April 26, 2023

BeerMonster Ducati Confident Ahead of Oulton Park

Following a successful opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone over Easter, BeerMonster Ducati riders Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell head for round two at Oulton Park this bank holiday weekend in confident mood.

Bridewell, from Devizes in Wiltshire, holds second place in the standings following his triple podium in round one where he backed up a pair of second place finishes in the opening two races with a third in race three to lie just two points behind early season leader Josh Brookes.
 
Meanwhile Irwin, from Ballyclare in County Antrim, is just three points adrift of his teammate after he followed up a podium finish in race two at Silverstone with victory in the final race meaning both of Paul Bird’s riders are looking to continue their great start to the season at his Lake District-based team’s local round.

The Cheshire track has been a particular favourite of Bridewell’s in recent years with three wins and an additional five podiums in his last dozen Oulton Park races, all aboard Ducati machinery, whereas Irwin scored a podium finish there for Honda last season on his way to runner-up in the title race. 

Aboard the F23-specification BeerMonster Ducati V4R machines, both riders tested there recently but despite the poor weather, they got valuable data which will stand them in good stead this weekend as they look to continue their successful starts to the 2023 campaign.
 
Tommy Bridewell: “I really love riding at Oulton Park, it’s the circuit where I’ve enjoyed many of my successes in the past and I can’t tell you how excited I am at the prospect of racing the BeerMonster Ducati F23 around there this weekend. We had a good, productive test and I’m fairly strong round there so it’s all looking positive. I was happy enough to get off to a good start and score some solid points at Silverstone but now I need to transform that into wins and I’m confident we can do that. It’s not going to be easy, but we know we have a great base setting with the new bike and hopefully we can continue the good form from the opening round.”
 
Glenn Irwin: “I’m looking forward to the weekend and to get back on my BeerMonster Ducati F23. We had a good test at Oulton Park a couple of weeks ago and got some important information which will make us stronger this weekend. I always enjoy riding there and to end up just a tenth of a second on the Honda behind Tommy’s Ducati last year was really good, especially as I know how strong the Ducatis can be. There will be a lot of riders in the mix I suspect but I’m confident of the package I’ve got which I’m still learning from. The plan is to give it our best shot during practice and qualifying and be fighting for the victories in all three races.”   

John Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “We had a brilliant start to the season at Silverstone with a win and four additional podiums which is just what we needed after the past couple of seasons, but that’s behind us now and we need to focus on the job in hand at Oulton Park. It’s our team's and sponsors’ local track so we are hoping to be challenging again at the front as both riders are good around there. We know the BeerMonster Ducati F23 will be a weapon in their hands, so the aim is to come away with a strong set of results again and to carry on the early season momentum.”
 

Images (courtesy of Double Red): Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) hope for more good results at Oulton Park this bank holiday 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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