Glenn Irwin and the Hager PBM Ducati team took another win in the 2024 British Superbike Championship at a sun-kissed Donington Park today with the overall results across the weekend enabling them to extend their championship lead to 13 points.

After setting fourth fastest time in free practice, a difficult Superpole session put Glenn back in eighth for yesterday’s opening race and although he was quickly running inside the top six, positions were changing regularly. Indeed, it looked like sixth would be the outcome but after fellow Ducati rider Christian Iddon crashed, the race was stopped on lap 15 and Glenn subsequently awarded fifth place.

With the second fastest lap of the race, the Carrickfergus rider started today’s 12-lap Sprint race from the middle of the front row, immediately taking the lead at the first corner. After quickly opening a lead of more than a second, he was able to control it for the remainder of the race and although BMW’s Leon Haslam closed in over the final laps, Glenn duly took the chequered flag just under half a second clear for his fourth win of the season.

Starting the final race of the weekend from the middle of the front row once more, Glenn took the lead for the first time on the fifth lap but after that it was a tough battle with the leading four riders – Glenn, Tommy Bridewell, Danny Kent and Jason O’Halloran – constantly changing places. Glenn looked well on course for a podium but in the end, he had to settle for fourth with just 1.2s separating them at the end of 20 laps.

The next round takes place at Knockhill on June 14/16.

Glenn Irwin: “We had a bit of a problem with the bike after the North West 200 which hindered us on Friday and Saturday, and we were nowhere but the team worked beyond midnight on Saturday to give me a bike I could win on. The bike felt so good today and the hard work paid dividends in the first race. I was able to go flat out from the word go with some incredibly fast laps and we were ultimately rewarded with the victory. The final race of the weekend was just one of those you’re glad to be involved in. And whilst I would have been happy with any of the top four positions, I feel it should have been a podium. On the plus side, it was my first win on the GP circuit and we’ve extended our lead in the championship so on we go. I feel great and I’m enjoying the pressure of being the championship leader.”

Frank Bird, Team co-owner: “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster of a weekend with the first two days being a bit scrappy due to the issue with the bike but if fifth is the outcome on a bad day, then it’s not too bad. Full credit to the team though, they rectified the issue, and we came out swinging today with a superb win and whilst we couldn’t repeat it in the final race, it was a pleasure to watch and typified why BSB’s so popular. Any of the four could have won and the results could have been different, but we come away from Donington Park having extended our lead in the championship and the whole team is working incredibly well together.”

British Superbike Championship race one (14 laps)
1 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
2 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +0.559s
3 Leon Haslam (BMW) +1.060s
4 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +1.312s
5 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) +2.748s
6 Max Cook (Kawasaki) +3.078s

British Superbike Championship race two (12 laps)
1 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
2 Leon Haslam (BMW) +0.335s
3 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +2.308s
4 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +3.920s
5 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +5.903s
6 Christian Iddon (Ducati) +11.201s

British Superbike Championship race three (20 laps)
1 Jason O’Halloran (Kawasaki)
2 Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +1.068s
3 Danny Kent (Yamaha) +1.209s
4 Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) + 1.259s
5 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) +5.064s
6 Leon Haslam (BMW) +5.969s

Championship Points (after three rounds)
1 Irwin 115pts
2 Kent 102
3 Ryde 95
4 Bridewell 93
5 Iddon 84
6 Haslam 82