BeerMonster Ducati Ready to Rock at Brands Hatch
BeerMonster Ducati rider Tommy Bridewell takes the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship lead with him into round six of the series at Brands Hatch this weekend as he looks to continue his fantastic form from the previous round at Snetterton.
Last time out at Snetterton, the Wiltshire rider romped to an impressive treble victory for Paul Bird’s Lake District-based team to take his winning tally to four races so far this season and along with an additional seven podiums, Bridewell holds a 25-point advantage over BeerMonster Ducati teammate Glenn Irwin.
Like Bridewell, the County Antrim ace has scored four wins also this season and with his fifth podium of the season coming in the final race at Snetterton, where the PBM team finished first and second for the third time this season, Irwin is keen to reduce the gap to his rival and to extend his lead over third placed Josh Brookes who is 21 points adrift of the Ulsterman.
Both riders can boast great records around the historic Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit over the years with Irwin claiming three victories, two of which came on his previous visit last October as he secured runner-up spot in the 2022 title chase.
Added to that, Glenn has an additional five podium finishes to his name and whereas Tommy has still to post his first win at the Kent track, he has scored an amazing 15 podium finishes, including eight in his last dozen Brands Hatch races, and just missed out last year as he claimed third place in the 2022 standings.
Tommy Bridewell: “After Snetterton, I really want to keep the momentum rolling into Brands Hatch as we made some pretty massive steps in a lot of areas. I adopted a different mental approach to every aspect of the race weekend, and it made a big difference for me, so we plan to carry that on. We have a clear direction and have a great base set-up with the bike and going into Brands Hatch, which is one of my favourite tracks, I’m really looking forward to the weekend. Hopefully, a combination of the bike working well and a track I love will reap dividends again for us. I feel I’m on great form so let’s see what we can do there this weekend.”
Glenn Irwin: “I have no particular favourites when it comes to tracks but Brands Hatch is one I always look forward to, and it’s where the title will be decided later in the year. We have done some reflecting after Snetterton and after four great rounds, I suppose the results there didn’t match my potential, but I have learned, and we move forward. I have been strong in the early rounds so I need to bring that mindset to Brands Hatch. We’ll get cracked on early and work on the areas we need to and continue with our game plan which has worked well so far this season. We have a wonderful feeling in the team and it’s now time to bounce back with some race victories this weekend.”
Pictures courtesy of Double Red: Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) head for round six of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship this weekend.
