By Ever since the V2 Ducati’s success at both the Northwest 200 and TT Races in 2025, the World Supersport Championship winning mount, has proved a desired SSP berth for all international road racers.
Its’ no different for twenty-six times Oliver’s Mount race winner, 130 Mph Club member Rob Hodson, whose maiden competitive outing aboard the rasping V2 Ducati arose at Scarborough in April.
“It’s been alright, our first do at Oliver’s Mount, was the first time we had it out and it was alright, we were making progress with it, handling wise and stuff like that.
We found it quite a big thing with the mapping of it now, so which just might make a bit easier to ride, so we are making progress, it’s just these things take time, we are excited to see what it does when we get it down Bray Hill.
It is a lovely looking bike, see how it is behaving and how fast we go on it. It is a completely different thing to everything else in the garage but it’s something we will work at and get it right.”
In contrast to SSP exotica, the Wigan rider’s Sportbike class vault, effectively still Super Twins steed, the S1-R Paton, is a tried and trusted machine.
“We know we’re we want to be handling wise; we’ve got the settings already in it, it’s just refreshing the engines and we’ve upgraded that slightly, reliability wise.
Just getting back into swing of riding how it’s needed to be ridden, to get in the top few positions, you’ve got to ride them pretty-hard around here as you know, that’s in good shape.”
Positioned in the new look Parc Ferme, adjacent to the film crew for the new ‘Isle of Man’ blockbuster moving picture, the SMT Racing rider, went onto state that his Superbike, Superstock, Senior race bikes (Hondas) are 2026 specification.
Prior to his ninth TT Races campaign, last year’s Super Twins TT Race 1 runner-up, competed for the first time at the Briggs Equipment Northwest 200.
His reflections on a challenging but enjoyable first event experience, is as follows:
“I enjoyed the event, that was good, we just did not have the best of luck, with how it panned out. Because the Wednesday it was raining, well the newcomers’ laps, we got a lap in there, then it was red flagged.
Then it rained, so we did the rest of the practice in the wet. Then Thursday was cancelled after the qualifying because of the accident and then you’re onto the last day then.”
“We got a stone through the radiator on the Ducati which we couldn’t sort it was too late, when it was the qualifying,
So, we didn’t have a spare one of those and then the clutch went on the Twin after the warm-up lap. So, it was difficult but the bit I did I enjoyed it, so it’s definitely one I would push to go and do again.”
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
