BeerMonster Ducati Maintain Title Bid After Opening Race
The BeerMonster Ducati duo of Tommy Bridewell and Glenn Irwin maintained first and second place in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship after taking third and fourth place finishes respectively in the opening race of the final round at Brands Hatch today.
Bridewell’s third place, his 16th podium finish of the season, means he goes into tomorrow’s final two races with a slender 10.5-point advantage over his teammate with today’s race winner Kyle Ryde a further 16.5 points adrift.
After mixed conditions in practice, today initially saw dry and sunny conditions albeit with cool temperatures, but heavy rain fell just before eBay Qualifying which meant challenging conditions for the riders and although Tommy put in some solid laps to place seventh for the afternoon’s race, Glenn could only manage 17th.
That means confidence is at a high as both riders look to increase the gap to third placed Kyle Ryde who is now 35 points behind Bridewell and 27.5 adrift of Irwin but with three races all scoring 35 points for a win this weekend, nothing can be taken for granted.
If either rider can box off the title, it would be an unprecedented ninth Bennetts BSB crown for the PBM team, and the first since 2020 when Josh Brookes won on the Ducati. It would also be a perfect tribute to Birdy who passed away after a short illness in September.
Tommy Bridewell:
“It’s hard to believe it’s the final round already but I’m looking forward to getting the championship decider underway this weekend. I’m in the position where everyone else wants to be at the head of the table and arriving at Brands Hatch, I’m feeling very confident. We have shown earlier in the season we have good pace in both the wet and the dry so if there’s one track I’d like the title to be decided at, it’s there. Hopefully it will all work out well and if everything goes to plan, I’ll do the team, myself and of course Paul proud by lifting the champion’s trophy.”
Glenn Irwin:
“The mathematics speak for themselves and although we could dwell on the previous round, that doesn’t align with my plan on where this championship is going. I’ve said all along that there is a long-term goal for this season and that’s to become British Superbike champion, and I still maintain that, and I feel it is going to happen. I plan to shape my own upwards trajectory so if I listen to my own advice, then it’s all to play for. I just want to enjoy the weekend, have some fun and the plan is to come away with the number one plate.”
John Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator:
“Although we surrendered a few points to our rivals at Donington Park, some of them didn’t maximise their opportunities and we’re still first and second in the standings with three races left. Both Tommy and Glenn have a fantastic chance of becoming British champion, but if the title is to come our way, it can only be one of them, sadly. We’ll arrive and do our job as normal; we have had great success at Brands Hatch over the years, and if we can get that ninth title for the team and especially for Paul, it would mean the world to us. May the best man win, whoever that is.”
Bennetts British Superbike Championship – BikeSocial Sprint Race (12 laps)
1 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
2 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)
3 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
4 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
5 Christian Iddon (Ducati)
6 Peter Hickman (BMW)
Championship standings
1 Bridewell 395pts
2 Irwin 384.5
3 Ryde 368
4 O’Halloran 347.5
5 Jackson 338.5
6 Haslam 327
Pictures courtesy of Double Red: Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) challenge for the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship title this weekend.
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