October 14, 2024

Third Place In BSB Title Race For Brave Irwin

Glenn Irwin and the Hager PBM Ducati team came up just short in their quest for the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at the final round at Brands Hatch this weekend which saw them end the season in third place overall.

Both Glenn and the team had a good start to the weekend when they topped Friday’s free practice sessions but fine weather gave way to mixed conditions on Saturday when a technical problem caused the Carrickfergus rider to crash out of the qualifying session.
 
That put him back on the fifth row of the grid for Saturday’s 20-lap race when wet, autumnal conditions were the order of the day. Irwin worked his way through the field and was challenging for the podium but just when third place was within his reach, he crashed out on lap 15.

With 70 points available on Sunday, the title remained mathematically within his grasp and he started the 12-lap Sprint race from the front row with conditions sunny but cool. A sluggish start saw him drop back to tenth on the opening lap and although he soon fought his way up to eighth, he had to settle for tenth at the chequered flag with any hopes of the PBM team retaining their title gone.
 
Starting the final 20-lap race of the year from the front row again, a much better start saw Glenn work his way to the front of the pack but with some ferocious racing between the leading group, he found himself shuffled back and eventually took the chequered flag in seventh place.
 
With eight wins and two additional podiums, it meant Glenn ended the year in third overall with the title going the way of Kyle Ryde by one point from 2023 champion Tommy Bridewell. 
Glenn Irwin: “It’s nice to end the season in third in the championship and that makes it two second places and a third in the last three seasons. Bike racing has a lot of highs and lows, and we didn’t have much of the middle ground this year with a few big crashes along the way, some of which weren’t of our doing. Even this weekend we’ve encountered bad luck firstly with a technical issue in qualifying and then me being unwell ahead of this morning’s race, but we can learn from all of it for 2025 and we can take a lot of positives from the season. We’ve won eight races, only one less than Kyle, and had three wins at the North West 200 and that’s no mean feat for a team that didn’t exist until March. Full credit to Jordan and Frank Bird for getting the team together and we’ve grown as individuals and as a team this season. Finishing third overall in BSB is something we can be proud of and the series has again delivered and we’ll be back for more next year. I’ve no doubt I’ll win the title one year!”
 
Frank Bird Team Co-owner: “That year went quick! If someone had offered us P3 at the beginning of the year, we’d have taken it, especially with everything coming together so late and it being the first year without Dad. I couldn’t be prouder of Jordan in terms of how she’s worked this year for the good of the team and with eight BSB wins and three at the North West 200, it’s been a successful season. Glenn rode his heart out this weekend, as he has done all year, and after a difficult mid part of the season, and again here at Brands with the problems on Saturday and then him being unwell, we recovered brilliantly. It’s been a stressful season at times but both Jordan and I have loved every second of it and we’ve learnt a lot which will stand us in good stead for 2025 so a big thanks to all our sponsors, partners, team and everyone connected to the team.”
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (20 laps)
1 Danny Kent (Yamaha)
2 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha) +1.625s
3 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +6.366s
4 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +14.877s
5 Peter Hickman (BMW) +15.433s
6 Max Cook (Kawasaki) +16.688s
DNF Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (12 laps)
1 Tommy Bridewell (Honda)
2 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +0.257s
3 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha) +4.679s
4 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +6.312s
5 Josh Brookes (BMW) +8.057s
6 Andrew Irwin (Honda) +8.203s
10 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +9.912s
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three (20 laps)
1 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
2 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +0.296s
3 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha) +0.839s
4 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +3.614s
5 Max Cook (Kawasaki) +4.984s
6 Josh Brookes (BMW) +5.483s
7 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +6.756s
 
Championship Points (final standings)
1 Ryde 487pts
2 Bridewell 486
3 Irwin 382
4 Kent 373
5 Vickers 349
6 Iddon 261
 
Pictures (courtesy of Double Red): Glenn Irwin in action at Brands Hatch

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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