Max Symonds uses EBC Brakes Racing’s GPFAX pads and X-Series floating discs
Wiltshire-based motorcycle racer, Max Symonds has been competing in another season in the British Superbike Championship’s National Superstock category.
The rider, who also won Castle Combe Circuit’s NG Road Racing ‘King of Combe’ race in 2023, switched from his Yamaha R1 to a Honda CBR 1000RR Fireblade for 2025, continuing to use EBC Brakes Racing’s GPFAX pads and X-Series floating discs to provide the stopping power.
With great results achieved at the most recent Cadwell Park round of BSB (after Symonds returned to the saddle following an ankle injury which put him out of action over the summer months), Max took a break from the series to return to his home circuit of Castle Combe for a very special one-off race weekend.
Here, he was pleased to once again secure ‘King of Combe’ status after some fantastic riding across the two days.
Read more about the weekend in his team’s own words below…
“Max Symonds and his team rose to the challenge at the recent Motorcycle National by NG Road Racing event at Castle Combe Circuit, claiming the coveted ‘King of Combe’ title for the third time, following previous wins in 2022 and 2023.
“The ‘King of Combe’ crown is decided over a single weekend, consisting of one qualifying session and three races. The rider with the best overall results across the races takes home the title.
“As a local favourite and previous two-time winner of the event, Max entered the weekend as the rider to beat. However, the competition was fierce, with several British Superbike Championship riders also in contention.”
“Max made an impressive start, securing pole position and winning Race 1 on Saturday by more than six seconds.”
Max Symonds: “I made the most of starting at the front, got away well, and put in some fast laps to build up a gap to the riders behind,” Max said. “After that, I kept an eye on my pit board to manage the gap and bring it home. Despite being able to build up a good lead, the bike felt quite hard to ride with the rear tyre sliding a lot under acceleration so we had some work to do overnight to improve the set-up for Sunday.”
“Sunday brought new challenges, with temperatures dropping sharply and the colder track reducing grip levels.
“In Sunday’s first race, Max made another strong start, immediately pulling a gap from the pack. Unfortunately, the race was red-flagged due to a crash, forcing a restart. In the rerun, Max faced closer pressure from the chasing riders, but once his tyres reached temperature, he delivered a series of fast laps to stretch his lead and take his second win of the weekend.”
“Heading into the final race, Max stuck to his proven strategy: warm up the tyres, push hard early to build a gap, then manage the pace to the finish. The plan worked perfectly and he once again pulled away from the field and took the win.
“With that, Max was crowned King of Combe for the third time in dominant style with pole position, three wins out of three, and the fastest lap of the weekend.”
GPFAX Pads
EBC’s GPFAX Sintered Race Brake Pads are for RACE ONLY use. This is a blend of brake pad that has higher friction and far better grip than any other brake product on the market.
X-Series Floating Discs
Since their introduction, EBC’s ultra-lightweight floating motorcycle rotors have become one of the worlds best selling lightest and best performing discs available for all modern sport bikes.
