Sunday – Glenn Irwin gets back to winning ways
BeerMonster Ducati rider Glenn Irwin reminded everyone that he was still a major contender in the fight for the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship when he scorched to a superb victory in today’s BikeSocial Sprint race at Cadwell Park.
Having started on the front row of the grid following the 15-minute Omologato Superpole qualifying session, the Carrickfergus, County Antrim rider had to fend off a concerted challenge from his rivals to land his fifth victory of the year around the 2.18-mile Lincolnshire circuit.
With sporadic rain affecting the day’s proceedings, the 12-lap race took place in cloudy but dry conditions and saw Irwin lead from start to finish in his 200th race as he brought the factory supported BeerMonster Ducati home to a deserved victory and in doing so, reduced the gap to series leader and teammate Tommy Bridewell to 19.5 points.
Bridewell, meanwhile, managed to claim fifth place following on from him starting the race on row three of the grid on the second of Paul Bird’s bikes as he looked to improve after a tough start to the weekend.
The Devizes, Wiltshire rider got a good start although a clash with another rider early on set him back, but he gamely battled back to challenge the leading bunch but had to settle for fifth at the chequered flag.
Glenn Irwin: “It’s been a while since I won a race, so it was about time! We’ve been plugging away all weekend and I knew I had the pace to win, but I had to ride defensively at times. I got a good start and felt comfortable after we’d made some changes to the bike. Cadwell is tough to pass at and I was expecting a challenge, but it never really came. I’m feeling good, that was my first win here at Cadwell so hopefully we can maintain the momentum into tomorrow’s races.”
Tommy Bridewell: “It’s proving to be a tougher weekend than what I expected if I’m being honest. We’re getting a lot closer to getting me feeling comfortable on the bike and when you put it into perspective, fifth place just over a second and a half off the win isn’t a disaster. I’ve surrendered a few points to Glenn, but the key here is to get a good start so hopefully we can work on the data and improve tomorrow and get our championship challenge back on track.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “A fantastic result for everyone connected to PBM BeerMonster Ducati, which was just what we needed after a difficult Thruxton, and what a perfect way to bounce back. Tomorrow’s races will be every bit as close, with at least five or six riders in the mix for the race win including both Glenn and Tommy so hopefully we can repeat today’s victory.”
Bridewell enjoys that 19.5-point lead over Irwin, who in turn, extended his advantage over third-placed Jason O’Halloran to 30 points going into tomorrow’s two races over 18 laps each.
British Superbike Championship – BikeSocial Sprint race (12 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
2 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
3 Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)
4 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)
5 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
6 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
Championship Positions
1 Bridewell 274pts
2 Irwin 254.5
3 O’Halloran 224.5
4 Ryde 224
5 Haslam 201
6 Jackson 195.5
Monday – Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell take the race wins at Cadwell Park
Round eight of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship proved to be a successful one for the Lake District-based BeerMonster Ducati team who claimed all three race wins over the bank holiday weekend at Cadwell Park.
Following on from Glenn Irwin’s superb victory in yesterday’s BikeSocial Sprint race, the Ulsterman followed that up with a second win of the weekend at the Lincolnshire circuit in the opening race today before teammate Tommy Bridewell made it a clean sweep for Paul Bird’s team when he crossed the line first in the final outing to cap a memorable weekend.
After yesterday’s action, Irwin started on row three of the grid for today’s first 18-lapper with Bridewell, who finished fifth yesterday, alongside. In front of a massive crowd, Irwin worked his way to the front to make it a double as Bridewell conceded a few more points in the race for the title by claiming another fifth place.
That set things up perfectly for the final encounter this afternoon with championship leader Bridewell, from Devizes in Wiltshire starting from row two and second-placed Irwin, from Carrickfergus in County Antrim, back on row three.
The race was another epic encounter with both BeerMonster Ducatis in contention from the start and soon they were running first and second on the road. Irwin was doing all he could to fend off Bridewell as he homed in on his first treble of the season but with a couple of laps to go, Bridewell seized his opportunity and swept into the lead which he hung on to and claimed his seventh victory of the season.
The result also saw the PBM riders claim their fifth one-two of the 2023 season and with Glenn’s solid points haul, which saw him take his winning tally to six races this season, the pair have consolidated their top two positions in the title race going into the final three rounds of the season starting at the team’s home round of Oulton Park in three weeks’ time.
Bridewell’s advantage now stands at 14.5 points ahead of Irwin who is 36.5 points ahead of Kyle Ryde in third.
Glenn Irwin: “It’s been a dream weekend really. To go to a track where I’ve never had a podium at before and come away with a double victory and a second place as well as being crowned Pirelli King of the Mountain is amazing. I had to fight hard in every race, all of us were on the limit, but importantly for me, I’ve pulled back a good chunk of points on Tommy. It’s hotting up and I’m feeling great so a massive thanks to the team, they never stopped working all weekend.”
Tommy Bridewell: “It’s been a really tough weekend but, in the end, it’s been a rewarding one. I’ve not felt good on the bike all weekend for some reason, and we were searching for a solution but all credit to the team that we found it for the last race. Looking at it positively, if I can get results like this when I’m not comfortable on the bike, then that bodes well but I expected more here. It was just a case of digging in and getting what points I could in the first two races, but it all came good in the end. We’ll come out swinging at the next round.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “We can do no more than win all three races on a weekend and after Thruxton, it was vital we bounced back here and got our championship challenge back on track. Glenn rode brilliantly all weekend and it was great for him to do the double and only just missed out on a third win. Tommy really did dig deep and was rewarded after a superb ride in the final race, and you could see by his emotions what it meant to him. We’re still one-two in the championship and are really looking forward to the final three rounds now where we know our bike works well.”
British Superbike Championship – Race two (18 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
2 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
3 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)
4 Leon Haslam (BMW)
5 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
6 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
British Superbike Championship – Race three (18 laps)
1 Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
2 Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
3 Leon Haslam (BMW)
4 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
5 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
6 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha)
Championship Positions
1 Bridewell 303pts
2 Irwin 288.5
3 Ryde 252
4 O’Halloran 248.5
5 Haslam 227
6 Jackson 216.5
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