September 4, 2021

Fourth For Brookes At Snetterton With Iddon Out Of Luck

The VisionTrack Ducati team endured mixed fortunes in the opening race of round seven of this year’s BennettsBritish Superbike Championship today with Josh Brookes claiming a strong fourth at the Snetterton 300 circuit but Christian Iddon suffering an early crash.

The two riders fared slightly differently on the opening day yesterday with Brookes getting back to his best with the third quickest time in the opening free practice session, but Iddon was down in 14th, which meant he had to go to Q1 this morning. He easily progressed into Q2 on the factory-supported VisionTrack Ducati Panigale V4 RR with what was the then quickest time of the weekend.

 

Neither rider was able to replicate that form in the main Q2 BSB Superpicks Qualifying session for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team and in the closing moments, the duo had a coming together at the Murray’s Chicane which resulted in them both crashing out.

The net effect was that defending champion Brookes started from eighth and Iddon in 11th for the afternoon’s 12-lap race, but Iddon’s race was immediately over as he crashed out half way round the opening lap.

 

That left Brookes to carry the flag for the team and, seventh on the opening lap, he’d moved up to fifth at half race distance. Looking comfortable on the bike once more, Josh closed right in on the back wheel of third placed Tommy Bridewell only to run wide on the penultimate lap.

 

Undeterred, he successfully fended off Lee Jackson on the final lap and claimed a good fourth place, only half a second adrift of eventual race winner Tarran Mackenzie.

 

Iddon now sits in fourth overall in the championship standings and although Brookes remains in 12th, he’s just 26 points adrift of the top eight and a Showdown position.

 

Josh Brookes: “We had the pace to be better than fourth, but I got caught up in the incident of Andrew Irwin and Gino Rea and that lost me time to the leaders. I clawed it back but then lost the front going onto the back straight and ran wide although I was still only half a second adrift at the end. The most important thing about the weekend so far is that I’ve got my pace back and the longer races tomorrow should suit me better. I’m on the front row for the first race which is obviously good so the aim will be to make a good start to put me in a better situation and hopefully get back on the podium.”

 

Christian Iddon: “It’s been a frustrating weekend so far but having made a good step this morning in Q1, I wasfeeling a lot better in myself and was looking forward to the race to build the confidence back up. Unfortunately, I lost the rear on the first lap and the bike spun round on me causing me to crash. It was a real shame as my race was over before it had begun, and we haven’t learned anything about where we are or have anything as a reference. Thankfully, I’m ok so we’ll try again tomorrow.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “Obviously, the qualifying incident was far from ideal, but Josh held his hands up and it was a shame as he probably would have been a row further up the grid. He had strong pace in the race but lost time in the Irwin-Rea incident and then a couple of unforced errors probably cost him the podium. He’s only 26 points off a Showdown position now though which with five races to go is more than do-able and being on the front row for tomorrow’s first race gives him a good platform.

 

“For Christian, I think he must have broken a mirror as he’s gone from a 33-race finishing streak to lots of crashes in recent races. The grid position didn’t help and when you’re in mid-pack, these things can happen, and it now means his first race tomorrow will be compromised due to not setting a time. He’ll have a lot of work to do but hopefully he can get a solid finish to put him in better stead for the second race.”

 

Tomorrow’s races are scheduled to get underway at 12.15 and 16.30.

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (12 laps)

1 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)

2 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

3 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

4 Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati)

5 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

6 Ryan Vickers (Kawasaki)

DNF Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati)

 

Championship standings

1 O’Halloran 358pts

2 Mackenzie 248

3 Bridewell 225

4 Iddon 223

5 Hickman 209

6 Buchan 171

12 Brookes 118

 

Images courtesy of Double Red: Josh Brookes (25) and Christian Iddon (21)

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.

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.
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