August 21, 2021

Solid Points For Iddon And Brookes At Cadwell

Paul Bird’s VisionTrack Ducati team were back in Bennetts British Superbike Championship race action this afternoon with the scenic Cadwell Park the venue for round six of the series whereby both Christian Iddon and Josh Brookes once again scored solid points.

Both riders enjoyed a productive first day at the Lincolnshire venue which enabled them to progress direct to the second BSB Superpicks Qualifying session earlier today, Brookes, in particular, having a welcome return to form on the factory-supported VisionTrack Ducati Panigale V4 RR.

 

The dry conditions of yesterday were replaced by damp weather initially this morning, but it had dried in time for qualifying although neither rider was able to replicate their form in a session interrupted by a red flag due to a crash involving Friday’s pace setter Ryan Vickers.

 

As a result, Christian and Josh lined up in ninth and 13th on the grid respectively for the afternoon’s 14-lap BikeSocial sprint which gave them plenty of work to do around the tight and twisty 2.20-mile circuit.

 

The race got underway in dry conditions but early on, overtaking was hard for both riders but they both continually advanced forward during the race, Tyneside-based Iddon, in particular, making a good charge forward. He latched onto the back of a five-rider battle for the final podium position and although he couldn’t make it into the top three, he nevertheless took a strong fifth place..

Reigning champion Brookes, meanwhile, also climbed the leaderboard as the race progressed and the Australian ace gained three places from his grid position to take an eventual tenth.

 

Christian Iddon: “I’m quite content with today’s result and after qualifying about where our pace suggested we should be, I had a much better race. I didn’t make the greatest of starts so it was hard work, but we made good strides forward and with about three to four laps to go, I thought we may be able to make it onto the podium. It wasn’t to be sadly, but it was a hard fought fifth place and if we can improve the performance in a couple of sectors, we’ll be in a better position tomorrow. Being on the front row for the first race is definitely a much better starting point and we’ll be giving it 100% once more.”

 

Josh Brookes: “It’s been a similar meeting so far as per previous rounds sadly and that’s just where we are at themoment. I obviously gave it 100% again and gave the race my best efforts and with a couple of riders coming off and by overtaking a couple of riders, I got myself up to tenth. It’s frustrating and I can use all the words you can imagine to describe finishing tenth as it’s not at all pleasing but we are where are. The mixed conditions and rain look like they’re going to give me my best chance of a podium this season as that’s when I’m competitive so let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

 

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “Conditions in FP3 this morning hampered Christian as he wasn’t able to try the changes we’d made to the bike and had to go into qualifying on an un-tried bike, so it wasn’t easy. P9 on the grid didn’t help as it’s pretty much follow my leader around Cadwell but he came through well for fifth and P3 for tomorrow’s first race is a big plus. We’re missing two or three tenths to the leaders, but we’ll make some more changes for tomorrow to try and help him in the areas where he’s losing out. As Josh said, it’s been a similar story to previous rounds and although he was quick out of the blocks on Friday, he’s stayed at a similar pace whilst others have got quicker. Grip’s still causing him issues, but he was a bit higher than recent races which is a plus and we’ll look to see what we can do to make the bike better for him. The weather could well be a factor tomorrow as the forecast isn’t the most promising but let’s see.”

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (14 laps)

1 Peter Hickman (BMW)

2 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)

3 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)

4 Glenn Irwin (Honda)

5 Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati)

6 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)

10 Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati)

 

Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings

1 O’Halloran 297pts

2 Mackenzie 223

3 Iddon 214

4 Bridewell 173

5 Buchan 165

6 Hickman 155

12 Brookes 83

 

Images courtesy of Double Red: Josh Brookes (1) and Christian Iddon (21)

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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