Ben Currie was back on his Oxford Products Racing Ducati V2 at Donington Park this weekend, trying out multiple new parts during the R&G Official Test, the first event on the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship calendar.

Running the blue No.1 plate for the first time, Australian Ben and the Winchester-based team had a positive test despite the windy conditions, and head to Navarra, Spain for the next test (16-19 April) and opening BSB round (20-21 April) feeling bouyant.

“There are a lot of new parts that are homologated for this year on the Ducati V2, so it’s a bit like a brand-new bike. We’ve changed the bike quite a lot and I know Wilf’s put a lot of work in designing the bikes’ chassis, pre-set up if you like. There’s been a lot of months of homework and analysis to try and come here to the Donington test with a pretty good base.

The key in the pre-season was designing the package on the 2D modelling system. Wilf and the guys did an amazing job designing the bike before it even span a lap. So much effort went into not just designing, but also making those parts, and my God Wilf nailed it.

Day 1 we started off just working through the programme we planned, evaluating each separate part; what it does, the positives, the negatives. We’ve been trying to fine tune an overall package. The weather played ball, the temperature was good, so the first day testing was an absolute tick.

Going into Day 2 it was just a matter of waiting and hoping that the weather would play ball so we could pick up where we left off. Unfortunately, in the morning it was just a little bit hit and miss, with weather blowing in and even more severe wind. The wind was always going to be one of the main factors of this test, more than the temperature. But luckily in the afternoon, despite some little spits of rain, I felt we managed to piece it all together and go out there and push. It was really the first time throughout the whole test that we really dug in to try and do a lap.

But what an amazing job the team have done to fine tune the bike. We haven’t been doing massive changes during the test, but they’ve really tuned those fine details and given me the confidence to push. Even with those spits of rain and 30mph gusts we were only two tenths off last year’s pole time I did here. Hats off to the boys, our hard work has paid off over winter.

So, it’s been a great weekend testing, and made all the better that both my and the team’s sponsor R&G were also the official sponsors of the test. Wearing their logo on my crash helmet and leathers I felt that we also did them proud too.

Now we pack up and head to Spain, evaluate the data, see if we can make another step, and go start the season properly.”