July 8, 2024

Double Delight For Irwin At Snetterton

Glenn Irwin and the Hager PBM Ducati team got back to winning ways in the British Superbike Championship at Snetterton at the weekend with a double victory on Sunday seeing them reclaim the lead in the title standings.

The weekend was affected considerably by weather conditions with heavy rain falling at times combined with cool temperatures throughout and Glenn encountered both in qualifying on Saturday where he ended up in 14th on the grid. The first race took place later in the afternoon with Glenn outside the points when the race was stopped due to an incident involving Rory Skinner.
 
Re-started over just five laps of the ‘300’ circuit, Glenn made it count and moved forward throughout eventually taking a solid fifth place. It gave him a much better start position for Sunday’s Sprint race, and he quickly opened up a second lead over Kyle Ryde only for the race to again be stopped. Once again re-started over five laps, Glenn delivered an identical ride and aided by the fastest lap of the race, ultimately took the chequered flag from Tommy Bridewell by 1.4s.

The fastest lap gave him pole position for the final race of the weekend, which saw the best of the conditions and went the full 16-lap distance. A slightly sluggish start saw him drop to fourth on the opening lap, but he steadily moved forward and took the lead for the first time on the seventh lap. From there on in, his lead over Christian Iddon and then Bridewell was never more than a tenth of a second, but he determinedly kept them at bay to take the victory by 0.125s.
 
The results over the three races saw him lift the prestigious Race of Aces trophy but also re-take the championship lead on 177 points, four ahead of Bridewell.


  • After taking ill, joint team owner Jordan Bird was admitted to a local hospital on Saturday and had an operation today (Sunday). The team wishes her a speedy recovery and thanks everyone for the good wishes. 


 
Glenn Irwin: "I was really pleased with both wins and it’s good to be back in the championship lead. I’ve probably lost a little bit this last month, but we continue to work hard and massive thanks to the team for the bike they gave me. We experimented a little bit in the first race and found some areas that worked well and others where we could still improve but I rode with clarity and resilience, and it was a well-executed victory. The weather conditions changed for the second race which meant I struggled with grip especially in the second half of the race and I lost the front several times. I had to dig deep and did a really good last lap so fair play to Tommy and Christian as they were there all the way. I love racing against Tommy as he’s like me and never gives up. It’s nice to get the Race of Aces trophy as well so a big thanks to the team and get well soon Jordan."
 
Frank Bird, Team co-owner: “What a bounceback weekend that was and just what we needed after a difficult Knockhill. I’m super happy and proud of the team and Glenn rode brilliantly all weekend and in the wet conditions did what he needed to do and brought the bike home in a solid fifth place. The double today was the icing on the cake and shows all the work we’re doing on both a race weekend and behind the scenes. We got the rewards this weekend so fair play to the team, well done again to Glenn and thanks to all the sponsors for their commitment and enabling us to go racing. We’ve started another wave so let’s keep riding it into Brands, another strong track for us. Well done to everyone and best wishes of course to Jordan, hopefully the wins will have cheered her up!”


 
British Superbike Championship race one (5 laps)
1 Storm Stacey (Kawasaki)
2 Lewis Rollo (Aprilia) +0.222s
3 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +6.369s
4 Jason O’Halloran (Kawasaki) +9.297s
5 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +10.742s
6 Christian Iddon (Ducati) +15.906s
 
British Superbike Championship race two (5 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
2 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +1.487s
3 Christian Iddon (Ducati) +2.163s
4 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +2.197s
5 Andrew Irwin (Honda) +2.642s
6 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +2.682s
 
British Superbike Championship race three (16 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
2 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +0.125s
3 Christian Iddon (Ducati) +0.740s
4 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +1.122s
5 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +1.322s
6 Andrew Irwin (Honda) +2.204s
 
Championship Points (after five rounds)
1 Irwin 177pts
2 Bridewell 173
3 Iddon 156
4 Kent 147
= Ryde 147
6 O’Halloran 108



Pictures (courtesy of Double Red): Glenn Irwin in action at Snetterton.

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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