This weekend, the eighth round of the FIM Supersport World Championship takes place at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. The historic venue hosted the very first World Superbike race and has remained a staple on the WorldSBK calendar ever since.

Following a challenging weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, the World Supersport Championship resumes at Donington Park. The British circuit is known for its fast and flowing opening sector, while the final section is more of a stop-and-go layout featuring two heavy braking zones and several tight corners.

Can Öncü claimed his sixth podium finish of the season in Race 1 at Misano, but Race 2 proved to be considerably more difficult. The Turkish rider and Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing have used the break to prepare thoroughly for this weekend’s event at Donington Park, where Öncü claimed victory in Race 2 last year.

For Yuki Okamoto, the weekend will once again be all about gaining experience. After crashing during the Superpole session at Donington Park last year, the Japanese rider was unable to take any further part in the event. Together with the team, he will be aiming to score points once again this weekend.

Can Öncü:
“It feels like quite a long time since we last raced. Donington Park is a great circuit that I really enjoy, so I’m looking forward to racing there again this weekend. We started strongly in Misano, but unfortunately we couldn’t convert that into good race results. Together with the team, we’ll work hard this weekend to get back onto the podium.”

Yuki Okamoto:
“It has been a little while since the last round, so I’m happy that we’re finally going back racing again. Last year I wasn’t able to ride much at Donington Park due to an early injury, so the most important thing for me this weekend is to complete as many laps as possible and keep building my pace. I am looking forward to start working again with my team and hopefully we’ll have a good weekend.”

Kervin Bos – Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing team manager:
“It’s time for our annual trip to Donington Park. We used the past few weeks to reset after what was a very difficult weekend in Misano for both Can and Yuki. We’ve had the opportunity to prepare our package as well as possible, fine-tune the final details and get some well-earned rest, so we’re ready to get back on track in England this weekend. Can and Yuki have also used this period to work on themselves and make sure they’re in top shape both physically and mentally. For Yuki, it will be a challenging weekend as he suffered an early crash here last year, meaning he completed very few laps at Donington Park.

We’ll be welcoming many guests again this weekend, and our hospitality will be at full capacity. There are plenty of exciting activities planned, so the whole team is looking forward to getting back to racing in what will be the final round before the summer break.”

The race weekend at Donington Park gets underway with Free Practice on Friday morning, followed by the Superpole session at 16:00 local time (17:00 CEST). After Saturday morning’s Warm-Up, Race 1 is scheduled to start at 14:00 local time (15:00 CEST). Sunday’s schedule follows the same format, with a morning Warm-Up and Race 2 getting underway at 14:00 local time (15:00 CEST).