Double Donington Podium For BeerMonster Ducati

That just left Bridewell to fly the flag for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team, and all was going to plan when he hit the front for the first time on lap 11 before a safety car bunched the pack back up. Racing resumed on lap 15 and although he briefly lost the lead, Tommy was back in front on lap 16 as he tried to keep the five riders immediately behind him at bay. Sadly, a technical issue saw him slow with three laps to go and his race came to an unfortunate end in retirement.
 
Despite the disappointment, Tommy’s pace enabled him to start the final race of the weekend from pole position although Glenn had considerably more work to do from the fourth row of the grid. Both riders made good starts though, especially Glenn as he gained four places on the opening lap, with Tommy running solidly in third.
 
Tommy was soon up to second and chasing yesterday’s race winner, Kyle Ryde, but in a carbon copy of the day before, he was unable to find a way by and ultimately had to settle for second place although the result did allow him to reclaim the title lead.
 
Glenn, meanwhile, steadily progressed forward and moved into the final podium spot on lap 13. His pace slowed slightly towards the end of the race, but he had enough in the tank to hold off his rivals to see him now just three points behind his teammate.
 
Tommy Bridewell: “I was a little bit deflated after the first race, but we turned it around and whilst it’s always disappointing to have a technical issue, it’s ended up being a strong weekend for both me and the team with two podiums. Donington has seen mixed results for Ducati in the past but full credit to the team as you could see how strong the bike was. Kyle just had that little bit extra which meant I couldn’t get close enough to make a pass in the last race. Both the team and I are putting in so much effort and the season is shaping up quite nicely for us.”
 
Glenn Irwin: “We arrived at Donington excited about the weekend, but it turned out to be harder than the previous rounds so full credit to everyone in the team to end the weekend with two BeerMonster Ducatis on the podium once more. The crash was just one of those things and no-one’s fault, but we bounced back well, and I think we’ll be even stronger when we get to the circuits which are upcoming. Donington was a strong track for the Yamaha, but Kyle rode faultlessly as did Tommy and although we were running out of tyre at the end, we got the job done and 1-2 in the championship is a pretty good place to be ahead of the break.”
 
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s disappointing to have had two DNFs in the second race as we pride ourselves on finishing every race but full credit to everyone in the team for turning it around. Tommy showed good pace all weekend and ran at the sharp end in all three races so it was a shame he had the technical issue as he may have won if the safety car hadn’t come out. He bounced back brilliantly as did Glenn especially as he came from the fourth row of the grid. Kyle and the Yamaha were strong so fair play to them, but we go into the break 1-2 in the championship, so we’ll evaluate everything and look to come out at round four even stronger.”
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race Two (20 laps)
1 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)
2 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)
3) Josh Brookes (BMW)
4) Leon Haslam (BMW)
5) Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
6) Charlie Nesbitt (Honda)
DNF Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
DNF Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati
 
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race Three (20 laps)
1 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
2 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
3 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
4 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)
5 Christian Iddon (Kawasaki)
6 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
 
Championship Standings (after three rounds)
1 Bridewell 119pts
2 Irwin 116
3 Brookes 114
4 Haslam 110
5 Ryde 109
6 O’Halloran 70
 
Images courtesy of Double Red: Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) in action at Donington Park