Luca Wilkinson aka El Loco #76

Round 1 – Oulton Park

“Friday practice was OK. I didn’t feel great in the new leathers and had a small issue with the electronics on the bike (quickshifter and blipper), but it was OK. In qualifying I only got two laps in as the clutch failed, so we qualified at the back of the grid.

“Race 1 – Great start from last up to 14th and trying to push forward, but the new leathers really caused me pain. I’d never had arm pump and it was the worst feeling. I eventually had to retire on lap seven as it was becoming dangerous. So disappointed, but the right decision.

“Race 2 – Starting from P14 I had another brilliant start up to P8, settled in and was battling for P9, but the engine started overheating and I eventually got meatballed (black and orange flag). A really disappointing weekend, but the team worked so hard and we’ve now resolved the mechanical issues that were causing the problems. Roll on Donington Park.�

Round 2 – Donington Park

“Straight from my exams, it was a mad dash to get on track. Three laps to settle, then Nick pulled me in, told me what I needed to do, and I beat my previous PB by 2.1 seconds with a 1:41.9 to sit P9 by the end of the session. In qualifying I got onto the pace straight away and on my fourth flying lap went quicker still for a new PB of 1:40.8, putting me ninth on the grid. Really happy with a top-ten grid spot.

“Race 1 – A wet race! Not the best start as I spun up off the line, and on the first lap through Starkey’s a rider ahead lost the rear and sent me across the wet grass at 100mph – new underwear time! I jumped the access road and managed to rejoin just before Coppice, dead last. The safety car came out and caught the riders in front, so we lost the pack and I was 12.5s behind at the restart. I settled in, pushed as hard as I could, had a few little slides but brought it home in 9th, setting a time that put me on the front row in P2. Well pleased.

“Race 2 – I got a good start but Marley overtook, then up towards McLeans I dived up the inside of Ben to take P2, which I held until he got back past into the Esses. The first couple of laps we were all swapping positions, but with about five laps to go I got back into 2nd and tried to catch Marley. Unfortunately it started to rain slightly and I had a slide out of Melbourne which knocked my confidence, so I dropped back from the leading three. On the last lap Lewis came up my inside into Melbourne, then into Goddards I made a late dive up the inside and held it to the line, with Lewis only 0.01s behind. Very, very happy with the weekend and I can’t wait to go again at Knockhill.�

Zack Weston – #35

Round 1 – Oulton Park

“Definitely not the weekend I thought it would be – a bit of bad luck with technical issues that made the bike really difficult to ride. I did what I could in the races and brought it home. Donington is next weekend so we go again there. Thank you to everyone who makes it ±è´Ç²õ²õ¾±²ú±ô±ð.â€�

Round 2 – Donington Park

“Overall we made a good step with the bike. The team did an amazing job every session, solving technical issues and putting together set-ups. Qualifying wasn’t amazing as I couldn’t get into a rhythm, but I got stuck in during the race and moved forward. Race 2 started well and I was battling with a group of riders, but I struggled with rear grip in the latter stages. A massive thank you to the team for all their hard work this weekend. Roll on Knockhill, and thank you to everyone who makes it ±è´Ç²õ²õ¾±²ú±ô±ð.â€�

Craig Dance

Round 1 – Oulton Park

“A difficult weekend getting used to the bike and bedding in all the new gear in FP1 and FP2. Qualifying was decent in P30. I had pace and felt confident, but something felt wrong with the bike as I was basically last in every speed trap, which is unusual for me – we’re looking into it.

“Race 1 – DNF. On lap one a rider ahead had an issue and unfortunately I was directly behind him. I just managed to swerve in time but still ripped my fairings off, which meant I was shown the meatball flag to retire the bike. Race 2 – P31. I definitely felt I could have done a lot better, but it is what it is and we roll on to Round 2. Thanks to the team for getting my bike ready and looking fresh, and thank you to my sponsors who make all this ±è´Ç²õ²õ¾±²ú±ô±ð.â€�

Hudson Cooper – #27

Round 1 – Oulton Park

“The weekend at Oulton Park started on a very positive note as I continued to build confidence and pace in my debut season in the Moto4 British Cup. After running around the top ten in class throughout free practice, I qualified an impressive P7.

“In Race 1 I had a great start and was running competitively inside the top five. Unfortunately my race ended on the penultimate lap while running P5, after I lost the front through the dip in the chicane and crashed out of contention. I’d also like to apologise to Luke Fitchett, who hit my bike during the incident.

