SHAUN Muir’s Guisborough-based official BMW Motorrad World Superbike Team enjoyed a successful weekend at Donington Park when they celebrated their first three podiums of the season in the FIM Superbike World Championship for the new BMW M 1000 RR.

In Sunday’s Superpole race, Yorkshireman Tom Sykes, and Dutch rider Michael van der Mark finished second and third to record a double podium, while Sykes finished third in the afternoon’s second main race to reach the rostrum once again as Van der Mark crossed the finish line in fifth place.

The SMR team had laid the foundations for Sunday’s success the day before when the pairing finished fourth and fifth respectively in tricky conditions in the opening 23-lap World Superbike Championship race as showers hit the East Midlands track.

Team Principal Shaun Muir said: “It was a fantastic weekend. It’s our home track and I think we stepped up. We’ve come back from a disappointing Misano round, and we have reacted well. Now we all are looking forward to the next round at Assen.”

  • In the domestic support races at Donington, Lanchester’s James Alderson won the opening Pirelli Junior Superstock race on his Triumph before crashing out of the second race and ruling himself out of race three. Crook rider Franco Bourne took a best result of seventh in the opening race whilst Peterlee’s Charlie Farrer took a 12th in the final race. Durham rider Jake Hopper claimed a pair of 34th places in the opening two races also.

Local crews impress at Anglesey

ANGLESEY circuit was the venue for the latest two rounds of the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship with MSVR and proved successful for a number of the region’s crews over the weekend.

Saturday saw Saltburn co-driver Neil Colman guide Mark Kelly to victory on the Lee Holland Memorial Stages Rally before repeating the feat in their Ford Fiesta R5 on Sunday’s Altratec SMC Stages Rally.

Bedale Ford Fiesta star Joe Cunningham followed up his and co-driver Josh Beer’s third place on Saturday with a second on Sunday whilst Scruton’s Kevin Procter and co-driver Patrick Walsh overcame problems to finish 15th on Saturday before posting a more respectable fourth on Sunday in their Ford Fiesta S2000.

Northallerton co-driver Georgina Smith guided Graham Coffey to sixth and tenth place finishes overall in their Ford Fiesta S2000 whilst Crook’s David Henderson was another driver to suffer problems on Saturday but bounced back in the Ford Escort he was sharing with Chris Williams to post ninth overall and second in class on Sunday.

Northallerton’s Marc Fowler helped Scottish driver Ashleigh Morris to 37th overall and second in class in their 1600cc Ford Fiesta on Saturday with Mickleton’s David Hutchinson and nephew Joe in the co-driver’s seat of their Renault Clio claiming 39th overall and fourth in class.