August 6, 2024

Irwin Hopeful Ahead Of Thruxton Thriller

The 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship heads to the fastest circuit in the country where Thruxton in Hampshire hosts the seventh round of the series this forthcoming weekend.

Hager PBM Ducati rider Glenn Irwin is currently second in the title race following a tough weekend at Brands Hatch last time out so the 34 year old from Carrickfergus, County Antrim is hoping to bounce back and to close the 19-point gap to leader Tommy Bridewell.
 
Irwin has six victories to his credit this year already and as the season heads into the final half, he will be looking to add to those successes, especially with the imminence of the Showdown which starts next month and sees enhanced points up for grabs in the final few races.

Glenn has had a couple of podium finishes at Thruxton in recent years, the last being in 2021 so he’ll be hoping for a good performance throughout the weekend for team owners Frank and Jordan Bird and to keep his and the team’s title bid firmly on track. 

Glenn Irwin: “We arrive at Thruxton after a slightly difficult weekend at Brands Hatch, where we showed a lot of character as a team. The guys did an amazing job rebuilding the bike after I was taken out in the second race and it showed a great team spirit. We have been making good progress with the development work so we will continue that this weekend, but Thruxton always gives us some unique challenges on the Ducati and with the tyre option also. The plan is to have a solid weekend and rack up as many points as possible. I’m not sure what sort of results we can achieve but I’ll be fighting all the way. The team is working hard to give me a great bike and this is the final hurdle before we start the last four rounds at tracks which work well for us.” 

Frank Bird, Joint Team Owner: “We can’t wait to get the second half of the season underway. After a tough weekend last time out at Brands Hatch where we showed so much potential only to fall foul of someone else’s mistake, next up is Thruxton. Thankfully, Glenn has recovered and spent some time at World Ducati Week in Italy recently, so he is sharp and both he and the team are ready to go as always. We have done a lot of work back at base to try and rectify the issues we had last year at Thruxton on the Ducati, so hopefully that will allow us to be back and challenging at the front.”
 
Pictures (courtesy of Double Red)

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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