September 25, 2021

Double Podium For VisionTrack Ducati At Oulton

The VisionTrack Ducati pairing of Josh Brookes and Christian Iddon got the Bennetts British Superbike Championship Showdown underway in fine style at Oulton Park this afternoon with second and third place finishes respectively in the opening race of the weekend.

The results were all the more crucial with championship leader Jason O’Halloran crashing out with two laps to go and the title standings have now closed up considerably, Iddon now just 29 points off the series lead.

 

The weekend started positively from the outset and after topping the times during Friday’s free practice sessions, held in good, dry conditions, Brookes was able to do it in the damp too. Indeed, an inspired decision to fit an intermediate rear tyre in this morning’s qualifying session enabled him to claim pole position for the afternoon’s race with Iddon heading up the third row in a solid seventh.

 

Conditions were perfect for the race and although positions changed on a number of occasions in the first half of the 14-lapper, it was Brookes who led more often than not from O’Halloran, Iddon, Tarran Mackenzie and Lee Jackson.

As the race entered its final third, O’Halloran took the lead and looked to make a break but in doing so, he pushed a little too hard and crashed out at Hizzy’s which put Josh back into the lead.

 

However, he still had Mackenzie, Christian and Jackson for close company and it was O’Halloran’s team-mate Mackenzie who edged ahead at Hizzy’s on the final lap. He held on for the win from Josh and Christian but their podium finishes, and O’Halloran’s demise has put them right back into title contention with eight races of the Showdown still to go.

 

Josh Brookes: “Irrespective of wins and podiums, I’m just pleased to be back in the fight again and it’s nice to be racing hard at the head of the field. I felt good leading and although Jason got by on a few occasions, it was never more than for a few corners although I could see he was making a few mistakes. When the attack came from Taz, I didn’t have the grip to fight with him and couldn’t get close to even attempt a pass, but I can’t complain with second. At the same time, now I’m back in the fight, I want to win races again, so we’ll keep pressing on and see what tomorrow brings. It’s a good start to the Showdown especially for the team with two bikes back on the podium.”

 

Christian Iddon: “Third place is a good start to the Showdown and our title hopes. I got a good start from the thirdrow which made my life that little bit easier and could see Jason and Josh were battling hard at the front. Taz and I were also battling hard but not enough to lose any ground and when Jason crashed, it changed the complexion of the race. I’m not sure why but the pace slowed quite a bit and I didn’t quite have the package to push any harder. After an average qualifying session though, a podium is fantastic and it’s all to play for now.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Coordinator: “On the one hand, I’m a little bit disappointed we didn’t get a win today but on the other hand, second and third place finishes is a good start to the Showdown – and with Jason’s demise, we’re right back in there. You don’t want to get your results due to your main rivals’ misfortune but when the opportunity is handed to you, you have to grab it with both hands. We’ve done exactly that and fair play to both riders, especially Josh for hanging on in there. He was a long way adrift three to four rounds ago but has clawed his way back and anything’s possible now. It looks like the grip levels weren’t there in the closing stages, particularly in sector two, despite running the harder tyre but our overall pace is good. The package is working well so we’ll look to do it all again – and hopefully go one better – tomorrow.”

 

Sunday’s races are scheduled to take place at 13:10 and 16:15.

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship – BikeSocial race one (14 laps)

1 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)

2 Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati)

3 Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati)

4 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

5 Peter Hickman (BMW)

6 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

 

Championship Positions

1 O’Halloran 1071pts

2 Mackenzie 1066

3 Iddon 1042

4 Bridewell 1034

5 Hickman 1026

6 Brookes 1022

HAGER PBM DUCATI SET TO TURN UP THE HEAT AT SNETTERTON

By pbmracing • June 19, 2025
Who's ready for Snetterton? Go behind-the-scenes with Hager PBM Ducati Co-Team Owner Frank Bird as the team prepares for the third round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

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.
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