Bridewell And Irwin Set For Thruxton Thriller
Round seven of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship heads for the fastest circuit in the UK whereby BeerMonster Ducati will hope to continue their recent winning ways.
Thruxton in Hampshire always serves up a feast of exciting racing and this year’s round has a special significance about it as local hero Tommy Bridewell leads the charge for Paul Bird’s eight-times British Champions.
Bridewell, from Devizes just over the border in Wiltshire, has won five out of the last six Bennetts BSB races aboard the factory-supported BeerMonster Ducati and will have the backing of a partisan crowd as he defends his 34.5-point advantage over teammate Glenn Irwin.
Irwin hasn’t won since Knockhill back in June so will be keen to get the better of Bridewell, especially as Tommy hasn’t enjoyed the best of luck around Thruxton in his lengthy career. Glenn has won four times this season and when added to Bridewell’s six victories, it means the BeerMonster Ducati riders have won more than half the races run so far this season.
County Antrim rider Irwin has a 42.5 lead over third placed Kyle Ryde arriving at Thruxton so will be hoping to extend that at a track where he’s enjoyed podium success in the past.
Tommy Bridewell: “I’m looking forward to the weekend, but we are going there with absolutely no expectations. It’s the best way for me to approach this round as it’s no secret that Thruxton has never been my strongest track, but then again, I’ve never gone there with the results and momentum I’ve been enjoying recently. The team has intense knowledge and experience so between us all, we should be able to produce the results we have proved we are capable of. It’s just a case of us doing what we’ve been doing all season long as that’s been working well but I’ll take what’s on offer, enjoy my local round, and maximise what we can from the weekend.”
Glenn Irwin: “Thruxton is always a brilliant round and unique as we don’t get to test there so it’s great to go somewhere you don’t get to ride at too often. We know the opposition will be strong, so I intend approaching the weekend with an open mind, but we arrive in good shape and with some good results recently. We are learning all the time and tyre management is always critical around Thruxton, so it will be interesting to see how that pans out with the optimum SCD Pirelli tyre, which will be a different challenge for us all. If the racing is as good as last year, it will be fantastic for the fans, and I hope to be in there challenging at the front.”
Pictures courtesy of Double Red: Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) head for round seven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship this weekend.
