July 8, 2024

Double Delight For Irwin At Snetterton

Glenn Irwin and the Hager PBM Ducati team got back to winning ways in the British Superbike Championship at Snetterton at the weekend with a double victory on Sunday seeing them reclaim the lead in the title standings.

The weekend was affected considerably by weather conditions with heavy rain falling at times combined with cool temperatures throughout and Glenn encountered both in qualifying on Saturday where he ended up in 14th on the grid. The first race took place later in the afternoon with Glenn outside the points when the race was stopped due to an incident involving Rory Skinner.
 
Re-started over just five laps of the ‘300’ circuit, Glenn made it count and moved forward throughout eventually taking a solid fifth place. It gave him a much better start position for Sunday’s Sprint race, and he quickly opened up a second lead over Kyle Ryde only for the race to again be stopped. Once again re-started over five laps, Glenn delivered an identical ride and aided by the fastest lap of the race, ultimately took the chequered flag from Tommy Bridewell by 1.4s.

The fastest lap gave him pole position for the final race of the weekend, which saw the best of the conditions and went the full 16-lap distance. A slightly sluggish start saw him drop to fourth on the opening lap, but he steadily moved forward and took the lead for the first time on the seventh lap. From there on in, his lead over Christian Iddon and then Bridewell was never more than a tenth of a second, but he determinedly kept them at bay to take the victory by 0.125s.
 
The results over the three races saw him lift the prestigious Race of Aces trophy but also re-take the championship lead on 177 points, four ahead of Bridewell.


  • After taking ill, joint team owner Jordan Bird was admitted to a local hospital on Saturday and had an operation today (Sunday). The team wishes her a speedy recovery and thanks everyone for the good wishes. 


 
Glenn Irwin: "I was really pleased with both wins and it’s good to be back in the championship lead. I’ve probably lost a little bit this last month, but we continue to work hard and massive thanks to the team for the bike they gave me. We experimented a little bit in the first race and found some areas that worked well and others where we could still improve but I rode with clarity and resilience, and it was a well-executed victory. The weather conditions changed for the second race which meant I struggled with grip especially in the second half of the race and I lost the front several times. I had to dig deep and did a really good last lap so fair play to Tommy and Christian as they were there all the way. I love racing against Tommy as he’s like me and never gives up. It’s nice to get the Race of Aces trophy as well so a big thanks to the team and get well soon Jordan."
 
Frank Bird, Team co-owner: “What a bounceback weekend that was and just what we needed after a difficult Knockhill. I’m super happy and proud of the team and Glenn rode brilliantly all weekend and in the wet conditions did what he needed to do and brought the bike home in a solid fifth place. The double today was the icing on the cake and shows all the work we’re doing on both a race weekend and behind the scenes. We got the rewards this weekend so fair play to the team, well done again to Glenn and thanks to all the sponsors for their commitment and enabling us to go racing. We’ve started another wave so let’s keep riding it into Brands, another strong track for us. Well done to everyone and best wishes of course to Jordan, hopefully the wins will have cheered her up!”


 
British Superbike Championship race one (5 laps)
1 Storm Stacey (Kawasaki)
2 Lewis Rollo (Aprilia) +0.222s
3 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +6.369s
4 Jason O’Halloran (Kawasaki) +9.297s
5 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +10.742s
6 Christian Iddon (Ducati) +15.906s
 
British Superbike Championship race two (5 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
2 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +1.487s
3 Christian Iddon (Ducati) +2.163s
4 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +2.197s
5 Andrew Irwin (Honda) +2.642s
6 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +2.682s
 
British Superbike Championship race three (16 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
2 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +0.125s
3 Christian Iddon (Ducati) +0.740s
4 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +1.122s
5 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +1.322s
6 Andrew Irwin (Honda) +2.204s
 
Championship Points (after five rounds)
1 Irwin 177pts
2 Bridewell 173
3 Iddon 156
4 Kent 147
= Ryde 147
6 O’Halloran 108



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

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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