot of the riders.
Two of the Pistonclick team were out for this event mainly to watch the racing, soak up the atmosphere and take a few snaps. One other was working for a team, and boy did he put some hours in. It's at times like this that I appreciate the hard work and long hours that the accredited photographers put in and am thankful that I don’t have to.
We had a chat to a few of the recognised professional photographers as we met up with them around the track. Not much to report on this front, except the restrictions that have been put in place on where they can take a picture from.
I'm no heath and safety expert but putting the some of the Foggie Esses out of bounds to the accredited photographer seems a little strange, especially when I'm allowed to take a picture and spectate from three feet further back behind a low wooden fence.
These restrictions are happening a lot more not just for the pros at Donington, but for the spectators as well at a lot of tracks. The march of the safety fence and the restrictions on where you can view the action will continue and increase as the track owners become more risk averse.
Speaking as a spectator I'm fully aware of the risks of going to the track, and as we have seen over the years, nowhere on the spectator side can be 100% safe.
Donington has pushed the spectator back to the point that most of the track is a fair distance away. Don’t get me wrong, the view is pretty good for the most part and safety is massively important.
But I look at the track and see areas that spectators could be given access to with little risk. The inside of Goddards for example, which would also give you a great view of Roberts when the Nation Circuit is being used. And a few "photographer" holes in the fence line for the amateur snapper would be well received.
Because the action is so far away from the spectator, I armed myself only with a superzoom lens for this trip. Using a Nikon D4, D3X and a 200 - 500mm resulted in some good images, even if I did have to use the crop modes quite a lot and was at the maximum reach to get close into the action.
I shot on the Friday practice day, Saturday qualifying and skipped race day, opting to watch it on the TV.
As a spectator photographer, race day gives you the best chance of getting a great picture but also has the down side of restricted views due to the crowds that turn up.
However, it looked to me from the comfort of my armchair that the crowds that were expected didn’t turn up. Was it the dismal weather forecast for the weekend that put the fans off or just the TV camera angles?
Anyway enough of the techno babble and the Englishman's favourite discussion topic, the weather. Let's take a look at the racing. The main event is the British Superbikes. 43 riders were out for this double header - the same riders that have been competing all year for the championship and a few "wild cards".
As in most race series a few guest riders will take part in various rounds, and for this event there were a few to replace injured riders.
One of the injured riders we met up with was Keith Farmer who was walking around the paddock, which was great to see. Keith broke both his legs at Knockhill back in June after securing a front row start for round 5, with a fastest lap of the session on the Tyco BMW. Interestingly, Keith was in "civvies" on Friday and then in full on branded Tyco gear on Saturday. Let's hope his recovery continues and this talented rider has secured a ride on the BMW for next year.
Taking his place for this race alongside his team mate #21 Cristian Iddon was the Superstock 1000cc racer #99 Taylor Mackenzie. Taylor is part of the Mackenzie racing Clan that also has his brother Tarran racing in BSB aboard the McAMS Yamaha. Taylor qualified one place ahead of his brother but didn’t compete in the two BSB races after suffering a massive crash in the Superstock 1000cc race.
Cristian Iddon went on to one of his best results of the year, 6th in race one and one better in race two. Iddon could have done better in race one as he was in a close battle with Brookes and Peter Hickman for third but his foot peg came off, dropping him down from a potential third to sixth.
As reported previously in our coverage of BSB, the top six riders are now in the final races of the Showdown. This is where the top six riders are given a bonus 500 points and points for any podiums they have won.
This stops any team or rider running away with the championship early in the season, keeping the racing interesting until the final event. #45 Scott Redding is the Showdown leader, going into the final three races at Brands Hatch on 18 - 20 October after winning both races a Donington.
Redding has impressed me this year. The ex MotoGP racer has been a breath of fresh air to the BSB paddock. His off track maverick attitude was summed up for me at Cadwell when at a autograph signing an hour before the race start he was standing on a table leading the singing and really entertaining the crowd.
He, like most of the BSB riders, are very approachable off track and will spend a time with the fans, laughing and joking and posing for selfies.
In race one Brookes got into a battle with Iddon, resulting in them coming together but keeping the bikes shiny side up. This gave Redding the break he needed, and off he went into the distance. The rain did have a factor on the racing, slowing Redding's pace towards the end of the race, allowing Tommy Bridwell to catch up but not enough for him to challenge for the lead.
