October 1, 2023

Bridewell And Irwin Still Top The Table After Difficult Donington

Despite a very testing weekend at the penultimate round of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park, the BeerMonster Ducati duo of Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell endured another difficult day today but still lead the series in first and second position going into the final round at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time.

After yesterday’s lottery of tyre choice in the changing conditions which saw neither rider score points in the BikeSocial Sprint race, hopes were high for today’s opening race despite Irwin starting from row four and Bridewell on the back of the grid.

Both riders made excellent starts with Glenn up to second at the end of the opening lap and Tommy already in 15th. Glenn soon took the lead as Tommy continued to move forward, working his way up into the top ten on lap four and then into the top five four laps later. By then, spots of rain were falling, and less than two seconds covered the leading seven riders as Bridewell hit the front followed by Irwin.

But as the lead continued to change, going into the Melbourne Hairpin, Bridewell clattered into the back of his teammate sending the pair crashing out and adding no points to their tally for a second race running. Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde took the win from Leon Haslam (BMW) which meant 33.5pts covered the four riders in the points table.


The final race of the weekend, held in fully wet conditions, saw the pair line up on the grid next to each other in fourth and fifth but Glenn’s race was over almost straightaway, retiring at the first corner with a technical issue. Tommy, meanwhile, ran in fifth in the early stages before dropping back and with the race ending early after Haslam’s bike expired, he claimed ninth at the flag which saw him reclaim the championship lead.


The race was won by Yamaha’s Jason O’Halloran ahead of Christian Iddon (Ducati) and Josh Brookes (BMW) to leave Bridewell in the lead of the series, 7.5 points ahead of Irwin with Ryde in third a further 27.5 points back and Haslam in fourth. The three races at Brands Hatch offer 35 points each for a win.

Glenn Irwin: “This weekend has highlighted the highs and lows of racing, particularly the latter but it’s part of the job and it’s left the championship on a knife edge. I felt good in the first race and was pretty much in cruise mode until the spots of rain began to fall which led me to back off a bit. The incident with Tommy happened but I bear no resentment, we put it behind us and moved on to the last race. I had a good feeling in the wet but, unfortunately, a throttle sensor went so we ended the weekend with no points. The points table could have looked a lot different but I’m only 7.5pts behind Tommy and mentally I feel in a good place and I’m so fortunate to ride for such a good team.”
 
Tommy Bridewell: “I’m sore after today’s crash and worn out emotionally after the weekend. Without doubt it’s been a tough day and a rollercoaster of a meeting and whilst the incident in the first race was bad for all of us, it was just a racing incident, but I apologised to Glenn and his team as it was obviously disappointing for both of us. I felt so strong on the bike and to come from last on the grid to lead after eight laps is almost unheard of in BSB so it’s a real shame it happened. In the final race, I had a few visibility issues, but I came here half a point behind in the championship standings and I’m leaving 7.5pts in the lead so I’m feeling positive going into the final round at Brands.”


John Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “It’s been a tough day in a manner of ways but with the way the results went today, I think we’ve dodged a bullet as the championship table could be a lot closer than what it is. What happened in the first race was a racing incident and could have happened to anyone, it’s just more unfortunate when the person you take out is your teammate. No-one intends to do that in racing and at the end of the day, they’re human beings competing in a pressure situation and today Tommy made a mistake with both riders paying the price. After six wins on the bounce, it’s a shame the run has ended the way it has but we can be grateful that we’re still first and second in the championship and still with a bit of a buffer to the rest of the field.”


Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (16 laps)

1 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)


2 Leon Haslam (BMW)


3 Christian Iddon (Ducati)


4 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)


5 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)


6 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)


DNF Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)


DNF Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)


Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three (15 laps)


1 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

2 Christian Iddon (Ducati)

3 Josh Brookes (BMW)

4 Charlie Nesbitt (Honda)

5 Jack Kennedy (Yamaha)

6 Storm Stacey (Kawasaki)

9 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)


DNF Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 


Championship Standings (after ten rounds)


1 Bridewell 368pts


2 Irwin 360.5


3 Ryde 333

4 Haslam 327

5 Jackson 324.5

6 O’Halloran 317.5



 
Pictures courtesy of Double Red: Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) at Donington Parkrk.

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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