Motorcycle Race Parts’ Tom Tunstall wins the 2023 Supersport Cup

Tom Tunstall has won the 2023 Supersport Cup, taking the title in the wet at the penultimate British Superbike round Donington Park. He went on to finish his season in style, with an eighth win on his Motorcycle Race Parts Panigale V2 at the Brands Hatch BSB finale.

Tom Tunstall (MotorcycleRaceParts #21)
"We really enjoyed riding the Panigale V2 in the TriOptions Cup and that combined with the with the next generation rules just really opened up the Supersport class as a as a viable option. And I’m obviously really happy to continue with the V2 to be honest, it's been a really fun bike. The Supersport Cup just helps with the resources required, just being at eight of the eleven rounds, helping not only with costs but with time and other resources as well. 

We thought we'd be onto a bit of a head start with some info from the V2 with TriOptions, but the bike may as well have had a different name on the tank, it was just quite a different proposition really. That combined with injuring my pelvis on the first day of testing this year really put us on the back foot a little bit. 

But the whole season's just been learning, progressing both with my injury and with the V2 as well. And I'll be honest, that's been kind of part of the enjoyment. Just learning more and more about it, and getting more and more out of it, with some guidance from Moto Rapido, and from links with Spider through to teams in World Supersport. It's just been a really fun season. 

I think there's been 18 Cup riders this year and there’s not really been one race where we've not a had a close dice. It's always been close competition and there's some riders in there from the TriOptions days such Jonathan Railton and Adon Davie and other riders as well, it's been a real mix. And at the same time you’re on track with full Supersport bikes and riders as well so that kind of brings you on as along as well. 

We’ve just been continuing the enjoyment that we had within the TriOptions Cup with the Panigale V2, and the Supersport regulations just open that up even more as far as a track bike. The V2 is a great little bike, I really love it to be honest and the Supersport regs just take it to another level. 

I’ve had eight wins this season, but some of those were kind of unexpected. But they’ve all been pretty kind of close as far competition and even at Donington when I finished second it was only a tenth of a second off. I think again the balancing of the next generation rules have made it so we've got something that's achievable and competitive. The V2 has been absolutely bullet proof in that class, reliability has been no question. It’s been a fantastic bike for the class, and I think it'll be the benchmark for Supersport rolling forward in the near future.

Highlights of the season were obviously sealing the championship and winning in the wet at Donington, so it was nice to get the championship with a win. At the start of the year when I was injured and we got our first double was another highlight and a kind of a relief in different ways as well. And all the way coming through there's been some mega racing.

To be racing with younger riders coming through keeps you sharp as well. It's no secret that I've been racing for a while now, but I’m enjoying it as much as ever. I definitely prefer going round in circles on a Sunday afternoon than heading to the garden centre at the moment!

The plan is more for of the same next year. It feels like we have still got plenty of potential to bring out of the V2 so that's part of the rewarding process that we get from the series. I've been racing for more years than I care to remember but you never stop learning and trying to get more out yourself and certainly more out the bike. I’m just looking forward to continuing to progress, and to hopefully get a few more bits silverware as well.”

Photo credit: Aaron Scott