Bennetts BSB Leaders BeerMonster Ducati Head For Knockhill
The picturesque circuit of Knockhill in Fife is the destination for round four of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship with Lake District-based BeerMonster Ducati hoping to continue their recent good form.
Arriving at the Scottish track which overlooks the Firth of Forth, Paul Bird’s riders Tommy Bridewell and Glenn Irwin occupy first and second place in the standings aboard their factory supported BeerMonster Ducati F23s.
After a four-week break, Wiltshire-based Bridewell heads the title chase by just three points ahead of Irwin, from County Antrim, with Tommy winning a race at Oulton Park and following it up with five additional podiums. Glenn, meanwhile, has won two races so far at Silverstone and Oulton Park, and has four podium finishes to his name out of the nine races held so far.
But neither rider can rest on their laurels as the chasing pack is ready to pounce, with just ten points separating the top five riders ahead of the three races this weekend around the tight and twisty 1.27-mile circuit.
Neither Bridewell nor Irwin has won a Bennetts BSB race at Knockhill although the PBM team have had plenty of success over the years at what is effectively one of their local tracks, being located just over the border in Cumbria.
Tommy Bridewell: “It’s been good to have a little bit of a break since the last round and I’ve enjoyed a holiday and recharged my batteries. That said, we had a great one-day test at Knockhill during the break which gave us some good data to work with. That has given the team some time to work on settings ahead of the weekend. Because of the nature of the circuit, qualifying is crucial as it’s difficult to make passes in the races, so a good set-up is vital from the start. Arriving as championship leader, the idea is to consolidate that position, but I know it’s not going to be easy.”
Glenn Irwin: “It will be great to visit Scotland as it’s as near as I get to a home round, and I always have lots of support which I enjoy. We had a good test at Knockhill a couple of weeks ago and worked through what we needed to and made some good improvements. So, we arrive a little further ahead than we would be with a new bike so we'll see what that brings. But we know the weekend will present us with some challenges, so both me and the team need to be 100% and we should be fine. Hopefully, the weather holds, and we can enjoy another successful meeting.”
Images (courtesy of Double Red): Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) hope for more good results Knockhill this weekend.
