Luke Power Races To Best WorldSSP Finish At Donington Park

Luke Power was back on track in the latest round of the 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship at Donington Park, the event that he called his ‘home’ race for his maiden season in the series.

Using FP1 to learn the 2.5-mile Leicestershire circuit Luke remained in the Motozoo ME AIR Kawasaki garage on Friday afternoon as heavy rain meant there would be little chance of improving his lap times. In addition, the team and Luke decided they didn’t want to risk a crash or injury given the better forecast for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday’s Superpole saw Luke improve once again before an even bigger step in Race 1 saw the talented Aussie teen battling inside the top twenty and lapping as fast as the riders circulating inside the point scoring positions. Unfortunately, a small crash with a few laps to go saw the #68 slide out of contention. He remounted to finish twenty second.

Sunday morning warm up saw another step towards the front in terms of lap time and when the lights went out on Sunday afternoon Luke showed his performance from twenty-four hours earlier was no fluke as he once again went wheel to wheel with his rivals and once again showed top twenty pace. An off-track moment dropped him down the order but both he and the team leave Donington Park with a smile and confidence after they achieved their best result of the year to date.

Off track at Donington Luke also took part in the annual Two Wheels for Life charity concert where he entertained thousands of fans with an impressive rendition of the song Tequila. He also donated boots and other items for the auction. His efforts raised over £700 for the charity who achieved donations of over £23,000 across the weekend.

Luke will now turn his attention to the second Italian round of 2023 and a return for WorldSSP to the iconic Imola circuit in two weeks.

Luke Power:

“It was a really positive weekend at Donington. I am super happy with the step I made with my riding and how the team and I continue to grow together at each race. Aside from a couple of mistakes in the races, the pace I had was as good as those in the top fifteen, especially towards the end of the race which gives me a lot of confidence for the next events. I know what I need to work on at Imola and I am confident that I can do what’s needed to make the next step and fight for my first world championship points. I really enjoyed the weekend both on and off track. It was great to be part of the Two Wheels for Life Auction and WorldSBK’s Got Talent Concert on Saturday. The crowds were the biggest of the year and it was amazing to be able to spend some time with so many people in the paddock. I am looking forward to Imola, another home race for the team and to racing in Italy for the second time this year. Imola will be another new track for me but after this weekend I have the confidence that we will be in a good position set up wise from FP1 on Friday and I am excited to race at such an iconic track.”