“During the crash I suffered a significant laceration to my neck after contact with the screen of the bike, as well as a knock to the head. The British Superbike Championship medical team were outstanding, providing exceptional care both at the circuit and during the assessments that followed. I was later diagnosed with concussion which, under championship regulations, ruled me out for 20 days – meaning I sadly missed Round 2 at Donington Park.

“While it was disappointing not to line up, the positives from Oulton Park far outweigh that. Qualifying P7 and battling with the front group for a top-five position showed the progress we’ve made and confirmed we have genuine top-ten pace in this highly competitive championship.

“I still attended Donington Park for Round 2 and took part in the Moto4 rider fitness test. It was great to support the NW Racing team all weekend, and I was also invited onto the BSB Radio commentary team for the Moto4 class, which was a great experience.

“My focus now turns to recovery. I’ll keep working on my fitness programme with my personal trainer at Storme CrossFit Ashby and come back stronger, fitter and even more motivated for the next round at Snetterton. A huge thank you to everyone who has messaged and offered support since the crash – it’s been massively appreciated. Thanks also to the entire NW Racing team, my chief mechanic Simon from Powertech UK, my sponsors, and everyone who continues to support me on this journey.�

The whole team now looks ahead to the next rounds at Knockhill and Snetterton, with everyone at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ wishing Hudson a speedy recovery.

Image credits: Torq Media

Luca Wilkinson aka El Loco #76

Friday Practice

“Friday’s practice went well. Small issue with the bike, but it wasn’t affecting my lap times, so we just rode around it.�

Saturday

Qualifying

“Went out and pushed on a bit, I knew I didn’t have to put it on pole, so I just rode smart and pushed for a few laps and put it on P2 with Ollie Sims on P1, with our lap times separated by 0.03 of a second.

Race 1

“Started the race but I noticed Ollie hadn’t gone to the grid. I pulled an 8-second lead after 3 laps and just brought it home in 1st place. Unfortunately, I came in to find out Ollie had crashed in the Minitwins qualifying and broken his collarbone.

Race 2

“Pretty similar to race 1; a good start, pulled a big gap and just kept at a consistent pace and brought it home in 1st place and secured the championship win.�

Sunday

Race 3

“It was cold so I had to think about how to ride so I didn’t overdo it. I put a gap to 2nd and brought it home in 1st place.â€�Ìý

Race 4

“My 1st wet race! Good start and just rode smart but after a few laps I caught some back-markers and lost a lot of time letting a few other riders catch. Sean took me into turn 1 after I ran wide, but I retook the position and pulled a little gap to bring it back home in 1st for the last time of the year and with the championship win.

“Fantastic last round with 4 from 4 wins. Big shout out to Ollie who I’ve battled hard with all year, not the way I wanted the year to end. GWS mate.

“Thank you each & every one of our sponsors supporters and friends.�

“We have just completed the penultimate round of the 2025 season, heading back up to Oulton Park for Round 10.

“After Luke put a lot of effort into his recovery, he managed to gain back the strength in his shoulder and was back on his Honda to take part alongside Jamie.

“Friday started off with both Free Practice sessions. Luke finished P7 in both of these after showing great pace. We also then had a Pre-Qualifying in which he took 11th place automatically being put through to Q2. A brilliant start to the weekend!

“As for Jamie, his engine blew after a few laps of FP1, resulting in an engine change for the team and now limited track time… The team managed to get the engine swapped before FP2, however a technical gremlin meant he only competed 3 laps in the second session.

“Saturday morning, we were supposed to be out for our FP3 session, the horrendous rain however put a halt to any proceedings until further notice. Eventually we got out at 12:50 for the 10-minute session.

“We were ready to go for Qualifying. Jamie made his way out for Q1, he completed 4 laps with a best of 1:54.624. He would start race 1 from 22nd.

“Now it was time for Luke to go out. He was sat in P3 for most of the session but finished in P9, this was a 3rd row start and a great performance by Luke. His best lap time was a 1:46.084, just 1.463 off of pole.

“Race 1 was shortened to 14 laps after a red flag for rain. Luke had a great ride and finished in 12th, bringing home more points. Jamie didn’t make the end and pulled in due to a slight issue with the bike.”

“Sunday we had to 2 more races… Race 2 Luke started from 16th and Jamie 23rd. We got underway and a few laps in then the red flag got shown due to contamination of the track.

“After a lengthy delay we got a rescheduled 8 lap sprint. Both Luke and Jamie were setting steady and consistent lap times and came across the line in 16th and 20th. Ìý

“For the third and final race of the weekend we were 17th on the grid with LH, and 22^nd with JD. Luke circulated 4 times before making his way down pit-lane with a technical issue.

