A third consecutive sixth place finish sees Ben Currie third in the British Supersport championship

Ben Currie’s afternoon got off to a brilliant start after he stuck his Oxford Products Racing Ducati Panigale V2 on the front row of the grid for the opening race at Oulton Park after qualifying earlier in the day in second place.

Ben got the holeshot to lead the race and opening laps and was looking strong on the Panigale V2. But he ran on at Lodge Corner whilst leading and was lucky to keep the bike upright, although by the time he re-joined the track he was down to eighth. He fought back to regain a couple of positions in the short eight lap race to pass the chequered flag in sixth.

Ben now sits third in the championship and will start tomorrow’s race from fifth on the grid.

Ben Currie
Oxford Products Racing Ducati #61 – 6th

“It's been a hell of a weekend so far to be honest. Starting off in the first free practice we topped the time sheets. Everyone was in great spirits. Rain affected the second session and it was neither here or there with the wet and dry so no one really went out on that one. We qualified with a sort of a guess setting because we didn't do the test, and have had minimal laps here with the Panigale V2. Went into qualifying, felt brilliant in the wet, and put it on the front row. Exactly what we went out there to do, second in the middle of front row, very happy, and ready to fight for that Sprint race. 

Race came around, we got the holeshot into the first turn. Just thought right, head down now, and try and get this win. Managed to check out with two other riders, we had a massive gap to the rest of the field. Started dicing a little bit and I dropped back to second, sat in there for a couple of corners and thought I needed to get back into the lead and try and pull the pin, as I felt like I had a little bit more to go at the front.

But made a mistake, it was nearly curtains for me. Ran onto the gravel, had to save it, come back through onto the grass. I managed to salvage a sixth in the end, which is not. Ideal, but considering it could have been a quite easily zero points, I'll take the I'll take the sixth position. We move to third in the championship and it's a long way to go, so we’re happy with how we're doing so far.”

Unlucky start to the 2023 British Superbike season for Christian Iddon

The Bennetts British Superbike Championship’s opening round took place at Silverstone this weekend, but unfortunately it was one to forget for Oxford Products Racing Ducati and Christian Iddon.

The opening race on Saturday saw Iddon hit with technical issues, bringing his Panigale V4 R home at the back of the field, while the second race the following day ending in a DNF after Iddon was taken out unhurt on Lap 5 by Charlie Nesbitt at Luffield.

A lack of race laps resulted in a poor grid position for Sunday’s final race, with Iddon having his work cut out. But he was at least able to finish his race in a points-scoring position in 11th.

Iddon and the team now look ahead to Round Two at Oulton Park later this month, where we will have time to regroup and start our 2023 BSB campaign afresh.

Christian Iddon
Oxford Products Racing Ducati #21

“100% not the not the weekend we'd all hoped for. Expected actually, not necessarily hoped for, but what we expect. And it was a million miles from that. Free practice everything was actually going quite well.

Qualified so-so, but I just got really bad start for the first race and was involved in a little bit of a difficult first lap. That that made things difficult and then we suffered the technical issue, so I finished, but finished last in the first race which was annoying, and that gave me a really bad grid slot for the second race.

And then I got took out really early in the second race, which gave me a horrendous grid slot for Race 3. It's just a snowball effect.

The last race I did the best I could. I'll always do that, but it was only good enough for 11th at the flag which is really not acceptable. But we lost a lot of information from the full-length race, the race before, and then the bike started to do things and the last four-five laps that I sort of wasn't really ready for. We look to regroup, move onward and upward to the next round.”

Ben Currie leaves Silverstone fourth in the Supersport championship after a consecutive sixth place finish

Oxford Products Racing Ducati’s Ben Currie scored a consecutive sixth place finish in the second Quattro Group British Supersport race at Silverstone.

Starting from fifth on the grid on the Ducati Panigale V2, Currie slipped down a position on the opening lap but was back up to his start position after Tom Booth-Amos crashed out from third on Lap 4.

By Lap 10 Currie was up to fourth but as the laps mounted the leading trio of riders ahead were able to break away. Under pressure from Jaimie van Sikkelerus in the closing stages, Currie was eventually passed on the final lap. Currie closed sixth as top Ducati once again, five seconds clear of Blaze Baker in seventh on the Ready 4 Racing Vision Team Ducati.

Currie’s two sixth places see him leave Silverstone fourth in the championship, a solid start to his season with the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team.

Ben Currie (Oxford Products Racing Ducati #61)
“Pretty happy with the overall weekend, times two sixth places. Obviously not what we set out to do, but I'll take it. It's good solid points. We’re fourth in the championship. Race went really well actually. We made a little improvement from race one. We managed to be able to sit in there with the lead guys and feel strong, but just as the race went on it just made it a little bit difficult for me to stay with them. Pace is really good. Credit to all those guys, they’re riding really well.  We've got a little bit of work to do. We need to find out what we need to make it a little bit easier for me in the back end of that race.

