Davey Todd 'got a lot of stick' for results in British Superbike Championship but highlights key issue stifling progress on BMW
Davey Todd enjoyed another excellent year at the major road races but the Isle of Man TT winner admits both he and team-mate Peter Hickman endured a “frustrating” season in the British Superbike Championship.
Todd, who rounded out the 2025 season by winning the Macau Grand Prix earlier in November, says the electronics rule in BSB is a major disadvantage for the BMW M1000RR.
The 30-year-old co-owns the 8TEN Racing Team with Hickman and is adamant his results this year in BSB do not represent a true reflection of what he is capable of.
A two-time National Superstock 1000 champion, Todd feels he has unfinished business in BSB but has not yet been able to fulfil his potential.
“Just simply put, if I could ride the bike that I ride here (Macau), then we’d be more competitive (in BSB),” said Todd.
“It’s nothing flashy, we’re pretty much on a full Superstock bike with a faster motor in it. The Superstock bike is fantastic – the difference is in the electronics.
“By far in BSB, the biggest problem for us is running MoTeC electronics in BSB – the BMW doesn’t like it. The other bikes work a bit better with it, but the BMW – especially the new one – has been designed around working with electronics and when you take them all away, it’s very difficult to ride.
“But then when we go to the roads and I can put the proper BMW kit electronics on, which again are not World Superbike or really expensive electronics – they’re just kit electronics like you run on a Superstock bike – they’re fantastic.
“The bike is amazing and if we could just run that we’d be good, but unfortunately the rules don’t allow it, so it’s been a frustrating time.
“But at the end of the day, our priorities are the roads and I’d rather it was that way around than the other way around.”
Todd, whose results this year included three wins at the North West 200, a Superbike TT success and victory in the blue riband Solo Championship race at the Southern 100, said the criticism he has faced around his performances in BSB had been “tough to take”.
“It’s really frustrating for both me and Pete (Hickman) to be in British Superbikes and be running around in positions that we know we’re both better than, and getting a lot of stick for it to be honest,” added the Saltburn man, who was 24th in the standings.
“It’s tough to take really, when we know ourselves that we’re more competitive than we look. For sure, I feel I’ve got unfinished business, but when you’re not allowed a competitive package, what can you do.
“Unless things change a little bit, which other manufacturers have concessions; namely Yamaha have concessions and the Yamaha is allowed certain parts that the BMW isn’t, and that doesn’t make sense because the Yamaha is winning every week, and the BMW isn’t.
“So why are they getting concessions and we’re not, and the simple answer is because the BMW is fast, which we don’t want to make it faster because it’s already fast, we just need to make the power more usable and to make it work with the MoTeC electronics.
“Things have to change for us to be more competitive and it would be nice to be back there and be competitive.”