Free Practice 1 (FP1)
The opening session saw varying track conditions, described as “Cloudy / Wet” in the official results.
- Jack Kennedy (Honda Racing UK) set the pace with a time of 1:40.226
- Benjamin Currie (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) was second, 1.036s behind
- TJ Toms (R&R Racing) completed the top three, 1.055s off the lead
Notable performances:
- Shane Richardson and Rhys Irwin rounded out the top five
- GP2 class saw Keo Walker finished 12th overall, fastest in his class
- Cameron Hall was the fastest Cup rider in 16th place overall
Free Practice 2 (FP2)
The second session saw significantly faster times as the track conditions improved to “Sunny / Dry”.
- Benjamin Currie (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) topped the timesheets with 1:31.202
- Luke Stapleford (Macadam Triumph Racing) was second, 0.079s behind
- TJ Toms (R&R Racing) took third, 0.114s off the pace
Key points:
- Eugene McManus and Jack Kennedy completed the top five
- GP2 Champion Owen Jenner was the fastest GP2 rider, finishing 10th overall
- Tom Tunstall led the Cup entries in 25th place overall
Combined Results
The combined results from both sessions determine the final standings for the day.
- Benjamin Currie (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) – 1:31.202
- Luke Stapleford (Macadam Triumph Racing) – +0.079s
- TJ Toms (R&R Racing) – +0.114s
- Eugene McManus (ROKiT Haslam Racing Ducati) – +0.880s
- Jack Kennedy (Honda Racing UK) – +0.896s
- Harry Truelove (Astro-JJR Suzuki) – +1.054s
- Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) – +1.187s
- Lee Johnston (Ashcourt Racing) – +1.254s
- Shane Richardson (Astro-JJR Hippo Suzuki) – +1.308s
- Owen Jenner (Kramer Racing) – +1.430s (1st in GP2 class)
GP2 Class Top 3:
- Owen Jenner (Kramer Racing) – 10th overall
- Jack Nixon (Kramer Racing) – 26th overall
- Keo Walker (RD Racing) – 29th overall
Cup Class Top 3:
- Tom Tunstall (SRG Specialist Risk Group) – 25th overall
- Joe Farragher (ROKiT Rookies Kawasaki) – 30th overall
- Lewis Jones (Lewis Jones Racing) – 31st overall
Analysis
- Defending champion Ben Currie showed strong form, especially in FP2, setting the fastest time of the day.
- The improving track conditions led to a significant drop in lap times between FP1 and FP2, with over 9 seconds difference between the fastest laps.
- Luke Stapleford and TJ Toms were very close to Currie’s pace, promising a tight battle at the front.
- In the GP2 class, Owen Jenner demonstrated his championship-winning form by finishing 10th overall and well ahead of his class rivals.
- The Cup class saw close competition, with Tom Tunstall leading the way.
- The top 10 riders in the combined results were separated by just 1.430 seconds, indicating a competitive field.
- Several riders had lap times cancelled due to track limit violations, particularly in FP2, suggesting the dry conditions allowed riders to push the limits more.
The close times at the front and the competitive showing across all classes set the stage for an exciting qualifying session and races to come in this round at Donington Park.