Consistency at the Rock Oil Round: Kam Banks Back-to-Back Top Tens

The Pirelli National Superstock Championship returned to the East Midlands for Round 9 at Donington Park, one of the UK’s most iconic circuits. At 2.487 miles in length, the GP layout blends the high-speed sweepers of Craner Curves with technical sections like the Melbourne Hairpin and Goddards, offering plenty of overtaking opportunities compared to the tighter tracks earlier in the season.

The September round also marked a shift back to the traditional Superstock format with two races across the weekend, giving Kam Dixon and his Honda Fireblade team double the chance to score points and continue their strong mid-season momentum.

The Rock Oil Round began under cloudy but dry conditions, with the Superstock riders tackling the full 2.4873-mile GP layout at Donington Park. Kam looked sharp right from the off, quickly settling into a rhythm on the Honda Fireblade.

A small technical issue limited his track time compared to some of his rivals, meaning he only managed one flying lap on the new tyre. Even so, he completed 9 laps in total and posted a best time of 1:30.139, finishing 4th overall. That lap left him just 1.123s away from topping the session and only 0.187s off third place, an impressive marker considering the circumstances.

The second Free Practice session began at 16:10 in stable conditions with cloudy skies, an air temperature of 20°C, and track temperature at 27°C.

Kam made the most of the improved track time after the earlier technical issue in FP1, completing 14 laps on the Honda Fireblade. His best effort was a 1:30.265, which put him 7th in the session. He finished just 1.070s off the fastest time and only 0.097s away from 6th place, underlining how competitive the field was.

Reflecting on Friday, Kam said:

“That was probably my best Friday result in Stock 1000 so far. P4 in FP1 was encouraging, even though a small mechanical issue meant we lost the meat of the session and only had one proper lap on the new tyre.

"In FP2, we made a small change that didn’t quite work for me, but I still matched my morning lap time with a worse feeling on the bike, which shows there’s more to come once we get it sorted. Definitely some work to do, but the aim is to be on the front two rows tomorrow and in with a shout come race time.”

Moving on to Saturday, Kam carried his momentum into the qualifying session. Over 13 laps, he posted a best time of 1:29.527 on lap 6, which secured 5th on the grid. The lap left him just 1.020s from pole position and only 0.055s shy of 4th, placing him firmly on the second row for Race One.

Starting from 5th, Kam lost a position off the line and was running in 6th when the red flag was waved towards the end of the opening lap after a serious incident involving three riders at Goddards. The race was restarted from the original grid positions, with the distance shortened to 9 laps.

On the restart, Kam was again passed into the first corner and found himself battling just outside the top five. He regained a position when Allingham, on the BMW, ran deep at the Melbourne Loop. However, he struggled to make further progress as the race settled, getting stuck behind a TAG Honda running at a similar pace. On lap 7, Allingham recovered to repass Kam, dropping him back a place.

Kam crossed the line in 7th place, finishing just 0.123s behind 6th, another consistent result with more championship points secured.

Reflecting afterwards, Kam said:

“Qualifying in P5 was a great result. It wasn’t my best lap, but we had front-row pace and I found a really good feeling with the bike.

"The race itself was very frustrating. I had a strong pace but got caught up with some of the more experienced riders and just couldn’t make a move stick. That cost me a bit of ground, but I still came away with a solid result. It says a lot that I can now be disappointed with 7th place. We’ll start from P7 tomorrow, so we’re definitely still in with a shout of a good result.”

Sunday began with an early warm-up session, held just before 9:30am. Kam completed six laps in the short eight-minute outing, setting a best time of 1:30.826 to finish the session in 7th place.

Lining up from P7 on the grid, courtesy of his best lap of 1:30.268 in Saturday’s opener, Kam faced a 12-lap contest around the 2.487-mile Donington Park GP circuit. Conditions were overcast but dry as the riders prepared for the second race of the weekend.

Off the start, Kam lost several positions and found himself shuffled back to 13th through the first corner. The race was then neutralised on lap 4 when an incident required repairs to an air fence, bringing out the safety car. Racing resumed at the end of lap 6.

On lap 8, Kam made a move to climb into 12th, but quickly found himself in a large train of riders all running at a similar pace, with the rider in 6th acting as the cork in the bottle. Two laps later, drama unfolded at the Melbourne Loop when two riders ahead crashed out, promoting Kam to 10th.

He held that position to the flag, finishing just 0.260s behind 9th and only 1.5 seconds off 4th place in what was a closely fought battle throughout the field.

Reflecting on the race, Kam said:

“Starting P7, I got a decent launch but a small tap on the entry to Turn 1 sent me wide, and I lost positions. To make matters worse, I then caught some debris off the track through Craners, which cost me even more time. It was a tough opening lap. I tried my best to recover, but brake fade hindered me throughout the race, and I just couldn’t make progress through the group.

"Overall, it was an okay weekend after a very promising start. I’m definitely disappointed with the results we came away with, but it doesn’t always swing your way on race day. Thanks as always to the team for their hard work.”

With another pair of solid top-ten finishes at Donington, Kam continued his consistent run of points in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship. While the British Superbike paddock heads to Assen in the Netherlands for the next round, the Superstock class will sit this one out. That means a short break before returning to action at Oulton Park on 3rd–5th October, where Kam will look to build on his recent form.