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

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.

IRWIN AND HAGER PBM DUCATI END SUCCESSFUL SECOND TEST ON TOP

April 19, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team continued its strong testing form at Donington Park as rider Glenn Irwin once again ended the two days fastest overall. Although the team is still not concentrating on lap times, Irwin picked up where he left off at Circuito de Navarra earlier this month as he led the way on Friday before going even quicker on Day Two with an impressive fastest lap of 1min 27.015s in the final session. After a strong first test where he topped the timesheets at Navarra, the team headed to the second R&G Official test at Donington Park looking to work on a number of different things. Irwin was consistently quick across the opening day, ending Friday fastest overall with a 1:27.022sec lap in the final session to end the day at the top of the timesheets with what was the fastest ever BSB lap of the iconic track. Along with most of the pack, he opted to sit out of Saturday morning’s first session due to track conditions, heading out for the second to work through a few more things. He again shot to the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:27.468, before later going one better in the final session to clock his new fastest ever lap. Glenn Irwin: “It’s been really good, like Navarra, we’ve continued with a plan. Yesterday we had a really, really strong bike here and conditions were a little better. Today conditions were tougher with the wind but everyone still finds a way to go fast. “We probably persevered with a bike which is suited to the final sector, perhaps Turn One as well. As the day went on I realised we were losing a bit in some places but we stuck with it. “It’s pleasing because I would say that isn’t the bike of choice for here, perhaps maybe yesterday's bike was better, but to top today feeling like that, to do a lot of laps in the 27s with improved pace on old tyres is good. The test has definitely been a success.” John Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “I think it’s been a positive test where we’ve confirmed a number of test items over the two days. We had slightly better conditions yesterday than today but I think we’ve ticked a lot of boxes, gone fairly quick so it’s all positive – roll on Oulton Park. “The plan there is more of the same, just keep trying to understand the new tyre, try and work with it. I think longevity is going to be the key now for Oulton Park, we’ll do a couple of race runs, see how the tyre lasts and then get ready for Round One.” The team will now prepare for the final test at Oulton Park next Wednesday and Thursday, April 23 and 24 which will be the last chance to get everything ready ahead of the first round of the 2025 season at Oulton Park over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
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