Pivotal Weekend in Store as Yamaha Return to Donington Park
Round 8 of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship is set to be held at Donington Park this weekend. For Yamaha Motor UK, tension is beginning to build ahead of a pivotal part of the season. This marks the final stop on the calendar before the series showdown.
The upcoming weekend will play host to an extra opportunity to bag some points for the standings. There are four separate sprint races lying in the pipeline throughout Saturday and Sunday.
The weekend in Leicestershire will replicate a standard structure until Sunday. Saturday’s duo of qualifying sessions lie ahead of the opening race of the weekend.
Sunday’s schedule is set to be a busy one. There are three 12-lap sprint races following morning warm-up. These will take place at 10:45, 13:30 and 16:30.
Heading into the weekend, Nitrous Competitions Racing and the reigning Bennetts BSB Champion, Kyle Ryde, sit at the top of the standings by just two points. They lead R1 counterparts, Raceways Yamaha and Brad Ray.
After securing an impressive double victory at Cadwell Park last time out, home hero Ryde is heading into the weekend with high hopes and momentum.
He is targeting an extended championship lead. As the series heads into its final three rounds, Ryde aims for consistency.
During the last visit to his home venue at the start of the season, Ryde secured a coup of second-place finishes. This demonstrated his prowess around the 2.49-mile circuit.
On the other side of the Nitrous Competitions Racing garage, Glenn Irwin heads into the weekend aiming to further adjust to the Yamaha R1 superbike. He achieved his best race finish aboard Yamaha machinery of tenth last time out. Hopes are high for a productive weekend of track action.
For Ray and the Raceways Yamaha outfit, this weekend at Donington Park is set to be a crucial one.
After a spell of bad luck at Cadwell Park two weeks ago, the team are eager to get back on track. They aim to reclaim their spot at the top of the championship order.
The 2022 Bennetts BSB Champ of Ray stormed to a triple victory at Donington Park in Round 2 of 2025. This bodes well for this weekend’s campaign.
Ahead of the Donington Park weekend, McAMS Racing and Danny Kent are hopeful to mount a successful weekend. They have gained momentum throughout the past three rounds.
The second half of the year has seen the family-run squad secure two Bennetts BSB race wins and three separate podium finishes. These results have catapulted them up the order to sit in fourth in the championship standings. They are only ten points behind the top three.
They are ahead of this weekend’s track action.
At a circuit which has historically played into the strengths of the R1, Yamaha’s trio of riders are heading into the weekend with confident minds.
In Race 3 of the championship’s second visit to the venue in 2024, Ryde, Kent and former Bennetts BSB title contender, Ryan Vickers, produced a sensational 1-2-3 finish.
This further established the Yamaha’s reputation at one of the most iconic circuits in the UK
In the Pirelli National Sportbike Championship, lead R7 BLU CRU rider, Rossi Banham, is eager to make additional progress. He finished as the top Yamaha rider at Cadwell Park last time out.
The RB-Racing rider achieved two top ten finishes at the championship’s last visit to the venue. He looks forward to making further steps forward to achieve a season-best race result in the upcoming race meeting.
Kyle Ryde
Nitrous Competitions Racing
“I can’t wait to get back to work at Donington Park this weekend. Being my home circuit, it’s one of my absolute favourites on the calendar, and I’ve done more laps around there than I could ever count. That gives me and the team a lot of confidence heading into the weekend. It’s a great feeling to arrive at the top of the championship standings, and the goal now is to keep doing what we’ve been doing – stay consistent, score strong points, and keep fighting at the front.”
Bradley Ray
Raceways Yamaha
“The team and I head into the weekend determined to get our championship back on track. The last few rounds have been challenging, and while there have been some strong results along the way, I know we haven’t been showing our true potential. That said, we’re feeling confident. Taking the triple victory at Donington earlier in the season was a huge highlight, and I’m eager to replicate that form this weekend. The team has regrouped, refocused, and we’re ready to come out swinging. We have everything we need to deliver strong results at the front.”
Danny Kent
McAMS Racing
“I’m excited to return to the familiar circuit of Donington Park. As expected, Cadwell Park brought its challenges, but our speed was clear to see, and that gives the whole team confidence moving forward. Donington has always been a strong track for me, with several podium finishes in the past, and we’re eager to build on that history and deliver the same level of performance this weekend.”