September 13, 2023

BeerMonster Ducati Set To Roll On At Oulton Park

The BeerMonster Ducati British Superbike Championship Team head for Oulton Park this weekend determined to continue their winning ways as a legacy to team owner Paul Bird who died on September 1st.

Last time out at Cadwell Park, both series leader Tommy Bridewell and second placed Glenn Irwin won all three races between them to consolidate their positions at the top of the table going into round nine of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship which now heads into the Showdown stage.
 
Both the PBM team and the organisers are planning tributes to ‘Birdy’ over what will be a poignant and emotional weekend but as he would have wanted, the focus will be on landing the Lake District-based team an unprecedented ninth BSB title next month.

Bridewell’s lead stands at 14.5 points ahead of Irwin as the pair of them have racked up 13 wins and a further 14 podiums between them so far this season, but now the points-scoring system changes and both riders know they can’t rest on their laurels.
 
It’s the second visit of the season to the Cheshire track, which is classed as the local one for the team, and it proved to be successful earlier in the season as both Bridewell and Irwin took a win each. Carrickfergus, County Antrim-based Glenn also took a double podium back in the spring with Tommy, from Devizes in Wiltshire, scoring solid points with a fourth and fifth, so the aim will be to maximise the scoring opportunities with only two rounds remaining after this one.
 
Bridewell cites Oulton Park as his most successful circuit with a total of six wins and a dozen podiums over his BSB career with Irwin also adding an additional podium previously to the successes he had earlier in the year.
 
Tommy Bridewell: “This weekend, I go into it like any other weekend and that is to do the best job I possibly can for myself, the team and of course for Paul. I feel like what we’ve been doing this year has been good enough, there is a reason why we’ve managed to win seven races, and another seven podiums along the way as well. Cadwell was a tough weekend but getting the bike bang on for the last race gave me the same feeling I had when I won at Snetterton and Brands Hatch. All I’m focused on is winning races and if I carry on doing what I’ve done all year then the championship should take care of itself.”
 
Glenn Irwin: “I have a great feeling and I have said it all year, and despite the tough times for the team of late with the news of Paul’s passing, I still have a great feeling of how this season’s chapter ends. I have continued to target Tommy and we have beaten him in five of the last six races. I feel that momentum is with me, as it was with him in the middle part of the season, and I would be ignorant to ignore that as he has done a fantastic job. Right now, I want to continue with the momentum that I feel we have the upper hand and to continue to build on that, and most of all, put on a good show for not just Paul, but all the fans of PBM who I am sure are also saddened by the recent news.”
 
Pictures attached courtesy of Double Red.

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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