Fighting spirit shines for MMB Racing at Donington despite early misfortune

IT was a weekend of highs and lows for MMB Racing at Donington Park GP.

Randalstown’s Eugene McManus showed outstanding pace throughout, bouncing back from a Sprint Race wipeout to storm from 14th on the grid to finish just off the podium in Sunday’s Feature Race.

Teammate Harry Truelove also demonstrated grit and determination, recovering from Saturday’s cruel luck to climb into the points with a solid ride through the pack.

Free Practice

Friday’s action at the 2.5-mile (just over 4km) Donington Park GP circuit saw both MMB Racing riders steadily improve their pace across the two free practice sessions.

Eugene McManus (#15) impressed with a strong showing, finishing second in the second free practice, while Lincolnshire teammate Harry Truelove (#4) also made good progress to secure ninth.

Both riders chipped away at their lap times, leaving the team upbeat heading into Saturday’s qualifying.

Qualifying

On Saturday morning, there were two qualifying sessions to decide the grid.

Thanks to their strong lap times in Friday’s free practice sessions, both McManus and Truelove had already secured direct passage into the second session, underlining their speed.

In the final moments, McManus crossed the start-finish line with just seconds to spare and delivered his best lap of the session, earning 8th place on the grid.

Truelove also impressed, posting the 10th fastest time, leaving the MMB Racing garage in confident spirits ahead of the afternoon’s 10-lap Sprint Race.

Sprint Race 10 Laps

The Sprint Race began with real promise as Truelove launched off the line superbly, immediately gaining several positions.

However, disaster struck at the Melbourne Hairpin when another rider, out of control, collided with Truelove, sending him to the ground.

In the ensuing chaos, the riderless bike collected McManus, ending his race before the first lap was complete.

Both MMB Racing machines were forced out through no fault of their own - a cruel twist after such a promising build-up.

Despite the setback, their spirit showed in the morning warm-up for the Feature Race, where McManus set the fastest time of all and Truelove placed a strong ninth, confirming their pace.

Feature Race 16 Laps

The Feature Race commenced mid-afternoon on Sunday.

With neither rider having completed a lap in Saturday’s Sprint, McManus was forced to line up 14th on the grid with Truelove just behind in 16th.

As the riders set off for their warm-up lap the late afternoon sun broke through, setting the stage for another thrilling contest in this fiercely competitive class.

MMB Racing knew they had their work cut out from 14th and 16th, but encouraging pace in the morning warm-up hinted they could fight through the pack.

McManus made a superb start, immediately moving up three spots on the opening lap, while Truelove found himself shuffled back to 19th in the opening melee.

By lap six McManus was flying, running in 8th place and locked in a fierce battle with several rivals, whom he eventually overhauled before charging onto the tail of the leading group by lap ten.

The Randalstown rider climbed briefly into fifth, but his hard work unravelled when he ran hot into the chicane, forcing him to take to the run-off and lose a second of time to avoid a penalty.

The result was he dropped back to 8th, but McManus showed his fighting spirit, quickly regrouping and setting a brilliant pace to claw his way back through the field.

In a superb comeback, he crossed the line in fourth place, just 0.284 seconds shy of a podium finish - an outstanding result having started from 14th on the grid.

Meanwhile, Truelove was also mounting a strong recovery ride after his difficult opening lap.

By the end of lap four, the number 4 rider had regained two positions to sit 17th, before gaining a further two spots by lap seven.

Continuing to push hard with a series of consistent and competitive laps, he brought his MMB Racing machine home in a solid 13th place.

It was a determined ride, rewarding the team with more valuable points and a strong finish after Saturday’s misfortune.

After the cruel luck of the Sprint Race, both riders emerged positive from the Feature Race and will carry this momentum forward into Round 9 at Assen, which takes place from 19–21 September.