STATS ROUND-UP: the big milestones achieved at Donington Park
From long waits to a round numbers and a slender points lead, Donington Park had it all
A titanic 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season has really ignited with a dramatic Prosecco DOC UK Round at Donington Park, with plenty of big headlines made. However, amidst all of the headlines come a raft of stats, facts and trivia, with a huge amount of big numbers and historic achievements. From a first double podium for BMW since 2013 to Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) giving Yamaha an 85th win and taking the Championship lead, take a look at all of the big statistical stories from Donington Park.
2013 – For the first time since the Nurburgring in 2013’s Race 2, BMW were able to achieve a double podium finish. In 2013, it was with Chaz Davies winning and Marco Melandri in third, whereas this time, it was with Tom Sykes in second and Michael van der Mark in third in the Tissot Superpole Race. Back in 2013, Tom Sykes was also in the race and was fourth, whilst Michael van der Mark finished in fifth place in the World Supersport race.
645 – Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had to wait 645 days for his next podium in WorldSBK, and then two came along on the same day.
285 – Great Britain has now achieved 285 wins in WorldSBK, courtesy of Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) Tissot Superpole Race victory.
240 – Kawasaki took a 240th consecutive point-scoring finish in Race 2 at Donington Park, although the record belongs to Ducati at 344.
200/28 – In his 200th race (Race 1), Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was able to take a 28th career podium.
85 – Toprak Razgatlioglu’s win for Yamaha in Race 2 was the 85th in Yamaha’s WorldSBK history.
48 – BMW’s three podium places at Donington elevates them to 48 overall.
33 – Razgatlioglu’s podium in Race 2 means it was a 33rd for him and Turkey, putting them just three behind Ireland.
18 – Razgatlioglu is level on podium places for Yamaha with Marco Melandri. The all-time Yamaha record podium holder is Noriyuki Haga with 71, spanning from 1 1996 to 2008.
12/300 – Sykes’ first podium and his most recent podium are separated by 12 years and 300 days, ironically at the same circuit too – 2008 Race 1 at Donington Park on a Suzuki, and then BMW in the Tissot Superpole Race and Race 2 at Donington Park in 2021.
10 – Razgatlioglu ahead of Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in Race 2 made for Yamaha’s 10th 1-2 in WorldSBK.
4 – For the first time in his career, Jonathan Rea achieved four consecutive pole positions at the start of the season.
2 – The gap at the top of the Championship is two points, with Toprak Razgatlioglu ahead of Jonathan Rea.
0.546s – The gap between Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Leon Haslam (Team HRC) in the Tissot Superpole Race, with van der Mark denying Haslam a first podium since rejoining Honda.
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