Double Snetterton Podium Boosts Championship Challenge

Luca Hopkins has strengthened his challenge for the 2026 1pMobile National Junior Sportbike Championship after securing a superb double podium finish at Snetterton.

The Team SBR powered by DKS Direct Drilling rider arrived in Norfolk third in the championship and left the weekend as the closest challenger to championship leader Marley Mackenzie, reducing the gap from 33 points to just 13 after another outstanding display in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship support class.

There were encouraging signs from the very first session as Luca topped Friday's only free practice, finishing more than a quarter of a second clear of the rest of the field.

Qualifying then threatened to derail his weekend.

A faulty transponder meant none of Luca's opening laps had been recorded, forcing him back into the pits for a replacement with just eight minutes remaining. With little margin for error, he responded superbly. His first timed lap placed him sixth before successive improvements lifted him to fourth and then third. A final lap of 2:02.924 secured a front-row start, just 0.635 seconds shy of pole position.

Saturday's opening race began frustratingly as Luca dropped from third to seventh by the end of the opening lap. Refusing to let the setback define his race, he immediately began working his way back through the field. After passing Ben Jolliffe and moving into fifth, a small mistake at Brundle briefly interrupted his progress before he resumed his charge. Further overtakes on Lewis Mullen and Laken Payne elevated him to second place, leaving only South African debutant Ryan van Nieuwkerk ahead.

Luca steadily closed the gap over the closing laps, reducing the deficit to less than seven tenths of a second, but ultimately had to settle for another impressive runner-up finish.

The result proved even more significant when championship leader Marley Mackenzie slipped to seventh following a technical problem, promoting Luca to second in the championship standings.

Sunday followed a remarkably similar pattern.

Another slow start dropped Luca from the front row to seventh before the opening lap had been completed. Once again, however, his race pace shone through. Within two laps he had climbed back into fourth before another decisive move on Lewis Mullen promoted him onto the podium.

As Mullen and Laken Payne battled over second place, Luca closed rapidly to join the fight. Less than half a second separated the three riders as they began the final lap. Luca first passed Mullen before making a decisive move on Payne into Nelson. Payne fought back all the way to the chequered flag, but Luca held on by the narrowest of margins to secure second place and complete a superb double podium weekend.

The results moved Luca to within just 13 points of the championship lead and firmly established him as one of the title favourites heading into the second half of the season.

"It's been a fantastic weekend.

"We were quick from the first session on Friday, and that gave us a lot of confidence. Qualifying was stressful after the transponder issue because we suddenly had very little time left, but the team stayed calm, and we managed to get ourselves back onto the front row.

"I made life difficult for myself with the starts in both races, but the pace was there all weekend and I knew we could fight back. To come away with two second places and take another big chunk out of the championship lead is a brilliant result.

"Thank you to everyone at Team SBR powered by DKS Direct Drilling, all of my sponsors, my family and everyone who's supported me. We've put ourselves in a really strong position going into the next round."

Luca now heads to Brands Hatch sitting second in the championship, just 13 points behind the leader, with the title battle gathering momentum.