 It's a quirky little track here at Silverstone, so we don't read too much into it because it can be a little bit different to how the season is going to pan out. But nonetheless it's good data. I'm feeling happy, fit and strong, team are working fantastic so let's just keep working hard and head onto Oulton Park for Round Two and try again, and hopefully we get some podiums.”

Top 6 finish for Ben Currie in his first race with Oxford Products Racing Ducati

The Bennetts British Superbike Championship started its 2023 season at Silverstone this weekend, with the first Quattro Group British Supersport race taking place on Saturday afternoon.

Making his race debut with Oxford Products Racing Ducati, Ben Currie had qualified on the second row on the Panigale V2 in sixth place. He got a great start as was into third on his opening lap. But as the race progressed, he dropped down the order to sixth, ultimately taking the chequered flag in that same position.

Ben Currie (Oxford Products Racing Ducati #61)

“It was a really tough race. Digging in out there as the pace was really hot, under the lap record every lap. But it was great to get that first race under our belt and get that data. We finished P6 in the end, obviously not what we want. We want to win every race. But we kept it sunny side up when we could have quite easily made a mistake out there pushing too hard. I feel like I got the maximum out of the package today but now we go to work tonight, and we try and find what we're missing in the last little part of the lap. Hopefully we can challenge tomorrow, but if not, we'll give everything our best and will hopefully come away with some solid points.”

The 2023 BSB season is go!

The opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike championship takes place this weekend at Silverstone, Ducati UK's home circuit.

And this year Oxford Products Ducati Racing will be fielding not one but two riders. Christian Iddon is back on a Ducati Panigale V4 R as our new superbike rider, while Ben Currie will contest the British Supersport championship on a Panigale V2.

Oxford Products Racing Ducati join forces with Christian Iddon for 2023 Bennetts BSB

Oxford Products Racing Ducati have announced the signing of Christian Iddon for the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship, as the multiple race-winner joins the team in their bid for the title next season.

The team based at their Moto Rapido Ducati dealership in Winchester have become firm title contenders since their debut Superbike season in 2011, scoring their best championship finish with the runner-up position in 2021 and a third place in their 2019 and 2022 campaigns.

Iddon joins the team having previously celebrated his best results in Bennetts BSB with Ducati, finishing third and fourth in the title battle in the 2020 and 2021 seasons respectively; with his first race win in the series also coming with the Italian manufacturer.

The team also extend their title partnership with Oxford Products, who enter their fifth consecutive season of association with Moto Rapido Ducati in 2023.

Iddon said: “Ducati is the manufacturer that I have had the most success with when I had two fantastic years on the bike previously. My 2021 season was much better than my 2020 season but the end result didn’t reflect it, it was circumstance that did. I felt I was getting stronger all the time on it so it feels great to be heading back to Ducati and to a new team for me with Oxford Products Racing Ducati.

Moto Rapido is a team that I have kept an eye on for a while, I have always been pals with the Team Owner Steve, so hopefully that stays! It is a team that has always had success, but in the last couple of years, they have had even more. They have really stepped up with the combined effort of rider with Tommy [Bridewell] and the team in recent years.

“Certainly last year they were the Ducati team who had everything required to take the fight for the championship and that is the important part for me. They are a team who are constantly developing and very technically minded which I believe will suit me. I am really looking forward to the challenge and what it may bring.

“I am coming off the back of what I think has been my hardest ever year in the championship. I have had worst seasons with injuries, but I have never had one where the effort and the possibility was so contrasting to the actual result that we actually got because I believe we had the potential. That is the nature of the beast and that is racing and sport.

“I am really looking forward now to trying to right those wrongs and get back to where I believe I should be and setting my sights back on my goal, which is to be British Champion.”

Team Owner Steve Moore commented: ”Firstly, thank you to Oxford Products for their continued support. We have gone from strength to strength with their help and we look forward to continuing to reward them with another fantastic season in 2023. They are a company with racing in their heart and they have become an integral part of our racing. Thanks to the boss Andrew Hammond for the continued and increased support even in these uncertain times. I know BSB fans will be sure to pick something from the Oxford shelves in their local dealerships too.

“I’m also very pleased to welcome Christian to the team; he was the number one choice for me. His experience of Ducati and the great form he had on the V4R before is confidence inspiring. The bike has developed substantially since he last rode it, so I can’t wait to get him on our bike and begin making it work for him with the 2023 updates.

“I am sure he will thrive with the focus of being in a one rider team. I’ve already had many technical conversations with him and we seem to be on the same page - he’s as nerdy as me with the technical details so we do get along really well and that’s key to the racing family ethic in our team.  He even seems to have a sense of humour too, which he’ll need!”