“Jamie was still out to complete the race and was right on the back of a battle between B. Baker and J. Van Sikkelerus marginally ahead of him. He stayed with them throughout the whole race and took the flag 0.9 seconds behind them.Ìý

“Overall, a very good weekend for the team despite the weather conditions.”

“Round 5 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship took place at Brands Hatch in Kent, England.

“On Friday afternoon, we went out on track at 1pm for our first session, and 4pm for Free Practice 2. After both of the two 40-minute sessions ran smoothly, both Luke and Jamie were happy with how the bikes felt ahead of the rest of the weekend coming up.

“The next morning, we were out early at 9am for a 10-minute FP3. Luke finished P14 and Jamie P21.

“Both of our Honda machines were out for Q1; Luke went out for six circulations, setting a best of 1:26.221 – just missing out on Q2! Jamie set seven laps – a 1:27.605 his fastest.”

“We started the first race of the weekend from 16th and 24^th respectively. We had a dry track under us for Race 1. Following on from Luke’s point scoring streak, we hoped to gain a few more this weekend; he rode a great race to bring home another point in P15.

“Jamie finished 22^nd; he was feeling very confident in the bike and happy with finishing the 20-lapper. We still had more to come!

“On Sunday morning, we headed out early for the warm-up session ahead of the two races later on in the afternoon.

“Due to Race 1’s lap times, Luke lined up 16th (1:26.605) and Jamie slotted in 23rd (1:28.107). This race was strong from both of our riders. On the #23 side of the garage, Luke scored his best finish this season, crossing the 12-lap sprint race in 13th after battling with Swann, Stacey and Mcconnell. On Jamie’s side of the garage, he took half a second off his best lap time and crossed the line P20; a brilliant race for both of our riders and a great setup for us headed into the final race.

“Luke started P14 and Jamie 21st for Race 3. Luke had another very strong race, fighting throughout the whole race for another point finish. He finished 14th – less than half a second off Mconnell.”

“A little unlucky on Jamie’s side as he pulled into the pit after a mechanical issue.”

“Overall, a very strong weekend from both of our riders. A haul of points added to the riders’ Championships, with both feeling confident and happy with how their bikes feel and the direction we are heading in. Roll on Thruxton!â€�

Luca Wilkinson

Round 2 – Oulton Park

“So, after the incredible (until it wasn’t) weekend at Brands, it’s been a full-on two weeks to get the bike fixed & ready forÌýBemseeÌýRound 2ÌýOulton Park.

“We owe a massive thanks to TeamÌýNW RacingÌýand a lot of other people for the huge effort to sort the bike –Ìýyou sure are the best!

“With beautiful weather, it was amazing to be at this iconic track for Luca’s first time.

We knew we would have some teething issues with the bike having such a big rebuild, but the team worked flawlessly and by the last three sessions, we were in a good position.

“Friday Qualifying went great, finishing P8 – P3 in class.

“Race 1 – Great race with Luca taking the F400 lead and finishing P9 – P3 in class. Very happy with that, having never ridden the track before and knowing the calibre of the riders in the F400.

“Race 2 – Another great start and again fighting for 3rd, Luca finished P4 in class behind the flyingÌýTeam Marshall Racing.

“Race 3 – Great start and into the class lead down into Cascades, Luca pushed hard and again managed a P3 in class behindÌýDavid Lindemann andÌýCraig Dance.

“We are so happy with the results, learning every lap, following some amazing riders who are happy to help and give advice to help Luca improve – we have to say a huge thanks for this it’s an incredible gesture and much appreciated. Each race Luca managed to close the gap to the class leaders, which is our aim this year.�

Zack Weston

Round 2 – Oulton Park

“Qualifying – After a good practice, I was feeling good on the bike and was happy with the setup. I didn’t get out at the front, but I was still able to set my laps on my own and put it on the front row!

“Race 1 – I got an amazing start from P2 and pulled the holeshot. After leading for a few laps and setting good pace, Nathan Harrison came past so I stuck in and tagged onto the back of him, finishing P2.Ìý

“Race 2 – After a good race 1, I was hoping for the same in race 2, it was a good first half of the race starting in P2 and pulling on P3, but the second half I struggled really bad with rear grip and dropped back into p3.Ìý

“Race 3 – After a disappointing race 2, I put everything into race 3. I didn’t get a good start, dropping back to P3, so I sent it into the lead down cascades T3. After a lot of moves and close racing, it came down to the last corner. I tried to drag it to the line but missed out on P1 by 0.03 seconds.

“Overall, a great weekend of racing, time with family and friends and some of our amazing sponsors.

“Huge thank you to all of my sponsors.�

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