Podium Joy For Bridewell In Silverstone Opener
The BeerMonster Ducati team got their 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign underway in fine style at Silverstone this afternoon with the opening race of the weekend seeing Tommy Bridewell and Glenn Irwin claim second and fifth place finishes, respectively.
Both riders had run consistently in the top ten during the three practice sessions aboard the F23-specification BeerMonster Ducati V4R machines, but Bridewell really shone in qualifying to not only lap two tenths of a second inside the lap record but also give the Penrith-based team their first pole position since September 2021 as Irwin qualified in fifth.
That gave the duo plenty of confidence ahead of the 22-lap BikeSocial Sprint race around the 1.64-mile National circuit and it was Bridewell who led in the early stages with Irwin slotting into fifth, as it quickly became a six-rider battle for the lead.
Positions continually changed but Bridewell never dropped lower than fourth and in the closing laps, he dug deep to move back into second, crossing the line 0.444s behind race winner Kyle Ryde. Teammate Irwin, meanwhile, ran in sixth for the middle third of the race but overhauled Jack Kennedy for fifth in the closing stages to make it two BeerMonster Ducatis in the top five.
Tommy Bridewell:
“It was a good race and I’m proud of the team after the hard times they’ve had so for me to come in and give them a pole position and a podium straightaway has ticked a lot of boxes. After qualifying we knew we had good pace but until you get into the race, you can never be quite sure, but I really enjoyed it. When I saw there were seven laps to go, I knew I needed to pull my finger out and I was able to put the bike where I wanted and make the passes where I wanted. I felt strong and translating pole position into a podium is really good, so it bodes well for tomorrow.”
Glenn Irwin: “It was a good first race for me back on the Ducati and it was most definitely a learning race, but we were in the mix throughout and know what changes we need to make for tomorrow. The power delivery is one thing we’ll alter, particularly for turn three but if we’d have been offered two top fives in the first race, we’d have bitten your hand off. The F23 V4R looks to be a good step forward from the previous model and hats off to Tommy for putting it on the podium so with longer races tomorrow, I’m confident of improving upon today’s result.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s been a great start to the season and after qualifying went well, both riders put in two strong rides. Tommy’s not known as an out and out qualifier but fair play to him for taking pole and you could see how settled he looked in the race. He picked his moments to pass and was able to push on in the closing stages so with an extra eight laps tomorrow, it looks good. For Glenn, it was a learning race as he gets used to the Ducati once more, but he wasn’t a million miles away and, again, the signs are very good. Full credit to the boys and to Ducati and the team. Ducati have given us a great package in the F23R and whilst the last few weeks have been challenging with some long hours, the team have pulled it out of the bag so it’s great to have started in the manner that we have.”
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one – BikeSocial Sprint (22 laps)
1 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
2 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
3 Josh Brookes (BMW)
4 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)
5 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
6 Leon Haslam (BMW)
Images courtesy of Double Red: Tommy Bridewell (46) and Glenn Irwin (2) in action at Silverstone.
