The opening race of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Showdown saw a thrilling four way battle for supremacy between the Title Fighters as John Hopkins threw the gauntlet down to his rivals by winning the first race of the day at Donington Park.

Hopkins said:

"The focus for me was always on the race win and podiums are good but to win the championship we need to be winning races. We made a few points back on Tommy which was what we needed to do this weekend so we have made a good start to the Showdown. That was amazing; one hell of a race and I had a good view over the opening laps before we had a really good battle amongst us for the win. I knew we could be strong at the end of the race and the adrenaline really does mask the pain I had in my hand until the cool down lap. There was definitely no screwing around in that race and now I am one hundred percent focused to win the next one too for Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki."

Shane 'Shakey' Byrne got the hole shot off the line on the opening lap into Redgate ahead of Michael Laverty, Tommy Hill and Hopkins however the lead changed at Mcleans as the Swan Yamaha of Laverty dived down the inside to take the lead.

Laverty then was coming under pressure from Byrne and Hill but it Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki's Hopkins who was charging forward with a move on Hill on the inside into the Foggy Esses on the second lap as the Title Fighters scrapped for the first win of the Showdown.

Laverty was defending his position hard but Byrne then went ahead at the Old Hairpin on the third lap to reclaim the lead as the Title Fighters were inseparable on the Leicestershire circuit. The second Swan Yamaha of Hill then was moving up the order as he passed Hopkins at Goddards at the end of the sixth lap before passing his team-mate at the same place two laps later. The order was then Byrne, Hill, Laverty, and Hopkins until lap eleven when a dramatic lunge from Hill forced him and Byrne wide at Goddards and as the four leading riders exited the corner they were side-by-side.

The quartet approached Redgate at the start of the twelfth lap as Hopkins and Hill went for the outside line, Laverty dived for the inside to take the lead from Hopkins, Hill and Byrne, but the second HM Plant Honda of Ryuichi Kiyonari was forced to retire at that point of the race with a technical problem which gave him the first no points score of the Showdown.

At the front Laverty still held the lead from Hopkins and Byrne who had passed Hill again to move third, with the pair then swapping places on the seventeenth lap, whilst Hopkins moved into the lead with a decisive move in the Fogarty Esses with three laps remaining. The Swan Yamaha rider continued to pile on the pressure but it wasn't enough and Hopkins had the edge on the final lap to take the first win of the Showdown ahead of Laverty and Hill with Byrne dropping back towards the end in fourth.

Jon Kirkham on the second of the Samsung Crescent Racing Suzukis was fifth as he moved ahead of Peter Hickman on the eleventh lap, with the Tyco Honda rider then dropping back to seventh as Title Fighter Josh Brookes worked his way up to sixth in the final laps. James Ellison was eighth ahead of Martin Jessopp who again finished in the top ten on the Rapid Solicitors-Bathams Ducati whilst Graeme Gowland won the Mirror.co.uk BSB Evo race in tenth.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, race one result:

John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki)
Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) +0.480s
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +0.781s
Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda) +3.920s
Jon Kirkham (Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki) +6.345s
Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +10.281s
Peter Hickman (Tyco Honda) +13.141s
James Ellison (Sorrymate.com Honda) +18.578s
Martin Jessopp (Rapid Solicitors-Bathams Ducati) +22.154s
Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +22.543s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Donington Park race one:

Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 545
Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) 543
John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki) 535
Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda) 530
Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 519
Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 508