Treble Joy For Irwin At Oulton
Glenn Irwin and the Hager PBM Ducati team enjoyed a superb second round of the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park over the Bank Holiday weekend as they claimed a stunning hat-trick of wins at their local circuit which were the first victories for the new-look team.
Fastest in Saturday’s practice session signalled Glenn’s intentions and he took that form into qualifying the following day with second place and a front row position for Sunday’s opening 18-lap race. A strong start saw him slot into second place behind Yamaha’s Ryan Vickers but on lap three Glenn took the lead for the first time and never looked back. Controlling the race from the front, he duly led for the remaining 15 laps and took the chequered flag just over a second clear of fellow Ducati rider Christian Iddon.
Victory, along with the fastest lap meant he lined up for today’s 12-lap ‘Sprint’ race on pole position with conditions slightly cooler at the Cheshire venue and this time it was an even more impressive performance from Irwin as he led from start to finish. Consistently maintaining a lead of around 0.4s, Irwin took the win by 0.352s from former team-mate Tommy Bridewell with Iddon again on the podium in third.
Starting the third and final race from second on the grid, the Northern Irishman had to sit behind Iddon for two thirds race distance but on lap 12, he made his move and took the lead at the Hizzy’s chicane. The race went all the way to the end though with Glenn doing battle with Iddon, and the Yamahas of Vickers and Danny Kent but he kept his rivals at bay once more to complete his hat-trick and with it the championship lead.
Glenn Irwin: “Sunday’s race was very enjoyable and races like that, when you lead for so long, are the sweet ones. We did the hard work learning the bike through testing and practice so set the pace from the front. I like to lead and control the race from there so with the fastest lap of the race as well, it couldn’t have worked out better. We stayed focused for today which we needed to do as we were constantly making changes to the bike and we improved a number of key factors which we needed to win – resilience, determination and precision being three. We had to show our character too and boxed professionally this weekend so the treble was nothing short of what the team deserved. It sets us up nicely for a busy two weeks with the North West 200 next and then Donington Park BSB so a big thanks to Jordan, Frank and the whole team.”
Frank Bird, Team Co-Owner: “It’s been a dream weekend and to take a hat-trick for the next generation of PBM is superb. After Navarra, we’ve regrouped and come back with a bang and to do it at our local circuit, in front of many of our sponsors as well as family and friends, is the icing on the cake. Both Glenn and the bike were on point all weekend and the team have worked incredibly well so hopefully it can give us some momentum and there’s no reason why we won’t be adding more wins this year. The last time we were here was for Dad’s memorial last September so to return to the venue and take all three wins is perfect – we’re continuing racing in his memory so all the wins are dedicated to him.”
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race One (18 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
2 Christian Iddon (Ducati)
3 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
4 Tommy Bridewell (Honda)
5 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)
6 Danny Kent (Yamaha)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race Two (12 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
2 Tommy Bridewell (Honda)
3 Christian Iddon (Ducati)
4 Danny Kent (Yamaha)
5 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
6 Jason O’Halloran (Kawasaki)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race Three (18 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
2 Christian Iddon (Ducati)
3 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)
4 Danny Kent (Yamaha)
5 Leon Haslam (BMW)
6 Tommy Bridewell (Honda)
Championship Positions (after two rounds)
1 Irwin 74
2 Vickers 68
3 Iddon 67
4 Kent 64
5 Ryde 55
6 Bridewell 47
Pictures (courtesy of Double Red): Glenn Irwin in action and with the team after a hat-trick of historic victories.
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