June 17, 2023

Irwin Romps to Knockhill Victory

BeerMonster Ducati rider Glenn Irwin enjoyed an excellent start to round four of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill this afternoon with pole position followed by a dominant performance in the BikeSocial Sprint race to take his third victory of the season.

With the team having taken part in a test at the Scottish venue earlier in the month, hopes were high coming into the meeting, but it was Irwin who shone the brightest in qualifying as he claimed pole position on Paul Bird’s F23-specification V4R BeerMonster Ducati. 

A time of 47.158s gave him the top spot with teammate Tommy Bridewell having to settle for tenth place, three rows further back, albeit less than four tenths of a second adrift.

The 20-lap race was expected to be a tight and hectic affair around the 1.269-mile Fife circuit which overlooks the Firth of Forth, but Irwin quickly took the lead from Jason O’Halloran and from there on he was never headed, consistently maintaining a half second advantage over the rest of the field. Towards the end of the race, he upped his pace to extend his lead and eventually took the win by 0.606 seconds over Kyle Ryde with O’Halloran finishing third.
 
Irwin’s debut Knockhill victory sees him reclaim the title lead ahead of Bridewell, who put together a strong race from his fourth row starting position. With two places gained on the opening lap, Tommy continually moved forward and once he’d overtaken Leon Haslam, he immediately pulled away from the chasing pack to take a hard-earned fourth place to end up just three points behind Irwin going into tomorrow’s two races.
 
Glenn Irwin: “It was a tough start to the weekend, and we knew it would be a strong track for our rivals, but we improved in every practice session, and I was really happy to take pole position. I knew then that we could have a great day and we made another change to the bike ahead of the race and it was so enjoyable. I wanted to be precise, composed and at one with the bike and everyone’s working really hard so, hopefully, we can do the same again tomorrow.”
 
Tommy Bridewell: “We were off the pace initially but made a bold geometry change ahead of qualifying which was massive step forward and we then made another change ahead of the race. That meant I had to re-learn the bike and, of course, when you go faster, you find new issues. That said, our pace was good and once I’d got up to fourth and pulled away from Leon, the gap to the front three stayed the same. We’ve got some good data now and I’m confident we’ve got the pace to fight for the wins tomorrow.”
 
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s been a really good day. The test a couple of weeks ago put us in good stead and Glenn has been able to fine tune the bike in each session and ride it to its limits. Pole position was an unexpected bonus, but we knew if we could do low 47s, we’d be hard to beat. He rode an impeccable race with pinpoint accuracy and never let anyone get close enough to pass; it was a fantastic ride. Tommy and his side of the garage have had to work a bit harder, but they found a good setting in qualifying and to come from tenth to fourth around here was a remarkable ride. We’re still 1-2 in the Championship so let’s see what tomorrow brings.”


Bennetts British Superbike Championship – BikeSocial Sprint race (20 laps)

1 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
2 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
3 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)
4 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
5 Christian Iddon (Ducati)
6 Leon Haslam (BMW)


 Championship positions

1 Irwin 134 pts
2 Bridewell 131
3 Ryde 125
4 Brookes 121
5 Haslam 120
6 O’Halloran 84
 
Images courtesy of Double Red: Glenn Irwin (2) and Tommy Bridewell (46) at Knockhill

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.

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!”
More Posts