October 15, 2023

Bridewell Claims Dramatic British Superbike Title For BeerMonster Ducati

BeerMonster Ducati’s Tommy Bridewell clinched his maiden Bennetts British Superbike Championship crown at Brands Hatch today as he defeated teammate Glenn Irwin by just half a point to make it the closest end in the history of the championship.

It was Irwin who took both race victories on the day, his ninth and tenth of the season, but Bridewell’s brace of second-place finishes saw him come out on top and with it, give the PBM team an unprecedented ninth BSB title, a fitting tribute to their late team boss Paul Bird.
 
The results of Saturday’s thrilling BikeSocial Sprint race meant Glenn and Tommy lined up in second and fourth respectively for today’s opening 20-lap encounter, which saw Irwin grab the lead at the second corner as Tommy dropped back to sixth.

However, he soon regrouped and as Glenn continued to lead, Tommy moved up to third at half-race distance and when Kyle Ryde ran wide on lap 15, he took over second. For the remainder of the race, the two teammates ran nose to tail but despite the pressure he was under, Glenn held firm to take the victory ahead of Tommy.
 
It meant Tommy went into the final race of the season with a 5.5-point lead from where he lined up on pole with Glenn on the second row. What followed was nothing short of sensational as positions changed frequently in the race and, with it, the championship lead which exchanged hands on no less than eight occasions.
 
The race went right down to the wire and although Glenn did all he could by taking the win, second for Tommy was enough for him to take the title with a brave pass on Kyle Ryde on the last lap.
 
Tommy Bridewell: “Everything in my life has been built towards this and I’ve dedicated every day to my late brother Ollie and to become BSB champion, so for it to finally happen has made my life complete. Full credit to Glenn, he’s brought both the best and worst out of me and he’s pushed me like no teammate has ever done before – he’s an unbelievable rider and certainly knows how to ride a bike! When Paul Bird took me on, I told him I’d give everything, so the title is dedicated to both him and Ollie and I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in the team for the opportunity. Today was tough and tense, but we got it done.”
 
Glenn Irwin: “The maths were simple today; I had to win both races and although I did that, it wasn’t quite enough so hats off to Tommy. I tried every trick in the book, especially in the last race, and positions changed regularly, sometimes in my favour and sometimes not. The most important thing though was that I gave it everything and that’s all I can ask so full respect to Tommy. You had two guys from the same team giving it everything and all for the same reason and whilst there were ups and downs along the way, you could see today the respect we have for each other. Saturday’s race was probably what cost me, but I feel in the form of my life and a 1-2 in the championship is the best possible outcome for the Birdman.”
 
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “What a day and what a weekend! Tense wouldn’t do it justice but after the 3-4 in yesterday’s race, it made things a bit simpler for the final day and Glenn knew he had no option other than to go for two wins with Tommy knowing he needed two seconds if that happened. As it turned out, that’s how the race panned out and maybe Glenn will regret not making his move a lap later but what’s great has been to see the lads fight it out on track cleanly and with great respect. To see them congratulate each other at the end shows what sportsmen they are. It’s been a surreal year, probably the strangest I’ll experience but the bottom line is we took 18 wins, finished 1-2 in the championship, and won both the team and manufacturer awards all after losing the boss. We had a few bumps along the way, but I can’t thank the team enough for their hard work every single weekend.”
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship – race two (20 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
2 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
3 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
4 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)
5 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
6 Leon Haslam (BMW)
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship – race three (20 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
2 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
3 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
4 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)
5 Leon Haslam (BMW)
6 Christian Iddon (Ducati)
 
Final Championship standings (after 33 races)
1 Bridewell 455pts
2 Irwin 454.5
3 Ryde 422
4 Jackson 376.5
5 Haslam 369
6 O’Halloran 365.5
 

 
Pictures courtesy of Double Red: Tommy Bridewell is the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Champion with Glenn Irwin finishing runner-up.

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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