May 20, 2023

Donington Park Podium Sends Bridewell Top of the Table

BeerMonster Ducati’s Tommy Bridewell took the lead in this year’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship with a second place at Donington Park today which saw him move one point ahead of teammate Glenn Irwin who finished fifth in the 12-lap BikeSocial Sprint Race. 

The duo had posted the same time on the BeerMonster F23-specification V4R Ducatis during yesterday’s free practice sessions, which put them joint fourth quickest on the leaderboard but qualifying took a different slant compared to previous rounds with the introduction of the one lap Omologato Superpole whereby each rider took to the track on their own in a bid for pole position.
 
It was Bridewell who was the quicker of the two Paul Bird Motorsport riders as he set the fourth fastest time with Glenn in sixth meaning the duo lined up on the second row for the race later in the day.

With a brand-new track surface providing the fastest ever laps around the Donington Park GP circuit and in almost perfect conditions, both riders consolidated their starting positions on the opening lap as they crossed the line in fourth and fifth with Bridewell the better placed of the two.
 
As the race progressed, it was Bridewell who had the better pace, breaking the lap record twice on successive laps, which elevated him to second place behind leader Kyle Ryde, as he fended Leon Haslam off in third.
 
However, Bridewell managed to hang on and take runner-up position for his fifth podium of the season as Ryde took the victory. Irwin, meanwhile, moved up to fourth on the fourth lap and ran on his own for much of the race but lost ground in the closing stages and he had to settle for fifth at the chequered flag. Nevertheless, the duo remains in first and second in the championship table.
 
Tommy Bridewell: “I’m happy enough with second as it was a good, solid ride. I was putting pressure on Kyle as much as I could whilst also being put under pressure by Leon all race. I made an average start and dropped back a bit and by the time I got up to second, Kyle had opened a bit of a gap which I was never able to pull back. Getting off the line is something I need to work on but fair play to Kyle, he never put a wheel wrong although I did feel I was stronger on some parts of the course than him. The bike was faultless, and the pace was good so full credit to the team although we’ll have to think about tomorrow’s races a bit more in terms of looking after the tyre but second is great and we’re consistently running at the front.”
 
Glenn Irwin: “The weekend started with a difficult FP1, but we improved steadily throughout practice and Superpole and I thought we could fight for a podium but right from the beginning of the race, there was something not quite right with the rear tyre. The grip was a little bit unpredictable but with the bike we had, it was the best I could do. It’s frustrating not to have been on the podium, at least, but at the same time, fifth is not too bad a result. It’s good points, we haven’t lost any ground to our main rivals and I’m still only a point behind Tommy so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”
 
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “We’re happy enough with today’s results as it’s been more difficult than normal finding a set-up during practice and qualifying, but both sides of the garage worked hard to put themselves in a good position for the race. Superpole offered another challenge as you need to be so precise and smooth, but the front two rows were what we wanted so fair play to the boys for achieving that. Tommy got away well in the race and had good pace which enabled him to take a good podium and although Glenn had an issue with the rear, he still scored some good, solid points. Tomorrow’s longer races normally suit our bikes, but we’ll look at the data to ensure we’re as prepared as always.”
 
Tomorrow’s races, held over the longer distance of 20 laps, are scheduled to start at 13:15 and 16:30 respectively.
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race One – BikeSocial Sprint (12 laps)
1 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
2 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
3 Leon Haslam (BMW)
4 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
5 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
6 Josh Brookes (BMW)
 
Championship Standings
1 Bridewell 103pts
2 Irwin 102
3 Brookes 97
4 Ryde 91
5 Haslam 90
6 Jackson 49
 
Images courtesy of Double Red: Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) in action at Donington Park.

IRWIN AND HAGER PBM DUCATI READY FOR DONINGTON PARK TEST

April 17, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team and rider Glenn Irwin head to Donington Park this week for the second Bennetts British Superbike Championship R&G Official Test. After a strong run at Circuito de Navarra earlier this month, the team is looking forward to getting back on track in the UK, as the countdown to the start the 2025 season continues.  The iconic Donington Park will play host to the second pre-season test on Good Friday and Saturday, before the class of 2025 heads to Oulton Park next Wednesday and Thursday, April 23 and 24, for the final test before the season begins over the May Bank Holiday weekend. The team is looking to build on the success of the Navarra test, where Irwin was consistently quick, setting the pace on the first day before topping the timesheets at the end of the event with a best lap of 1min 44:527s. But keen not to get caught up focusing on lap times yet, Irwin is more concerned about getting through as much work as possible during the two days and making sure the important boxes are ticked. Glenn Irwin: “We’re all looking forward to it. At Navarra, it was important we worked through a number of things which are different this year and it was a great test – but it’s important that we don’t get complacent. “At Donington we’ve more new items to try and we’ve got a list of work to get through, which will be our priority. Once we’ve done all that and have a good feeling, I think we can show up well on the timesheets, but more so in race rhythm than in one-off fast laps. “At Navarra, we found areas where I was weak last year but not this year so we were able to use this as a reference. At Donington, we know the track well and have an idea of where we need to be but for me it’s about continuing to evaluate what we have and understanding the feeling of everything rather than get too hung up on what the timesheet says. If it feels good and we’re good, we’re happy!” Jordan Bird, Team Co-owner: The whole Hager PBM Ducati team is looking forward to being back on home soil for the first time this year. Navarra was a really productive test for us so the team and Glenn are heading into our UK testing program in great spirits! “We are looking forward to seeing plenty of BSB fans trackside at Donington Park. Let’s hope the sun is shining for us!”

SUCCESSFUL OPENING TEST AS IRWIN AND HAGER PBM DUCATI TOP NAVARRA TIMESHEETS

April 8, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team is heading home from the first official Bennetts British Superbike test of the year feeling confident about the season ahead following a strong two days on track in Spain. The team and rider Glenn Irwin joined the class of 2025 at the first of the R&G Official BSB tests at Circuito de Navarra in Northern Spain, ending the event fastest overall, with a best lap of 1min 44.537secs. The team used the two days on track to work on a number of areas, with a particular focus on a new, updated lower seat unit and the new 2025 Pirelli tyre. And despite not putting any pressure on themselves to chase lap times, Irwin still clocked the best lap of the event, sticking in his best lap time during in Monday morning’s session to top the overall timesheets. Glenn Irwin: “We came to Navarra with the objective of just working with the guys again which has been fun. The layout here has improved a lot, it’s a really, really good track now, hopefully we can return. “We had quite a lot of things to try, my Ducati from last year to this is a very different bike but it’s been enjoyable to ride, I feel really comfortable on the bike. “We ended the test fastest which isn’t so important, but we were low into the’45s with 20-plus laps on the tyres every time we exited the pits. No new tyres this afternoon and lots of really good race pace. “The guys adapted the bike to the new tyre and I adapted my riding style a little bit and we’ve had a great, enjoyable couple of days. Roll on Donington!” Frank Bird, Team Co-owner: “It’s mega to finally get the 2025 season underway - it sounds a little bit cliched but it’s been a really long winter! There’s been a lot of hard work and stress in the build up but it’s good to finally get to a track and put all the hard work to the test. “A big thanks to the boys and of course thanks to all our sponsors. It’s been a really productive three days, I like to think we’ve ticked off all the boxes that we had before coming to the test so hats off to the whole team. “Everything ran smoothly, it’s like we’ve never been away but it’s great to finally get going and to be fastest on day one and fastest overall at the end. It seemed to come quite easily so we’re all looking forward to the next couple of tests.”  The team will now head home to the UK and the workshop for some further work, before the next R&G Official Test at Donington Park on April 18 and 19.
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