Boyd takes advantage of extra testing ahead of World Superbike showdown - The Solihull Observer

Boyd takes advantage of extra testing ahead of World Superbike showdown

Solihull Editorial 25th May, 2017   0

MOTORCYCLE RACING: TAMWORTH-in-Arden racer Joshua Boyd took advantage of some extra testing at Donington Park last week ahead of the World Superbike support race this weekend.

British Superbike gave the Superstock 1000 class the chance to enter round three of the club event due to reduced track time at World Superbikes, as there is usually a testing ban held at any circuit you are due to race at within seven days.

After missing out on the Oulton Park test before round three it was clear additional testing prior to the WSBK event was needed to give a better base to start from.

Practice and qualifying sessions in the No Limits Championship are half of what are given in the British Superbikes so there was limited opportunities to make adjustments during the sessions.




Saturday saw small progression in free practice and Boyd qualified in 4th position.

Rain was forecast for race one, but that passed over earlier than expected.


Although the track had started to dry quickly before the race start, it was decided to use wet weather tyres to minimise the risk of hitting unknown damp patches.

Boyd was soon in the lead, but as there was nothing to gain with regards to setup or sector improvements opted to take it steady.

This allowed David Hall to take the lead and Boyd finished the race in second position.

No rain was forecast for Sunday’s races which meant the team continued to improve the work from free practice and qualifying to focus on improving the bike setup in the dry.

Boyd started race two from second on the grid and improved his lap time in each sector.

However the BMW wasn’t keen to close the corners which meant it took longer before picking the bike up and getting back on the throttle.

Boyd finished in third position but with a clear idea of what settings to improve.

Small adjustments were made for race three.

Boyd finished the 15-lap race third again.

He said: “After passing Daniel Wagstaff in the early laps for 3rd, I held my position.

“I significantly dropped my average race pace by two seconds with my personal best lap being a second quicker than what I lapped back at Round 1 in April of the British Superbike Championship Superstock 1000.”

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