World Supersport bike ace Danny Webb, 'aiming for top five' in this year's championship

Danny Webb. Images credit: Vclav Duska JR

Tunbridge Wells motorcycle master Danny Webb has lofty ambitions for the coming Supersport World Championship and revealed, “I am aiming for the top five”.

Last season, in his first year back on track after seven years of road racing, the 29-year-old finished 11th in the event which shadows the World Superbike Championship.

Now he is in preparations for this year’s schedule, with races due to start in the Netherlands at the end of April.

Training has been limited during lockdown and Webb admits he has found it difficult but he has used the time to iron out some minor issues and can’t wait until the day he can get out on the bike and do some serious testing.

“I managed to get my flat-track bike out at the beginning of December,” he explained. “It’s like a motocross bike, a dirt bike, it’s lowered with road tyres and you ride it around speedway tracks with minimal grip and it improves your bike control. That was at Leicester Speedway.

“Then we went into lockdown and it’s just been training. It’s a bit difficult not going to a gym but I’ve been managing to keep mobile and keep my fitness up.”
As it stands, the season is set to start on time and he added: “We start towards the end of April. I’m just trying to figure out a way of putting better training into my pre-season. It’s difficult as I’m the only British rider in the World Supersport Class this year. All my competitors are out in Europe now riding. You can do as much training as you want but to be on a motorbike is the best training you can do.

“But it never takes me that long to get back into it so hopefully we can be out there sooner rather than later and putting in some work.”

Lockdown has affected him this time and he revealed: “The other day I found myself feeling a little bit grumpy and I’m never one to get grumpy. It is hard but you’ve got to think of other people too. To be honest I’m not in a bad position, My team [WPR (Wepol Racing Parts based in the Czech Republic] are being really good to me and a lot of people are in a position where they are not earning any money and they don’t know what’s coming next.

“You have to feel for those people. When Covid started we all thought ‘we’ll be alright by next year ‘and we’re not.

“I just have to stay positive. I’m feeling fit and I’m just ready to jump back on a bike now and get going.”

Adapting his riding style has been a big factor in his success in returning to the track last year and he is doing all he can to get better.

“I’m in touch with the team weekly and we’ve got a few things to try in testing when we can go,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to getting going again. The aim is the top five this season.

“I’ve been working on little things such as I have had a company come on board who make pillows and that has helped me a lot. It sounds a bit stupid but having a decent pillow that supports me during my sleep has helped me keep my training continuous. I get less tension through my neck as sometimes I'd wake up with a sore neck and then couldn't train how I want to.

“In a way, if I could take one positive out of all this it is trying to get rid of all the niggly little problems you get in training through the winter. Hopefully that adds to my performance when we come to a race weekend.

“I'm hoping at the end of February we can start riding. The intense testing is planned for March. First we will have some private tests with the team and then go to Jerez in Spain and then Estoril and Portimao in Portugal, which are three tracks we race at. They are important ones to do.

“At the end of March we have the official World Superbike test in Barcelona. And then it’s just getting ready for the season. Hopefully we can have a full testing programme in March and hit the ground running in Assen [Netherlands] and hopefully be running at the front.”

Danny Webb is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.