Last week, the Diagonal Comms team travelled to Thruxton Circuit, the 2.37-mile (3.81 kilometres) blast through the Hampshire countryside that’s known for being one of the fastest venues in the United Kingdom. Having already visited the wartime airfield-turned-race track with our client the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for Round 4 of its season in June, we are no strangers to Thruxton – but this time, we entered its gates to immerse ourselves in the world of motorcycle racing.
Thruxton hosted Round 6 of the British Superbike Championship (BSB), the United Kingdom’s premier superbike racing series. Boasting a regular grid of over 20 riders, three races per weekend, the same intense style of racing that is customary with superbike competition, and a thriving support package, BSB is a popular destination for motorsport fans and sponsors alike.
We attended the event with our client, ROKiT, for whom we have already delivered a comprehensive comms/PR, and content creation package across the 2025 season so far in regards to their sponsorship of single-seater rising star Deagen Fairclough. The global conglomerate has a significant footprint in BSB and its junior categories. Their activities range from hosting VIP guests to sponsoring BMW’s motorcycle racing division, BMW Team Motorrad, all of which we activated for the first time.
Having met with the ROKiT team at the VIP ROKiT Affinity hospitality unit on Friday, we were introduced to ROKiT’s ambassador and headline rider Leon Haslam, the 2018 BSB champion, son of legendary motorcycle racer Ron Haslam, and current Moto Rapido Ducati Racing rider. The 42-year-old entered Round 6 at Thruxton having recently returned from Japan, where he had competed in the gruelling Suzuka 8 Hours motorcycle endurance race the weekend before – the jet lag from which we did not envy…
Having secured third in Saturday’s qualifying session, which is sponsored by ROKiT’s premium tequila brand Bandero, Leon went on to score three top 10 results to solidify his position in fifth in the championship standings. With one of his favourite venues on the calendar, Cadwell Park, coming up next, he will be one to watch on August 23-24 as he looks to add to his victory and podium tally.
We also bumped into ROKiT BMW Motorrad rider Ilya Mikhalchik, who was enjoying his lunch break in the ROKiT Affinity hospitality unit. The 28-year-old has an inspirational story, hailing from war-torn Kyiv, Ukraine. Currently, he leads the National Superstock Standings by over 40 points, sitting in prime position to claim the championship title as he looks to graduate further through the motorcycle ranks. It was business as usual for Ilya at Thruxton where he claimed second place in Race 1, before bolting into the lead from third on the grid in Race 3 and taking another dominant victory, his sixth of the season.
As the BSB field attacked Thruxton’s 12 corners for free practice, we set about exploring the series’ bustling support paddock. ROKiT supports 10 entries across the British Supersport Series, British Superteen Series, and ROKiT OFF BMW F 900 Cup as part of its ROKiT Rookies programme – a team headed by Leon Haslam that’s designed to move talented young riders through the motorcycle ranks with the support and mentorship they need to excel. While the British Superteen Series, which houses seven of the ROKiT Rookies, was not present at Thruxton, we got to know the ROKiT Rookies in the British Supersport Series and ROKiT OFF BMW F 900 Cup – both of which categories are ideal for aspiring riders to refine their skills.
By sponsoring the BMW F 900 Cup with its motorcycle care product brand, ROKiT OFF, which also had a dedicated product stand in the BSB paddock, there was rarely an on-track session that ROKiT was not involved in, keeping our team busy.
Having familiarised ourselves with the paddock, we set about producing an initial set of video content and press releases to raise the profile of ROKiT’s sponsorship activities, showcase their brands, and bring added clarity to their high-volume media output from an incredibly busy paddock.
Our team will be working closely with ROKiT next weekend (August 23-24), when reigning British F4 champion Fairclough will take on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit for Round 6 of the GB3 Championship season, and the BSB circus will venture to Cadwell Park for Round 7 of its season.