The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship gets set to open the throttle of the second half of the season at Donington Park for the Prosecco DOC UK Round. For British WorldSBK rookie rider Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing), his home round comes at a point in his first season, whereby from his results, it would seem things are starting to click for him. Aided by a new component they experimented with at Misano, and armed with the familiarity of the track, which he knows “like the back of his hand”, Vickers’ anticipation is palpable.

ON FAMILIAR ASPHALT: “I know the circuit, I know the correct lines, and I know what's going to create a fast lap time”

So far in his WorldSBK career, Vickers has had to learn the track with his new machine. However, Donington is a place he knows like the back of his hand, having raced there countless times domestically – including taking victory in British Superbike there. On how this will benefit him, Vickers said: “It’s super exciting, it's going to be nice, it’ll be nice to be actually able to roll out an FP1 and know my way. In other rounds, I’ve been having to focus on learning how to ride the Ducati and use FP1 to set the bike up correctly. That familiarity is a really nice feeling for me because there's nothing like knowing the circuit, rolling out, and not having to focus on it too much. A lot of my energy is focused on lines and doing this and trying that, and unfortunately, it's difficult to go fast when you've got a lot of things you're having to consciously think about.  When you don't have to use that conscious effort and you focus solely on going fast because it's happening naturally, that's when you get the most out of your performance. That's where I got to in BSB. I knew the circuits of the back of my hand. Every time I took to the track, I was just focused on going fast, and that was it. Now, there are a lot of things that I have to think about. Donington is going to be nice because I know it. I still have some things to consider, but I'm familiar with the circuit, I know the correct lines, and I know what will help create a fast lap time. It'll also be nice to see the fans there and see a lot of people I know. I think it should be a good turnout of fans, even though I've been quite surprised that the European rounds have been very busy with British fans. I've had a lot of support and I'm really appreciative of that, but there's nothing like going home, so that'll be a nice feeling.”

NEW TOYS: “We're going to try something at Donington, which we tried a little bit at Misano and it helped”

Adapting to WorldSBK is a continual process for rider and team, with Vickers aiming to find gains on the ergonomic side of the bike. Discussing the next steps for this process, he said: “Nothing really new, just a new seat pad on the bike. I’m learning a little bit from Bulega and what the factory guys are doing. They're running slightly different parts in the seating area of the bike. We can't achieve them just yet, but we are doing our best to create a similar effect that it has on the bike to get more rear grip. It's working well for Bulega, so all Ducati riders are now trying to do the same. We're going to try something at Donington, which we tried a little bit at Misano, and it helped. Let's see if we can make another step in that direction. “

HOMECOMING HOPES: “Another big goal for me is to have a good qualifying, I need to try and get on the front three of four rows at least”

Misano appeared to be a breakthrough weekend for the #17, with Vickers taking P11 in Race 2. It was his biggest points-haul of the season in a single race and for a round, and now the steps for Donington are clear for Vickers. He stated: “I've been close to the top 10 a few times. We want to try and get our first top ten dry result. I think another big goal for me is to achieve a good qualifying position; I need to try to get on the front three or four rows at least. At the same time, we need to be realistic. If I can get on the front four rows, inside the top 12, that would be a massive step, because I’ve been in P18-20; we're just not optimising the new tyre. It’s largely about electronics and learning to ride the bike differently. I want to improve on qualifying this time. I know how to extract a lot from Donnington. I just have to try to figure it out with the bike and the tyre. If that's in Race 1, let's try to get two. If we do it again, let's aim for three top 10s. Whatever it is, I want to try to achieve a top 10. But if it takes the whole weekend to do it, and we arrive there in Race 2, I'd still be happy. If we can get a good qualifying, then I think we can battle for the top 10, which will be my overall goal of three top 10s.”

Catch Vickers in his home round next weekend July 11-13^th, at the Prosecco DOC UK Round! Watch live or on-demand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!