September 26, 2021

Podium For Brookes And Solid Points For Iddon At Oulton

The VisionTrack Ducati pairing of Josh Brookes and Christian Iddon scored valuable points in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park today with Brookes taking a second place in the final race of the day and Iddon claiming fourth in the opening encounter, leaving them both still in title contention.

In the opening meeting of the title-deciding Showdown and after two podium finishes on the factory-backed VisionTrack Ducati Panigale V4RRs yesterday, the opening 18-lap race today saw Christian and Josh line up in second and fifth on the grid respectively with conditions all around the 2.69-mile circuit ideal.

 

The duo were in the thick of the action from the word go for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team with Tyneside-based Iddon running in second for the first half of the race and Brookes right in his wheel tracks in third and doing everything he could to find a way by.

 

Less than one second covered the leading seven riders for much of the race but with two laps to go, yesterday’s race winner Tarran Mackenzie had overhauled both of them with Tommy Bridewell doing the same heading into the final lap. Bridewell went on to take the eventual win but whilst Iddon held on for fourth to score valuable points, Brookes’ title hopes took a knock as he crashed out of fifth place on the final lap at Druids.

The Bedfordshire-based Aussie had the consolation of a front row start for the final race of the weekend, but Iddon had more work to do from three rows furthers further back. The race followed an unusual pattern in that Bridewell opened up a huge lead in the early stages, but Josh ran in second for much of the race and kept the rest of the chasing pack at bay.

 

Defending champion Brookes was duly rewarded for a fine ride with his second runner-up spot of the weekend but the race was a lot harder for Iddon after he’d worked his way up to sixth. He was well placed to make a move in the second half of the race but a clash but with another rider put him in the gravel at Lodge to scupper his chances. He recovered from 15th place to claim 11th at the flag to hold onto fourth in the title race, just 33 points behind the leader Mackenzie going into the penultima round at Donington Park next weekend.

 

Josh Brookes: “It’s been a mixed day and I’m distraught with dropping the bike on the last lap of the first race today, not just for losing points but for actually doing it as that’s not me. I lost a place on the last lap yesterday so was determined it wasn’t going to happen again and wanted to maintain my pace right up until the end, but I just lost the front. However, the team did a great job in getting the bike ready for race two and whilst I could only admire Tommy riding into the distance, I think we can be proud of the result. Of course, I want to win but to come from as far back as what we were a few weeks ago, to where we are now is testament to everyone’s hard work and we can be content with a brace of seconds this weekend. The championship’s been turned on its head and I’ll keep fighting as always.”

 

Christian Iddon: “Like Josh, I’ve had a mixed day but whilst it would have been nice to have got the gap to the leaders below 25 points, it’s still only 33 and it’s still all to play for. But with the two McAMS Yamahas faltering, I can’t help but think it’s a missed opportunity. Fourth in the first race today was ok and I just didn’t have the power to fight at the end so had to settle for the position whilst I was having a problem with the brakes in the second race. Taz didn’t leave me any room and off I went into the gravel trap. I was able to hold onto the bike though and who knows how valuable those five points could be.”

 

Johnny Mowatt: “Where do I start, what a day! The championship’s been turned on its head and for Jason to crash twice this weekend, after being faultless all season, is remarkable and on hindsight, we could have profited even more. It was obviously disappointing for Josh to slide off on the final lap of the opening race, but he fought back well to take a good second place. He didn’t make any mistakes despite the huge pressure he was under, and he deserved those 20 points. Christian was a bit unfortunate today, but he still leaves closer to the championship lead than what he arrived. It was a tough move by Tarran but that’s how racing goes sometimes. The good thing is that both riders have been in the leading pack and fighting it out for the race wins all weekend, which is where the PBM team belongs. Anything can still happen, so we’ll be giving it 110% as always.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (18 laps)

1 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

2 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

3 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)

4 Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati)

5 Peter Hickman (BMW)

6 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

DNF Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati)

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three (18 laps)

1 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

2 Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati)

3 Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG racing BMW)

4 Peter Hickman (BMW)

5 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)

6 Danny Buchan (BMW)

11 Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati)

 

Championship Positions (after nine rounds)

1 Mackenzie 1093pts 

2 O’Halloran 1091

3 Bridewell 1084

4 Iddon 1060

5 Hickman 1050

6 Brookes 1042

 

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

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.

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.
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