September 27, 2023

BeerMonster Ducati Aim For More Success At Donington Park

BeerMonster Ducati riders Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell head into the penultimate round of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship looking to continue their recent domination.

Just half a point separates the pair arriving at Donington Park following a clean sweep of six successive victories at the previous two rounds with Ulsterman Irwin holding the narrowest of advantages over Devizes rider Bridewell with both riders winning eight races each so far this year for the Lake District-based team.


Following an emotional past month having lost team owner Paul Bird and the subsequent tributes at Oulton Park and since then at his well-attended funeral, Paul’s daughter Jordan and son Frank have taken up the mantle of running the team and are now focusing on the quest for an unprecedented ninth BSB title for the PBM team.

The two BeerMonster Ducati riders have a healthy 60-point gap at the top of the table but with enhanced points on offer again in the three races at Donington Park this weekend, which escalate even higher into the three Brands Hatch races two weeks afterwards, both Irwin and Bridewell know they need to be on top of their game once again.
 
However, earlier in the season, Donington Park was just one of two tracks out of the nine rounds so far where either or both riders didn’t score a victory so they will aim to rectify that at a track both riders traditionally go well at with a combined total of ten podiums between them. 


Glenn Irwin: “We will get back to business this weekend after a very emotional few weeks paying our various tributes to Paul. But just like at Oulton, we have work to do and that’s to focus our efforts and continue the job in hand. The journey this season keeps getting better and is something I’m very much enjoying as we chase the championship. I’m looking at the end goal rather than each race and whatever will be will be. We didn’t have the best of luck at Donington earlier in the season, but we were strong and had good pace, so the plan is to keep the recent winning run going.” 
 
Tommy Bridewell: “It’s been an emotional time for everyone in the team as we said our farewells to Paul but now, we need to do him proud by maintaining our challenge for the title. Oulton wasn’t ideal for me but that’s history and all I’m concentrating on is this weekend at Donington. I suffered my one and only technical failure all season when leading there earlier in the season so I’m 100% focused on gaining as many points as I can. The plan is to leave Donington in a stronger position than when I arrived and if I can do that, then it’s game on for the final round at Brands Hatch.”   


John Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “It’s fair to say emotions were running very high both on and off the track at Oulton Park which is understandable given the situation with losing Paul and both our riders being so hungry to win. We’ve all had a chat and suffice to say, we are totally united more than ever in our quest to win the BSB title for a ninth time. We didn’t enjoy the best of fortunes at Donington earlier in the year, but we know we have a great chance to continue our unbeaten run and if we can manage that, we will get a little bit closer to achieving our dream.”
 

 
Pictures courtesy of Double Red: Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) hope for more good results Donington Park this weekend.

HAGER PBM DUCATI FIRED UP AHEAD OF OULTON PARK SEASON OPENER

May 1, 2025
HAGER PBM Ducati and rider Glenn Irwin are all set and ready for the start of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike season, as the championship roars into action this weekend at Oulton Park. The team will head to its local circuit in Cheshire for the May Bank Holiday weekend, keen to get a strong start to its 2025 campaign and looking to emulate its success from two visits there last year, when Irwin celebrated four victories from six race starts. The opening round follows a solid pre-season testing programme for the team, with Irwin topping the timesheets in two of the three R&G Official tests. Over the three events, the squad worked through a busy schedule, testing a host of new components for its Ducati Panigale V4R and while not specifically chasing lap times, were never far from the top the board. Now, as they prepare for the first round at one of their strongest tracks, the team and Irwin are feeling quietly confident they can hit the ground running and emerge from Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday with a strong haul of points to get their championship off to a flying start. Glenn Irwin: “It’s fantastic to be finally going into the opening round at Oulton Park – it’s almost seven months since the last season ended so it’s been a long wait. But now it’s time to go and put everything we’ve done, everything we’ve learnt over the off-season into practice. “We’ve had a great testing programme, there’s a new addition on my side with my rider spotter which has been a nice refresh and I’ve also made some small adjustments to my own riding style. “The team has brought some new items this year which have been nice, not performance parts but parts which can equate to performance…it’s not as simple as an extra 10 bhp or anything like that, but it’s nice to go racing with something new. “I can’t wait for the weekend and to get going. My motivation is high, so let’s go and kick-off the year with the best possible points haul for the Hager PBM Ducati team.” Frank Bird Jnr, Team Co-owner: “It’s finally time to get going. A lot of hard work has been put in over this winter, the team has had three solid tests so we should be right in the mix from the word go – that’s the plan, anyway. “It’s felt like a long wait so it’s mega that the first round is finally here. I’d like to thank all our sponsors for helping us get here and we’re all hoping we can put on a good show and bring back some trophies. “It’s fantastic to be starting the season at Oulton Park, particularly on a Bank Holiday weekend. A lot of our sponsors are north-based, it’s also our local round as a family too, so it’s obviously an important one for us. Here’s to a strong weekend and kicking-off the season with three great race results.” The 2025 Bennetts British Superbike action opens with free practice on Saturday, May 3 followed by Qualifying and Race One on Sunday, May 4. The weekend will draw to a close following two further races on Bank Holiday Monday, May 5.

IRWIN AND HAGER PBM DUCATI WRAP-UP SUCCESSFUL TESTING PROGRAMME

April 24, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team and rider Glenn Irwin have completed another successful R&G Official test at Oulton Park, with the opening round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship now just over a week away. Irwin and the team have spent the last two days at the Cheshire track, grabbing as much track time as possible in the final days on track before the season begins. After ending last weekend’s Donington Park test on top, the team was keen to continue to push in the final two days, working through a busy schedule and trying a host of new components and ideas. Irwin ended the test second quickest overall after clocking the best lap of Thursday afternoon’s final session, banking a 1min 33.313s lap on his last run. He leaves feeling confident about next weekend’s opening round and can’t wait to get back out. Glenn Irwin: “That’s us finished pre-season testing and I’m feeling good. We’ve been working, working, working and the bike felt better today but we still have a bit of work to do. “It’s been really, really enjoyable, we’ve tried a number of different things and I think now we’re finding a bit of a balance. Today we unlocked something in that middle session, I did a good few 33s in that run so I think we’re strong. “It’s definitely been very productive. We haven’t gone for lap times, we’ve been focussed on getting the bike right and when that happens, the lap times come. That’s what we’re starting to see and I think we’re in a good place to come back next week and start the season.” Frank Bird Jnr, Team Co-owner: “It’s a mega way to finish, this puts us in really good stead for the season and we’ve got a lot of boxes ticked off with the bike. All the boys are working well, we’ve got everyone back into the swing of things and Glenn seems to be riding well, so we’re in a good window for the first round. “It’s been a long winter but all the hard work seems to be paying off and we’re right in the mix. It means we can come here for Round One and we’re in a great place to start from.” The opening round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship roars into action at Oulton Park over the May Bank Holiday weekend, May 3-5.
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