Rookie Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing) leaves his home round with a positive mindset after recording point-scoring placements in both full-length races with greater consistency around the top ten positions. In both of Sunday’s races, he had ridden as high as P7 for what would have been the #17’s career-best MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship result; however, running wide in the Tissot Superpole Race and then exhausting his tyres in Race 2 saw him fall out of his desired finish.

FIGHTING SPIRIT: “We had some amazing battles fighting with some amazing riders and showing some real speed against all the other Ducatis

Vickers came out of the gates swinging at his home round in Donington. His Friday performance in the weekend-opening Tissot Superpole session put his expertise with the track on full display; the 26-year-old landed a P6 finish for his first second-row start position of his WorldSBK career. In the races that followed, he battled for top ten positions alongside WorldSBK and MotoGP veterans Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), both of whom rode the same Ducati Panigale V4R platform. Ending the weekend with a Race 1 P12 and a pair of P11’s to follow, it may not have been the perfect home round, but it was far from without positive signs.

On his home showing at Donington Park Circuit, Vickers said, “We had some amazing battles fighting with some amazing riders and showing some real speed against all of the other Ducatis apart from Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), he has a bit on everyone at the moment. Really, really happy with the weekend, we showed that we deserve a place in this Championship and we’re climbing the ladder.”

SILVER LININGS: “We didn’t quite make it to the top 10, but we’re in the fight, we made a big step forward, and we can be proud of that”

Vickers’ finishing position across Sunday’s pair of races fell outside his stated goal of P10; however, the English rider took away many positives from his home round. His P6 grid start position from the Tissot Superpole Race put him well within striking distance of hitting his goal. He was running with Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) in Lap 7, when he braked too hard and lost his racing line, costing him three positions and sending him back to P11, where he finished. Race 2 was a similar story, as he ran within the top 10 until his tire began to show signs of fatigue, costing him a pair of positions to finish P11 with just two laps to go.

On his Sunday of racing, Vickers said, “In Sunday's Superpole Race, I made one mistake, I braked a little too hard and the rear wheel came a little bit too far off the ground. I couldn’t stop the bike; it was a shame because I was in a good battle with Andrea Iannone (Team Pata Go Eleven) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) running good pace, so that we would have had a good fight to the end. In the end, a little mistake, and we ended up in P11, so it’s unfortunate, but we’re in the battle. In race 2, we took a bit of a gamble because in yesterday’s long race, we used the SC0 tyre, and I felt like I didn’t have any grip, so we went with the SCX tyre, which is very difficult to get to work with the Ducati. We did our best to save the tyre, but I’m happy because I was able to fight. I got a good start, I was able to pass people, but the downside was that by the end, the tire rode like a wet tyre on a dry track, it was absolutely finished. So, I lost a couple of positions at the end. We didn’t quite make it to the top 10, but we were in the fight, we made a big step forward, and we can be proud of that.”

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