The WSBK world championship is heading to Donington over the bank holiday weekend – and in preparation for the action kicking off, here’s a bunch of facts and figures about WSBK racing at the iconic British circuit.
– Donington set the stage for the inaugural Championship round back in 1988: Davide Tardozzi (Bimota) and Marco Lucchinelli (Ducati) secured one win each on the 3rd of April.
– In the 48 WSBK races run at Donington, 47 different riders have stepped onto the podium.
– Ducati have managed 52 podium finishes in the 48 races held so far at Donington. Kawasaki are just behind with 30.
– The last race without a Kawasaki rider on the podium here was back in 2011.
– British riders have won 18 races here and they are currently unbeaten in the last nine: Race 2 in 2012 was won by Rea, then a string of eight for Tom Sykes. The last non-British winner here was Marco Melandri (Italy) in Race 1, 2012.
– In the last two race weekends held here in 2015 and 2016, British riders claimed 11 podiums, leaving only one position for other countries: the third spot in last year’s Race 1, claimed by Davide Giugliano (Italy).
– Troy Corser climbed onto the podium 13 times here, which is the record for the track: next up are Carl Fogarty and Tom Sykes with 11.
– Donington was the stage of the first win of 4-times World Champion Carl Fogarty, back in 1992, Race 2. Fogarty is the all-time leader for wins – 59 – followed by Troy Bayliss at 52 and Jonathan Rea at 45.
– Tom Sykes has more than double the podium finishes than his closest current competitor Rea, who stands at 5. Tom Sykes has also secured a podium in his last 10 races here. In WorldSBK history only Carl Fogarty managed a longer run of podiums on a given track: 15 at Assen from 1992 Race 2 to 1999 Race 2. If Tom Sykes wins Race 1, he will accomplish an unprecedented feat in WorldSBK history: winning on a given track for 9 straight times.
– Tom Sykes will try to become the first rider to claim a fifth pole at Donington: he shares the record of four with Carl Fogarty. He is the only rider on the current grid to have started from pole here.
– There are only two riders in the current field who have won a WorldSBK race at Donington: Jonathan Rea (1), Marco Melandri (2) and Tom Sykes (8).
– Donington has recently favoured breakaway wins: only two races in the last 16 were won with a margin smaller than one second at the flag (both 2012 ones).
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