Mansfield racer Zak Shelton snubs British Sportbike Championship leader Alfie Davidson with thrilling photo finish win at Donington Park
Zak Shelton enjoyed a successful weekend at Donington Park during the latest round of Pirelli British Sportbike Championship action.
The Mansfield rider secured a stunning double-podium finish in Leicestershire, including his first win of the season as he pipped Championship leader Alfie Davidson in Race Two.
A photo finish was required to separate the two as Shelton came out on top, just 0.01 seconds ahead of in-form Davidson to claim the top step of the podium and close the weekend with a thriller.
The nail-biting finish ended Davidson’s perfect run so far in the competition, having won the opening three races prior.
The 18-year-old had been on a scorching streak after the first weekend of the British Superbikes season, claiming a double victory at Oulton Park before extending his winning run into Race One at Donington.
Shelton finished second to Davidson in the first race after qualifying in P6. The XMT Racing ace worked his way ahead of Harley McCabe in third to secure his first podium of the season. He would then take this momentum into Race Two to become the only rider so far to stop Davidson from hitting four from four.
Shelton sat most of Race Two in second but executed a stunning move in the final corner to deny the Championship leader another race week clean sweep. Davidson settled for second in the race but remains top of the standings with a 17-point advantage over closest rival McCabe.
Cameron Dawson occupies third after two fifth-place finishes at Donington Park, while Shelton’s efforts move him up from seventh into fourth with 61 points on the board after four races. Focus now turns to round three at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife, Scotland on the weekend of June 19-21.
“It was great to get our first win and nice that all the hard work is beginning to pay off,” Shelton told the Chad after his impressive weekend. “We have a lot more races this year so we will keep training and getting ready for the next one at Knockhill in four weeks’ time.”
Fellow Mansfield star Kyle Ryde also enjoyed a successful weekend at Donington as he dominated the Superbike class. Ryde earned a triple-podium finish as he finished third in Race One and came out on top in Two and Three. He also set a new all-time fastest lap at the Leicestershire circuit, beating the previous record set by Glenn Irwin in 2025 with an impressive 1:26:123.