Ryan Vickers, the 2025 WorldSBK rookie, is aiming for a top 10 finish at this weekend’s UK round at Donington. Having joined the World Superbike Championship this year with Motocorsa Ducati, Vickers secured a top 10 spot in the Assen Superpole Race but has yet to crack the top 10 in dry conditions.
“I’ve been close to the top 10 several times,” Vickers told worldsbk.com ahead of the Donington race. “Our goal is to finally get that dry top 10 result.” He also highlighted qualifying well as a key target, aiming to start within the first three or four rows. “If we can manage a front-row start or place inside the top 12 in qualifying, that would be a huge achievement.”
Vickers is working hard to optimize his bike and tire performance, especially focusing on mastering the fresh tire grip at Donington. He added, “I’m confident about extracting performance here, and even if it takes the whole weekend to break into the top 10 by Race 2, I’ll be happy. Good qualifying will help us compete in the top 10.”
Having gained familiarity with the Donington circuit, Vickers feels more comfortable, allowing him to focus less on learning the track and more on improving speed. “Each previous round was about understanding the Ducati and bike setup, so being familiar with Donington is a big advantage. It lets me concentrate on going faster naturally without overthinking,” he explained. Vickers also expressed excitement about racing on home turf and the support from British fans, which was notably strong at the European round.
In addition to improving track performance, Vickers and Motocorsa will debut a small new upgrade at Donington inspired by insights from the factory team and top rider Nicolo Bulega. This involves new seat pads designed to enhance rear grip — a modification showing promising results for other Ducati riders. “We tried it at Misano with some success, so we’re hoping it helps us take another step forward here,” Vickers said.
Fan Take: Ryan Vickers’ push for a top 10 finish and improved qualifying at Donington is thrilling for racing fans, as it signals growing competitiveness from a promising rookie. Innovations like the new seat pads demonstrate how small technical tweaks can influence performance, adding an intriguing layer of development to the WorldSBK season.
