BeerMonster Ducati Conclude Testing Ahead of BSB Series Opener
BeerMonster Ducati riders Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell concluded their on-track preparations at Silverstone yesterday ahead of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship which kicks off there over the Easter weekend.
Aboard the F23-specification BeerMonster Ducati V4R machines, both riders spun some laps in the wet conditions which plagued the third of the official BSB tests around the 1.64-mile National Circuit and ruled out any meaningful lap times.
Buoyed by their successful test at Navarra in Spain earlier in the month, both Ulsterman Irwin and Wiltshire ace Bridewell recorded around 35 laps each on Wednesday at Silverstone after sitting out all of Tuesday’s action because of the weather but despite the inclement conditions, both riders are raring to go when the action starts in earnest on Good Friday.
Glenn won all three races at the season opener at Silverstone last season before going on to finish runner-up in the final standings whilst Tommy, who finished third in the title race in 2022, is looking to kick off the season with a debut Silverstone victory.
Glenn Irwin:
“That’s pre-season testing done. We had an enjoyable time at Navarra and got great feeling with the bike with a clear understanding and then did a few laps in the wet at Silverstone. I’m reasonably happy as there are areas where the package is strong but there are some that we need to keep working on and to improve. Because of the weather in the UK, no one has had much dry track time so going into round one, everyone is unsure as to where they are at. Hopefully next Friday will be dry and we can all see where we are at so I’m looking for a strong start to the season.”
Tommy Bridewell:
“I’ve got a really positive feeling ahead of the season and I’ve made a good transition to the PBM BeerMonster Ducati team. My priority has been to better understand the new Ducati V4R and the way it works. It’s a lot different to the previous model and a real breath of fresh air, it’s all that I’ve been missing. We’ve hardly changed the bike during the testing we did, we didn’t get too many laps in but it’s still been very productive. I’m glad we got some time in the wet conditions as that was a big positive for me too so I’m confident rolling into the opening round.”
John Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator:
“The Silverstone test proved to be tough with difficult conditions on both days. The track temperature on Tuesday was too low for us to attempt any meaningful laps but although it was still wet, it warmed up sufficiently for us to get a few laps in on Wednesday. It was important track time for both Glenn and Tommy on the new F23 bikes and we gained some valuable data. Now we start our final preparations for the opening round at Silverstone over Easter which the whole team is looking forward to and we can’t wait to go racing again.”
The opening round of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Silverstone over the Easter weekend from 7/9 April.
Images (courtesy of Double Red): Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) finished pre-season testing in the wet conditions at Silverstone ahead of round one next weekend.
