The British track has been a fixture on the calendar from 1988 to 2001, and again from 2007 to the present day, with the exceptions of 2010 and 2020.
To date, it has hosted 67 races, with three manufacturers boasting double-digit victories: Ducati and Kawasaki, each with 19 wins, and Yamaha with 15. Last year, however, BMW achieved a clean sweep thanks to Toprak Razgatlioglu.
GP data
According to Brembo engineers, who collaborate closely with 12 of the 14 teams on the World Superbike grid, the 4.023 km Donington Park Circuit ranks among the most demanding tracks for braking systems.
On a difficulty scale from 1 to 5, it scores a maximum rating of 5. Riders spend 29% of each lap—equivalent to 24.5 seconds—on the brakes. Of the seven braking zones, two are classified as “High”, four as “Medium”, and only one as “Light”. Three of these braking zones require more than 4 seconds of braking time.
The most punishing corner for brake systems at Donington Park is Turn 9. Despite its lower speed delta and shorter braking distance compared to Turn 1, it imposes higher loads: the lever force peaks at 5.3 kg, brake fluid pressure reaches 11.3 bar, while deceleration remains at a formidable 1.5 g.
Riders decelerate from 274 km/h to 109 km/h in just 3.5 seconds, covering 181 metres in the process.
The debut
The very first round in the history of the Superbike World Championship was held at Donington Park on April 3, 1988. At the time, races were contested over two legs.
Among the protagonists were Italians Davide Tardozzi and Marco Lucchinelli, American Fred Merkel, Briton Roger Burnett, and Northern Irishman Joey Dunlop. Race 1 saw Tardozzi claim victory by one second over Lucchinelli, with the rest of the field trailing by over half a minute. In Race 2, Lucchinelli took the win, finishing 9 seconds ahead of Merkel, after a late crash eliminated Tardozzi from contention.
The cast iron era
Back then, machines such as the Ducati 851, Bimota YB4, and Honda RC30 were equipped with cast iron brake discs—5 mm thick and ranging from 290 mm to 320 mm in diameter depending on race conditions. Cast iron was the most cost-effective solution and did not require pre-heating for optimal performance.
However, it is inherently brittle, and as friction materials became increasingly aggressive, cast iron’s use in racing was phased out. While privateer teams continued using it until 1994, top-tier factory outfits had already transitioned to carbon.
By 1995, steel had replaced both cast iron and carbon, the latter being banned, and cast iron was abandoned due to its fragility and incompatibility with evolving pad compounds.
Toprak’s stoppies
The stoppies Toprak Razgatlioglu now routinely pulls off—one of which he executed while crossing the finish line in Race 2 at Misano last month—were unthinkable back then. His unparalleled bike control is enhanced by the lightweight Brembo braking components and Marchesini wheels: the monobloc 4-piston calipers weigh less than 1.5 kg, being machined from a solid block of aluminum.
In these extreme braking maneuvers, Toprak applies a lever force of up to 7.2 kg—about 30% more than what’s required in the most demanding braking zones during racing conditions.