Bridewell is top Duke
Bad starts for Sykes and Brookes, but Bridewell limits damage
Tommy Bridewell led the charge for Ducati on their least-favourite circuit, but it was a weekend to forget for MCE Ducati’s Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes at Silverstone, with the pair taking a grand total of 12 points between them and a best result of 11th.
Whilst the Silverstone National Circuit isn’t a Ducati-friendly track – the Italian manufacturer have never won there – Brookes did take two podiums last season. This year was a different story, with the V4 R struggling for traction under acceleration.
It’s the final sector which hit the V4 R hard, with the team losing anywhere between three and five tenths through Brooklands where Sykes had a huge highside in race two and damaged his ankle.
Despite working tirelessly across the weekend, changing several parts and components, Ducati could not find a solution.
“This layout really highlights the areas that we struggle with,” Brookes told MCN. “The reality is that the pace has moved on, it definitely has stepped up at the front. I’m disappointed in that it’s just tarmac and corners; we should be able to make the bike work here.
“To me, the logical side of my brain is saying that this doesn’t make sense. The practical side is saying well, this is what it is, you’re just going to accept it – but I don’t want to do that, I want to move forwards.”
For Bridewell, there were some positives. He could hold his own coming out of the final corner thanks to recent upgrades with the spec of his V4 R to improve overall balance of the bike.
‘The reality is that the pace has moved on’ JOSH BROOKES