June 17, 2024

Tough Weekend At Knockhill For Irwin

Glenn Irwin and the Hager PBM Ducati team resumed their 2024 British Superbike Championship challenge at Knockhill at the weekend, and it proved to be a challenging meeting as a best finish of eighth place at the Scottish circuit saw Glenn relinquish the title lead.

Having set the seventh fastest time in free practice, which saw mixed weather conditions, a dry qualifying session saw Glenn take a solid fifth place on the Ducati Panigale V4R, but rain returned on Saturday afternoon which delayed the start of the opening 25-lap race. When it got underway, there was a dry line all around the circuit and Glenn battled for a podium position for much of the race. However, as it entered its final third, smoke started to come from the Ducati, and he was ultimately black flagged.
 
The DNF and no-score put Glenn on the back row of the 27-rider grid for Sunday’s 20-lap Sprint race and with plenty of work to do around the tight 1.26-mile circuit. Held in the wet, Glenn gained eight places on the first lap and by lap three was inside the top 15 and the points. Continually moving forward, the Carrickfergus rider moved into the top ten just before half race distance and when Danny Kent crashed out of third, he was promoted up to eighth which was where he finished.

The rain had stopped for the third and final race, again scheduled for 30 laps, with Glenn starting from ninth place but the circuit was still completely wet as he completed the first lap in 11th place. Dropping back briefly to 13th, he regrouped and moved back into the top ten when, ironically, brother Andrew retired. And when Leon Haslam crashed on the 22nd lap, the race was red flagged, with Glenn awarded ninth place in the final results.
 
Glenn Irwin: "Conditions have been tough this weekend but we all worked hard across the three days and after a good Friday, we were in the fight for a podium position in the first race. Unfortunately, we encountered a small technical problem, and I didn't see the black flag which put us on the back foot for Sunday's first race. All things considered, coming from 27th to eighth was a decent result but although it gave me a better grid position for the final race, ninth was the best I could do. It means we've given up the title lead but we're still in second and in a good position."
 
Frank Bird, Team co-owner: “It’s been a bit of a flat weekend overall to be honest and not much to shout about but it is what it is, and it’s just been one of those weekends. We didn’t have any crashes though and scored some points so it’s been damage limitation and we’ve still come away second in the championship; it could have been worse. Glenn rode really well in weather conditions that weren’t that kind to us, so we’ll analyse what went wrong this weekend and look to bounce back at Snetterton. Thanks to all the team and sponsors for their hard work and support and we’ll move on to the next round.”
 
British Superbike Championship race one (25 laps)
1 Tommy Bridewell (Honda)
2 Rory Skinner (BMW) +2.572s
3 Andrew Irwin (Honda) +4.290s
4 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +5.078s
5 Jason O’Halloran (Kawasaki) +7.141s
6 Josh Brookes (BMW) +10.955s
DNF Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
 
British Superbike Championship race two (20 laps)
1 Rory Skinner (BMW)
2 Christian Iddon (Ducati) +4.895s
3 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +4.909s
4 Storm Stacey (Kawasaki) +14.577s
5 Charlie Nesbitt (Honda) +15.436s
6 Fraser Rogers (Honda) +16.883s
8 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +22.655s
 
British Superbike Championship race three (22 laps)
1 Christian Iddon (Ducati)
2 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +0.635s
3 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +1.728s
4 Rory Skinner (BMW) +3.158s
5 Billy McConnell (Honda) +1 lap
6 Fraser Rogers (Honda) +1 lap
9 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +1 lap
 
Championship Points (after four rounds)
1 Bridewell 141pts
2 Irwin 130
3 Kent 125
4 Iddon 118
5 Ryde 110
6 Haslam 88

Pictures (courtesy of Double Red): Glenn Irwin in action at Knockhill.

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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