20/7/2022
- Third place for Scott Redding in the WorldSBK Superpole Race at Donington Park.
- Redding finishes fourth and fifth in the two main races.
- Dr. Markus Schramm: “This podium is just reward for the hard work put in by everyone on this project”.
Donington Park. Donington Park, an iconic British circuit steeped in history, once again proved to be a successful hunting ground for BMW Motorrad Motorsport in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). In the Superpole Race on Sunday morning, Scott Redding (GBR) from the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team claimed his first podium on the BMW M 1000 RR. Redding came home third at the end of the captivating 10-lap sprint. He was also among the leading group in both main races, finishing fourth and fifth.
In front of more than 51,000 spectators (across the weekend), local favourite Redding showed as early as the practice sessions that he has closed the gap to the front-runners. The Brit ended Friday in third place overall. He backed this up with fourth in the Superpole Qualifying on Saturday morning, securing his best starting position of the season in doing so. In the first main race on Saturday afternoon, Redding was in contention for a spot on the podium until the closing stages, before crossing the finish line in fourth place on worn tyres.
Redding again set his sights on the podium in Sunday morning’s Superpole Race. He climbed into third place at the start, and only briefly gave up that position before reclaiming the third spot on the podium. This triggered great celebrations in the garage, from which Dr. Markus Schramm, Head of BMW Motorrad, had followed the exciting race. In the second main race on Sunday afternoon, Redding was running fourth until the middle of the race, before conceding a position and crossing the finish line in fifth place – just eight seconds behind winner Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR / Yamaha).
Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR / BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Eugene Laverty (IRL / Bonovo action BMW Racing Team) endured a difficult weekend at Donington Park. Mikhalchik finished 16th in race one, narrowly missing out on the points. He then came home 18th in the Superpole Race and crashed out of the second main race. Laverty was struggling with pain in his arm at the weekend. He was 20th on Saturday afternoon and 23rd on Sunday morning, before having to retire from Sunday afternoon’s race. Wildcard starter Peter Hickman (GBR) and the FHO Racing BMW Team finished 22nd, 16th and 19th.