It’s where it all began; on a cold Sunday morning in 1988, some of the best motorcycle racers in the world tried their hand in a new Championship, little did they know that they would sign their names in history as being at the forefront of what would go on to be, and what continues to be, one of the most popular and fastest-growing motorsport Championships in the world. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was born in the United Kingdom and at the Donington Park circuit, and whilst time moves on, memories are never gone. In this feature, we look back through history at WorldSBK at Donington Park, and why 2023 promises to be a classic weekend for the record books.
THE START: big names, big optimism
On April 3rd, 1988, race day dawned the FIM Superbike World Championship got ready to kick off. The fans were happy with home-hero Roger Burnett taking pole, but it was Italians Davide Tardozzi and 1981 500cc Grand Prix World Champion Marco Lucchinelli who won. Eventual 1988 Champion Fred Merkel stood on the podium in Race 2, whilst road racing legend Joey Dunlop was third in Race 1. A successful first round continued and in 1989, the grids were bigger and stronger; Fabrizio Pirovano and Giancarlo Falappa took the victories at Donington Park, whilst in 1990, it was Merkel and Falappa. Top six in both 1990 races, Carl Fogarty – he’d take another top ten in 1991.
THE FOGGY YEARS: Britain’s ‘King Carl’ dazzled at Donington Park
After a few appearances in 1990 and 1991, 1992 would be where the history really started for some riders, with Carl Fogarty taking his first of what would go on to be 59 wins in WorldSBK. A Race 2 winner, it would be Fogarty’s only win of the season, but momentum was building for the boy from Blackburn, who was now making a name for himself on uncompetitive machinery. Despite a Donington Park disaster in 1993 when he finished second in Race 1 and crashed in Race 2, he was back to his best in 1994, winning the opening race of the season at the circuit. However, a tricky second visit to Donington Park denied Fogarty the title at home, although he’d go on to take it in Australia. A “love-hate relationship” as he recently described it, 1995 would be his best yet.
WorldSBK’s popularity snowballed due to Fogarty’s success, nowhere more-so than in the UK, where the crowds were turning out in their tens of thousands. He did the double at Donington Park in 1995 before taking his form to Brands Hatch, where he doubled up again; he’s still the only British rider to do the double at two different British tracks in the same year. His move to Honda was unsuccessful in terms of wins at Donington Park in 1996, but he was second and first in 1997. A final win on British soil came in 1999 in Race 1, closing the circle at the circuit of which his success first started on.
A NEW HERO, THE WILDCARD YEAR: the crowds go crazy
After Carl Fogarty’s career-ending accident at Phillip Island during Round 2 of the 2000 season, there was an air of ‘who next’ in the UK. Despite the question mark, plenty of home favourites put their name in the shop window for the years that’d follow. Neil Hodgson was back on the WorldSBK grid, having last appeared in 1998 on a Kawasaki, before heading back to BSB to get his confidence up. Now working with legendary team boss Colin Wright, the GSE Ducati team fielded a wildcard, and it’d go on to be one of the most celebrated races ever.
Third in Race 1, Hodgson capitalised on Pierfrancesco Chili’s fading tyre life at the end of Race 2 to pass him into the Foggy Esses on the final lap, sending 100,000 fans into chaos. The cheering was deafening as fellow wildcard Chris Walker got through too, making it the first ever British 1-2; the future after Fogarty was in safe hands and, at least for a day, there was a new king.
THE COMEBACK: 2007 welcomes back a classic with a classic
Off the calendar from 2002 until 2007, Donington Park’s long-awaited comeback was special, as James Toseland chased down a second World Championship. Born just up the road in Sheffield, it was as close to home as he’d ever race and in Race 1, he delivered a win. Race 2 was different as a mechanical problem on Lap 4 took him out, leaving Noriyuki Haga, Max Biaggi and Troy Corser to battle it out. Biaggi looked like he had it in won but a mistake at the final corner on the final lap saw Haga get under him and beat him on the run to the line; it was an emphatic return.
In 2008, wet weather played havoc with the riders as they had to contend with the typical British rain, although that didn’t stop Ryuichi Kiyonari on the Ten Kate Honda from putting in one of the best masterclasses in bike control you’ll ever see as he skated around, sideways-on in the rain. The races were tense, but it would be Troy Bayliss’ final win in the UK – his career having started in BSB, making it all the more special – whilst Ryuichi Kiyonari took profit of a rain-soaked Race 2 to come out on top for the final time in his WorldSBK career. Stars were also uncovered in Tom Sykes and Cal Crutchlow, who took rostrums in Race 1 and 2 respectively. 2009 was calmer as Ben Spies took a dominant double, although Leon Camier wilcarded and took his GSE Yamaha to sixth in Race 2.
BRITISH DOMINATION: always a home-coming to be proud of
The last time a British rider didn’t win at Donington Park was 2011, and even then, the ever-popular Marco Melandri won his first ever WorldSBK race in Race 1 whilst Championship designate Carlos Checa took Race 2 – unbelievably, Ducati’s last win to-date at the venue. In 2012, Jonathan Rea barged his way through at the final corner to win, although this would be at the expense of Leon Haslam and Marco Melandri as both were taken out and denied a second BMW 1-2 of the day.
From 2013, Donington Park became synonymous with one rider: Tom Sykes. A double in 2013 and then every year until Race 1 2017, Sykes was a magician. One of his finest wins was in 2014, where that famous Donington Park magic came to fruition once more. Dropping to 11th but leading before going head-to-head with teammate Loris Baz for Race 1 victory, Sykes held firm for victory. More magic came in Race 2 2017, but this time it wasn’t for Sykes – his nine-race run ended as Jonathan Rea took a first Donington Park win with Kawasaki in Race 2, the 100th WorldSBK win for Kawasaki.
THE LATEST CHAPTER OF MAGIC: first time wins and majestic first laps
In recent years, we’ve seen some of the biggest surprises and magical moments; in 2018, Michael van der Mark swept to a double, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu beat Jonathan Rea in Race 2 to take second and a first WorldSBK podium. In 2019, with three races a weekend, Rea was yet to take a hat-trick and he was also yet to lead the Championship – he achieved both that weekend, as Alvaro Bautista’s year started to fall apart, and he made it a triple. A year off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic made 2021 all the more special, with Toprak Razgatlioglu’s stunning opening lap in Race 1 and the battle between him and Rea in Race 2, which saw Rea crash and Razgatlioglu take the lead of the Championship for the first time. 2022 gave a historic first triple of Razgatlioglu’s career and whilst the 2023 season arrives with a new dynamic, the same unpredictability will come to fruition in the UK.
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Photo: Gold and Goose Photography
Source: WorldSBK.com