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.

PODIUMS, POINTS AND PRIZES FOR HAGER PBM DUCATI

May 18, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team heads home from Donington Park fired up for the rest of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike season after rider Glenn Irwin clinched a second and a third in today’s two races. Irwin narrowly missed out on what could have been two wins at the iconic Derbyshire track – but he and the team leave feeling excited about the rest of the year after a strong performance. It had been a tougher start to the weekend as the team struggled with a few niggling issues, but after topping Friday’s timesheets, Irwin clocked the third quickest time in Qualifying to line up on the front row for Saturday’s race. Moving into second position at Turn One, he settled into a good rhythm and as he found himself in a three-way battle, took the lead on Lap Eight. However, a few issues struck in closing laps which left him unable to hold off his rivals and he slipped back to fourth. Determined to make amends on Sunday, Irwin once again started from third on the grid. Getting a good start, he was up to second by the end of Lap Two and quickly began reeling in leader Bradley Ray. A move for the front at the Fogarty Esses on the fourth lap didn’t pay off but he wasn’t giving up, quickly closing back in on his rival. On Lap Eight, he tried again to dive down the inside at the same spot but wasn’t able to make it, running down the slip road and slipping back to fourth. He fought hard in the remaining four laps to catch the bike ahead, making the move into the chicane on the final lap to secure third place. It was another front row start for the final race and he held third place into Turn One, settling into position for the opening laps. By Lap Eight he was challenging Rory Skinner for third and as the race reached the halfway point on Lap 10, he made the move into Turn One and moved into second position. More than two seconds adrift of leader Ray, Irwin put his head down and pushed hard, quickly reducing the gap and with three laps to go was just 0.296 behind. Once again, he tried a move at the Fogarty Esses but wasn’t able to make it work and despite pushing on, wasn’t able to pass. He crossed the line just 0.396secs behind his rival and picked up another strong haul of points. He also set a new lap record, with a 1min 28.832s on the penultimate lap. Glenn Irwin: “We’ve had a fourth, a third and a second so we’re going in the right direction. Race one was really, really tough. We had a limiting factor with the bike on Friday and Saturday which wasn’t rectified until Sunday morning, and it was a good chunk better today. “I think the Sprint race was one that we could’ve won but we made a mistake. I think in the last race we played the right game, we were patient and again we could perhaps have won. I made a similar mistake at the same corner and it left us a lot of work to do with two laps to go. “Setting a new lap record on Lap 19 was good and we may have lost a couple of points but at this stage of the year, two points here or there is nothing and I’m quite happy either way. “Hats off to the team because they worked very hard this weekend and they gave me something that was missing and it’s so much better now. We now have a bit of a break, I’ll head to the TT for 10 days and chill out but keep training hard, working harder and trust that the wins will come.” Frank Bird Jnr, Team Co-owner: “It’s been a very positive weekend, very consistent, which is obviously a good sign. We got there with the bike setup, I think we’ve found what we were missing at Oulton Park. “It’s still only the second round so everyone is still getting into it, learning the bike, learning the new tyre but thank you to all the boys, they’ve been mega all weekend and have really worked hard. “Glenn rode his heart out in all three races and we are definitely in the mix…now we will just keep going and look forward to the rest of the season.” The championship now takes a break until mid June, when the pack will resume duties at Snetterton.

ROUND TWO BECKONS FOR HAGER PBM DUCATI

May 14, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati squad is heading to Donington Park this weekend as the second round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship roars into action at the iconic track. The team and rider Glenn Irwin will be looking to build on their success at the opening round, where the Northern Irishman clinched two second place finishes, putting him third in the championship chase but equal on 32 points with his rivals sitting first and second. It’s been a tough fortnight where the racing community has mourned the loss of riders Owen Jenner and Shane Richardson – and the team has been particularly affected by the death of Owen, a close friend of owners Jordan, Frank and other team members. Now, hopes are high that the team and Irwin can deliver a string of podium finishes this weekend, with performances which both boys would be proud of. Glenn Irwin, rider: “Looking ahead to the weekend you almost feel a little bit guilty, because obviously we all want to continue to pay our respects to Owen and Shane’s families, and when we look back at Oulton Park, the whole event is overshadowed by this sadness. “But if I was to look just purely at the riding side of things and the teamwork, I felt we did a good job. We had some difficult moments but we did well to come from 14 th to second in Race One and particularly Race two, after four laps we were 3.3 off and eight laps later to only be 0.1 off the win was very pleasing. “I think as riders, we all know what we achieved in terms of race pace over the two races, we only ever took time out of Bradley (Ray) and Leon (Haslam) and for me that was confidence inspiring. I think we fired our own warning shots without winning races which is important for our own confidence and important to cement ourselves in the thoughts of our rivals as well. “This weekend and the whole championship in general is going to be close. The three of us who were in it at Oulton will be there, I expect Kyle (Ryde) to be there and Danny Kent to also join the party this weekend…it’s going to be a good one.” Jordan Bird, Team Co-owner: “As usual, we are ready for business this weekend - although this one is a little different. We race at Donington Park for Owen and Shane. “Of course, we have a job to do but our thoughts will never be far away from both of them and we continue to send our love and best wishes to their families. “We know it’s going to be a tough weekend in many ways for the team and for the paddock as a whole but we look forward to doing the best job we possibly can in memory of Owen and Shane.”  Round Two of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship gets underway at Donington Park this Friday, May 16 with two free practice sessions ahead of Qualifying and Race One on Saturday, followed by two further races on Sunday, May 18.
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