2025 Official Donington Park British Superbike Test Results - Day 1 (Friday)

Individual session and combined day one time times from Friday at the second official 2025 British Superbikes test at Donington Park, which saw Glenn Irwin go faster in the final track session to finish day one ahead.

Glenn Irwin again looked the rider to beat, back out after the rain at Donington Park for a best of 1m 27.022s - a new BSB lap record.

The third and final session at an overcast Donington had looked to be a washout, with Kyle Ryde top for much of the hour duration, thanks to his early exit from the pits as the session got the green light. The rain finally abated and the Hagar PBM Ducati rider soon made up for lost time.

Irwin had already topped the opening test in Spain, with Kent and Bridewell in the top three.

Kyle Ryde also picked up the pace to set the second fastest time of the day in the same session - with the OMG Nitrous Competitions rider truly re-settled on his Yamaha.

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The Leicestershire track brought the first 2025 track time for the new #1 plated rider. The reigning BSB champion had been ride-less at the eleventh hour, with OMG’s troubles announced on the eve of the last test at Navarra.  OMG Racing were able to secure a late deal with Nitrous Competitions to get the #77 back on track, just in time for the test at his favoured circuit, with essentially the same bike, with a different livery.

Danny Kent left it late in the final session to post the third best time of the day. The McAMS Yamaha rider was running two different bikes as he did in Navarra, an all black bike as well as one in race livery as he continued his set up testing regime.

Fourth on Friday went to Leon Haslam, thanks to his session one topping lap for Moto Rapido Ducati.

Donington is also the first track time for the AJN Steelblock Kawasaki team, with Max Cook immediately sharp, the top bike for the manufacturer in fifth overall, but the first rider out of the 1m 27s benchmark.

Also back in action was Bradley Ray, now also in a one man team with Raceways Yamaha after the OMG deal hit trouble. The 2022 champion and the team, who recently raced under the McAMS Yamaha banner until 2023 proved to not be too rusty as they posted the sixth quickest time.

Andrew Irwin was the best of the Honda Racing UK riders in seventh, Josh Brookes continued his solid start since a move to DAO Racing and Honda machinery in eighth.

Christian Iddon was back on track and not far behind teammate Cook in ninth with TAG Honda rider Fraser Rogers out testing after picking up a finger injury in his Navarra crash, which brought out the red flag at the time, bouncing back to complete the top ten.

Eleventh placed John McPhee, Twelfth placed Charlie Nesbitt and Lee Jackson in 13th all improved in the final session, with an excellent performance in session two from newcomer Scott Swann placing him 14th quickest, just ahead of Billy McConnell, who set his best in the same session.

Tommy Bridewell illustrated perfectly in session three why most of the riders were cautiously sat in the pits, avoiding injury and motorcycle damage as the rain worsened. The #46 saw his Honda Racing bike off track at Redgate, the only crash of the day, leaving the former BSB champion 16th overall after day one.

Session by Session

The First session was lead by a Ducati - but not powered around by Irwin - as Leon Haslam looked super comfortable aboard his Moto Rapido bike, which saw him third fastest overall. Irwin finished that session second having lead for much of the hour after moving the goalposts and pulling out an advantage of over a second, before the rest responded. Ryde was third and top Yamaha on his first time out on track, with Kent and Ray completing the top five.

Brookes was top Honda in session one in sixth, while his return to track for 2025 saw Max Cook the best Kawasaki in the opening hour, in ninth.

The session was clean, with only ninth placed Lee Jackson taking a brief trip into the gravel early in the session at Melbourne, swiftly re-joining to finish his lap.

Session two was rain affected, with little progress made over the last 45 minutes. Again, Glenn Irwin caused a time gap, with a lap quicker than Haslam  but this time the weather stopped him being surpassed - leaving the Ducati rider top. Ryde was closest to the lead time before the downpour, with Ray third. Andrew Irwin was top Honda this time behind the Yamaha duo, with Brookes in the top five on that outing.

The changeable weather saw BSB newcomer Scott Swan make an impact, in the top ten in ninth for Send My Bag Racing by IWR Honda.

The third session looked to have been locked in by Ryde as the rain returned, before Irwin came back with his record lap. The Yamaha man held onto second in the session, with Danny Kent powering up to third when back on track on his second bike.

Cook was again the top Kawasaki in an improved fourth, just ahead of Bradley Ray. Bridewell remained the only faller.

A late addition to the grid, 2023 British Superstock champion  Richard Kerr is back in the paddock with the newly added MLav Racing team, as Michael Laverty extends his racing team to BSB. He finished Friday 28th.

He wasn’t the only rider struggling with his set-up as a frustrated looking Storm Stacey and his Bathams AJN Racing team couldn’t recreate what they had found in Spain in 22nd, while Rory Skinner was also off the pace in 24th for Cheshire Mouldings Ducati.

Unfortunately, there has been no home found for OMG’s third rider Joe Talbot, the would have been rookie announcing on social media confirming that the late restructure still means he has no home for the 2025 season.

Also absent from the track, but in the paddock with his SENCAT In Competition Aprilia team was Lewis Rollo, in a back brace as he tries to heal before round one.