Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) has broken through to become to first Dutch rider to claim victory at Donington Park in the Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), charging from P6 to secure top honours in race one.

Van der Mark is the first Dutch rider to win in the top class, and the first win for a Yamaha rider since Algarve 2011, race two. The Dutchman left both Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) shocked and fighting for the remaining podium places, with the Northern Irishman in second and ‘Superpoleman’ in third.

The psychological battle between the KRTs, leading the first row, started right from the start. Rea made it ahead at the lights, with the pair squabbling through sector 1. Sykes struck back three laps later at the old hairpin, but went wide at the Melbourne loop. Two laps later, an aggressive Sykes made it back in front, same move, same spot.

The Kawasakis were poised – and had been widely predicted – to dominate Donington weekend, but van der Mark threw a spanner in the works immediately, the only rider able to keep up with Rea and Sykes after passing his teammate Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team). But stalking the KRTs was not enough for the flying Dutchman – Rea went wide at Melbourne in lap 13, the same he’d done a few laps earlier, and van der Mark shot ahead into second.

A couple of laps later, he attacked again. Van der Mark stuck the nose in at Melbourne, yet again, closed the line over Sykes, and blasted away in the lead. But the battle was far from over here: Rea picked his teammate’s pocket around Schwartz with six laps to go, and shot after van der Mark, smelling blood. Yet today it was not to be for the defending champion, the Yamaha rider making no mistakes and meeting the flag.

Behind the sensational podium battle, Lowes finished in fourth, behind his teammate but scoring a fantastic finish at his home race. He will also have the consolation prize of leading the line at race two. Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) finally translated his great qualifying and free practice performances into a great race finish, making it in at Donington in fifth, ahead of his teammate, Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia), in sixth.

With the Kawasaki, Yamaha and Aprilia bikes all phenomenal ahead, it was a sorry day for Ducati, with just Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) making it into the top 10, in eighth position. Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashed with five laps to go, and goes into race two with no points.

Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) made it in in seventh, with Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) finishing ninth following a thrilling battle with his teammate at Donington, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who went to the floor on the final lap. Closing the top 10 was Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) on his full WorldSBK return after injury.

Jules Cluzel (NRT) took his first pole position of the year and 20th of his FIM Supersport World Championship (WorldSSP) career, leading a French one-two at the UK Round. A very strong performance from Cluzel, fighting at the front for the entire Superpole session, and one that puts him in a perfect position to score his third win of the year.

Behind Cluzel, Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) confirmed yet another first row start with the second fastest time of the Saturday session. Mahias, trailing the championship lead by one point, has started in first or second in every race this year so far.

Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) closes the front row with the third fastest time, after leading the early stages. Australian Anthony West (EAB Antwest Racing) wound up in 15th position.

Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team) continued her fantastic 2018 form with her second successive Superpole of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship (WorldSSP300) season, this time coming through from the Superpole 1.

After opening her pole count at Imola, the 21-year-old rider from Murcia left it later at the Prosecco DOC UK Round, waiting until the checkered flag had come down to just pip ahead of Koen Meuffels (KTM Fortron Junior Team), who dominated the timesheets most of the session but will have to start tomorrow from second.

Mika Pérez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) was close to taking his third Superpole of the season, but a slow final sector left him in third for tomorrow’s race. Aussie Tom Edwards (Kawasaki) qualified in 13th, as countryman Lachlan Epis (Kawasaki) concluded the day in 18th.

Detailed results