Redding first, Bridwell Second, Brookes third and Hickman fourth. It could have been a great weekend of results and points for showdown rider Hickman, who is currently in sixth, but his chain came off in race two at the Melbourne loop on lap 12.
In race two Josh Owens crashed out at the Foggy Esses, resulting in gravel all over the track. The safety car was deployed and the riders backed up behind it, which meant the riders had to stay in position and not overtake each other. Redding was in second place behind his teammate and championship contender Josh Brookes.
He held back and let Brookes go, backing up the rest of the pack. Team orders to give Brooks the win? Not on your life. Redding judged it perfectly, giving himself room to put the hammer down just before the safety car left the circuit. This resulted in him getting much needed heat into his tyres and the grip advantage over Brookes to take the win with Tommy Bridwell, also on a Ducati, coming in third and Danny Buchan in forth.
Redding's off track antics bely his on track professional attitude. He has been consistent and put in some intelligent races all season, so it is a shame that he is going to World Super Bike next year. We will only get to watch him live in the UK once in 2020.
At this time it looks like the Be Wiser Ducati Team and Scott Redding have one hand on championship. Only #46 Tommy Bridwell on the Oxford Racing Ducati can spoil the Be Wiser Team celebrations at Brands Hatch in a few weeks.
In the support races a few championships were decided over the weekend. No surprise to anyone who follows the BSB race series that #1 Jack Kennedy took the British 600cc Supersport Championship, again winning both races ahead of his teammate #12 Brad Jones. #3 James Westmoreland took third in race one with Rory Skinner just beating Westmoreland in race two for the final podium place.
As the racing season comes to a close the riders are looking to confirm rides for 2020. Kennedy has taken a step up to BSB and signed for Santander Salt TAG to ride along side Dan Linfoot on the all new for 2020, Yamaha R1.
The Superstock 600 race had high drama as Korie McGreavy, coming out of the Melbourne loop, high sided his Triumph which hit James Alderson. It then flipped again and hit Caolan Irwin.
Eventual winner was #99 Ben Luxton, second #79 Storm Stacey and third #22 Euan McGlinchey. #28 Shane Richardson the championship leader avoided all the shenanigans to come in fourth, and now has a 19 point lead over Korie McGreavy going into the final round.
In the Superstock 1000cc races Richard Cooper has already been crowned champion and was sporting the number one plate with crown at Donington. However, he was off the pace, coming in second behind #69 Chrissy Rouse who took his first win of the season on the Morello Racing Kawasaki.
Coops has dominated the class all season, clinching the title at Oulton Park on the GSX-R1000R Buildbase Suzuki, taking 11 race wins this season. Second in the championship is Taylor MacKenzie who as we reported crashed out while in the lead.
The sidecars are always great to watch and if you appreciate the dynamics of racing a bike with a chair, you will understand why I hot footed it to Goddards when they hit the track. This left hand corner is off camber and down hill which means the bikes would be lifting the third wheel and passenger into the air.
Kershaw and Clark on the #1 LCR Yamaha were doing just that during the Friday practice. On Saturday and Race day this picture is difficult to get as it shot through the wire from behind the Marshalls area.
During the Friday practice there were only a few Marshalls. On Saturday's race it was packed with a wall of orange and first responders blocking the view.
I'm not complaining, the orange army are vital to racing and very much appreciated. I'm just letting you know in case you try and get this shot on race day. Kershaw and Clark were the winners of race one.
For the second race the sidecars run a reverse grid. It was Ellis and Richardson on the #6 machine who prevailed, cutting through the pack, beating Kershaw and Clark into second. The Birchall brothers were third on the very photogenic #16 machine.
In the Junior Supersport Elliot Pinson now leads the championship after winning all three races.
The two Motostar races were won by #64 Asher Drummond in race one and the American #96 Brandon Paasch on the KTM in race two and that concludes our coverage of BSB Round 11 from Donington Park.
I would like to thank RW Photography for the wise words and company during this trip. We will be covering the full three days of the final BSB round at Brands Hatch from the view point of a spectator photographer. Check out our Facebook page for updates for the PistonClick website.
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A few images that didn't make the cut but still worth a look.
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