May 20, 2023

Donington Park Podium Sends Bridewell Top of the Table

BeerMonster Ducati’s Tommy Bridewell took the lead in this year’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship with a second place at Donington Park today which saw him move one point ahead of teammate Glenn Irwin who finished fifth in the 12-lap BikeSocial Sprint Race. 

The duo had posted the same time on the BeerMonster F23-specification V4R Ducatis during yesterday’s free practice sessions, which put them joint fourth quickest on the leaderboard but qualifying took a different slant compared to previous rounds with the introduction of the one lap Omologato Superpole whereby each rider took to the track on their own in a bid for pole position.
 
It was Bridewell who was the quicker of the two Paul Bird Motorsport riders as he set the fourth fastest time with Glenn in sixth meaning the duo lined up on the second row for the race later in the day.

With a brand-new track surface providing the fastest ever laps around the Donington Park GP circuit and in almost perfect conditions, both riders consolidated their starting positions on the opening lap as they crossed the line in fourth and fifth with Bridewell the better placed of the two.
 
As the race progressed, it was Bridewell who had the better pace, breaking the lap record twice on successive laps, which elevated him to second place behind leader Kyle Ryde, as he fended Leon Haslam off in third.
 
However, Bridewell managed to hang on and take runner-up position for his fifth podium of the season as Ryde took the victory. Irwin, meanwhile, moved up to fourth on the fourth lap and ran on his own for much of the race but lost ground in the closing stages and he had to settle for fifth at the chequered flag. Nevertheless, the duo remains in first and second in the championship table.
 
Tommy Bridewell: “I’m happy enough with second as it was a good, solid ride. I was putting pressure on Kyle as much as I could whilst also being put under pressure by Leon all race. I made an average start and dropped back a bit and by the time I got up to second, Kyle had opened a bit of a gap which I was never able to pull back. Getting off the line is something I need to work on but fair play to Kyle, he never put a wheel wrong although I did feel I was stronger on some parts of the course than him. The bike was faultless, and the pace was good so full credit to the team although we’ll have to think about tomorrow’s races a bit more in terms of looking after the tyre but second is great and we’re consistently running at the front.”
 
Glenn Irwin: “The weekend started with a difficult FP1, but we improved steadily throughout practice and Superpole and I thought we could fight for a podium but right from the beginning of the race, there was something not quite right with the rear tyre. The grip was a little bit unpredictable but with the bike we had, it was the best I could do. It’s frustrating not to have been on the podium, at least, but at the same time, fifth is not too bad a result. It’s good points, we haven’t lost any ground to our main rivals and I’m still only a point behind Tommy so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”
 
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “We’re happy enough with today’s results as it’s been more difficult than normal finding a set-up during practice and qualifying, but both sides of the garage worked hard to put themselves in a good position for the race. Superpole offered another challenge as you need to be so precise and smooth, but the front two rows were what we wanted so fair play to the boys for achieving that. Tommy got away well in the race and had good pace which enabled him to take a good podium and although Glenn had an issue with the rear, he still scored some good, solid points. Tomorrow’s longer races normally suit our bikes, but we’ll look at the data to ensure we’re as prepared as always.”
 
Tomorrow’s races, held over the longer distance of 20 laps, are scheduled to start at 13:15 and 16:30 respectively.
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race One – BikeSocial Sprint (12 laps)
1 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
2 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
3 Leon Haslam (BMW)
4 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
5 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
6 Josh Brookes (BMW)
 
Championship Standings
1 Bridewell 103pts
2 Irwin 102
3 Brookes 97
4 Ryde 91
5 Haslam 90
6 Jackson 49
 
Images courtesy of Double Red: Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) in action at Donington Park.

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.

IRWIN AND HAGER PBM DUCATI END SUCCESSFUL SECOND TEST ON TOP

April 19, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team continued its strong testing form at Donington Park as rider Glenn Irwin once again ended the two days fastest overall. Although the team is still not concentrating on lap times, Irwin picked up where he left off at Circuito de Navarra earlier this month as he led the way on Friday before going even quicker on Day Two with an impressive fastest lap of 1min 27.015s in the final session. After a strong first test where he topped the timesheets at Navarra, the team headed to the second R&G Official test at Donington Park looking to work on a number of different things. Irwin was consistently quick across the opening day, ending Friday fastest overall with a 1:27.022sec lap in the final session to end the day at the top of the timesheets with what was the fastest ever BSB lap of the iconic track. Along with most of the pack, he opted to sit out of Saturday morning’s first session due to track conditions, heading out for the second to work through a few more things. He again shot to the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:27.468, before later going one better in the final session to clock his new fastest ever lap. Glenn Irwin: “It’s been really good, like Navarra, we’ve continued with a plan. Yesterday we had a really, really strong bike here and conditions were a little better. Today conditions were tougher with the wind but everyone still finds a way to go fast. “We probably persevered with a bike which is suited to the final sector, perhaps Turn One as well. As the day went on I realised we were losing a bit in some places but we stuck with it. “It’s pleasing because I would say that isn’t the bike of choice for here, perhaps maybe yesterday's bike was better, but to top today feeling like that, to do a lot of laps in the 27s with improved pace on old tyres is good. The test has definitely been a success.” John Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “I think it’s been a positive test where we’ve confirmed a number of test items over the two days. We had slightly better conditions yesterday than today but I think we’ve ticked a lot of boxes, gone fairly quick so it’s all positive – roll on Oulton Park. “The plan there is more of the same, just keep trying to understand the new tyre, try and work with it. I think longevity is going to be the key now for Oulton Park, we’ll do a couple of race runs, see how the tyre lasts and then get ready for Round One.” The team will now prepare for the final test at Oulton Park next Wednesday and Thursday, April 23 and 24 which will be the last chance to get everything ready ahead of the first round of the 2025 season at Oulton Park over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
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