Honda Racing launches 2026 livery at the Donington Park BSB test

Team Manager Scot Hargreaves

We were straight back into stereotypical British weather with this test, which I think was a challenge for all five riders to deal with. While rain is a tricky condition to deal with, it's typically more consistent than wind. No two laps are the same when there's 40mph gusts blowing through and it takes a skill and confidence in your bike to manage such changeable conditions. It was good for me and the whole team to see our bikes at the top of timesheets at various times during the test. I think the team did an outstanding job of integrating into a smaller than usual garage space, they're working fluidly in every aspect and I look forward to seeing this build at the Oulton Park test.

#22 Jason O'Halloran

I came away from the test happy with the progress me and my crew made. I consistently improved my feeling with the bike and my lap times, despite being disappointed with myself for tipping off towards the end of the test, overall progress is definitely moving in the right direction. 

I'm working well with the data available to me and I'm able to translate to the crew exactly what I need to in order to make positive changes. I can describe (for example), the speed at which wheelspin impacts what I do with my throttle hand. Good wheelspin is predictable and can be useful sometimes, at the minute it's having too sudden an impact on the rear of the bike, which is forcing me to adjust the throttle. This might cost me a tenth of a second that I'm not willing to sacrifice and having a data trace validate what I'm saying means we can make exact changes. We've built on a foundation in Spain and we'll move forward even more at Oulton Park.

Ryan Vickers

I finished the first day slightly frustrated at my performance. It didn't feel like there was the kind of flow I was looking for and although the lap times were consistently good, I wanted more. The importance of having a good crew around me showed itself in the evening at dinner on day one. We all had our say, made a plan for day two and the results were amazing. 

You don't want to be making huge changes while the session clock is ticking down, ideally you're out on track validating the plan you've built with your team and that's where I was on day two. I was really please to see that I was capable of putting in my fastest laps of each session towards the end, without having to come in and put a fresh tyre in to do so. Confidence is building, pace and lap times are improving and we're looking at Oulton Park with a plan that we can work to from the minute the first session starts.

Jack Kennedy

I might be stating the obvious, but the biggest differences here compared to testing in Spain after the weather, is how busy it is out there. There was only ever two teams on track in Spain, here I'm riding with a full Supersport grid and a stack of Superstock riders too.

I didn't let that hold me back though and was happy to see that I was lapping quicker here this time out than when we raced here last season. When you consider that I've had a full staff change and am able to alp so consistently and quickly with a new crew around me, you can imagine how happy that makes us all feel. We came to Donington Park to tick a load of testing boxes, we've done that and I enjoyed the process.

I'll use the Oulton Park test to refine the perfect setup for when we race there at the season opener. 

John McGuinness MBE

The first test after a long winter layoff can sometimes get a bit scrappy, everyone is itching to get out and go fast and it's easy to forget you can't win a championship in a twenty minute test session. It went well though, despite the wind. It can be so unpredictable, where you put your knee on one lap can be impossible to replicate on the next lap as the wind has changed direction or doubled in strength. 

That said, even with the challenge of track temperature, wind and a tyre that was just past its best, I managed to ride the fastest lap of Donington Park I've ever ridden. The stopwatch never lies and that progress translates to confidence we can take to Oulton Park, the NW200 and to the TT races in May. 

I'm happy to be where I am, in front of riders that are half my age or less, putting in lap times that are respectable and safe. We'll move on as a tight little crew in a team that seems to be working together really well. I'm happy.

Dean Harrison

Even though I rode well in Spain, I felt a little rusty on the morning of the first day here at Donington. I pushed though that and finished the first day in the top five, which was where I was aiming to be so I was happy. 

It's great having Jack to work with, we definitely compliment each other's riding styles and abilities in different areas. To be able to dial in a setup that I want, that's unique to me and lap within a second of Jack in testing conditions like we had gives me real confidence ahead of the next test. We worked on a number of small changes and saw a significant step up the timesheets on day two. Gearing, steering speed and a few other small tweaks improved overall performance over an entire lap and for a full session. There's absolutely no point making a bike only work for a one quick lap. If you were to ask me what the highlight of this test was for me, it'd just be seat time. The 600 is so much fun to ride, even in the wind.

The next test is at the same track as round one, so I want to come away with the optimum set up for racing knowing I can compete for podiums from round one of the championship. My short circuit preparation, like my roads, is absolutely spot on at the minute.