The cool, windy test at Donington Park was the first time the BSB Field has rode this year’s new, slightly softer rear tire in the UK, but concerns that emerged in the Midlands have been moderated somewhat in the warm test at Alton Park.
The Cheshire Circuit held the opening round of the 2025 British Superbike Championship from May 3-5, offering much warmer conditions than the previous tests at Donington Park, which held its final season tests from April 23-24.
Following his tests at Donington Park, Leon Haslam spoke of the crash about his own concerns about tire life, saying, “I think everyone has a bit of a problem here with new tires.”
Danny Kent spoke to crash.net during an Alton Park test, and Danny Kent believes the “whole grid” is struggling with tire life in Donington, adding in detail that there are issues with tire performance after the thermal cycle.
“In Donington, I think it was the whole grid, not just me, but I think there were new tires, and the grip was good, but I put on the tire warmer (I put on the tire warmer (I went), and there were a lot of tires falling out,” Kent said.
“(It probably had something to do with the temperature and cold winds on the truck, but when you come here, tire life seems to be much better than Donington,” he said.
“It was one of those things we knew could be a problem with the upcoming season, but it got better here.”
He added:
“We’re just putting it down to track the temperature and wind, so I think it’s going to depend on the weather that day.”
Dao Racing Honda rider Josh Brooks confirmed Kent’s comments, adding that Donington’s surface could also be a factor in differences in tire performance there compared to Alton Park.
“In Donington, the wind cold coefficient was higher than (at Alton Park), so it obviously cools the surface of the tires,” he said.
“Then the Donington surface, in general, because they’re resurfaced it — no matter what bike you’re riding — is stiffer with the tires, it does something like tyre grain unless you really have a sweet setup.
“So I think that’s a combination of two factors.
“Here he’s right (Kent). I went through the same thing. It wasn’t as bad (at Alton Park) as Donington, but if you can’t find a solution, you still have to worry.”