LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde won Bennetts British Superbike Race Two Sunday at Knockhill Circuit in Scotland. Ryde won the 30-lap race by 0.903 second over BeerMonster Ducati’s Tommy Bridewell with McAMS Yamaha’s Jason O’Halloran finishing third.
In Race Three Sunday it was Glenn Irwin defeating his teammate Bridewell by 0.879 second and Ryde’s teammate Ryan Vickers finishing third on his Yamaha YZF-R1.
American Julian Correa finished fifth in both British Talent Cup races Sunday, while countryman Eli Banish was 19th and 11th in the two races.
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Make mine a double! Irwin and BeerMonster Ducati bounce back to win race three
Glenn Irwin bounced back from a race two crash to celebrate victory in the final Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Knockhill, holding off his teammate Tommy Bridewell to celebrate a double win in Scotland, sharing today’s victories with Kyle Ryde.
Irwin had won the opening race of the weekend, but he shared the Scottish success with Ryde. The intense action across the three races meant that five different riders from three different teams featured on the podium.
In race two Ryde claimed his fourth win of the season after a determined performance to maintain his momentum for LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha.
O’Halloran had initially taken the lead ahead of Ryde, Ryan Vickers and Irwin. The lead group became a train of five riders as Bridewell worked his way through the order after his start from ninth on the grid and Christian Iddon was also in contention.
O’Halloran was piling the pressure on Ryde for the lead, but after attempting a move at the Hairpin, the McAMS Yamaha rider went wide and then as the pack crossed the line to start lap 23, Irwin passed both of his Yamaha rivals to move into the lead.
Irwin was then leading from Ryde, O’Halloran, Bridewell, Vickers and Iddon. However, it was a disaster for the BeerMonster Ducati rider when he crashed out of the lead at the Hairpin with three laps to go.
Ryde was then the race leader with Bridewell promoted to second after he had carved his way up the order with O’Halloran in third and that was how the podium lined up at the chequered flag.
Vickers missed out on the podium in fourth place with Iddon equalling his best result of the season in fifth place.
In race three, O’Halloran was again the race leader on the opening lap as he launched off the line ahead of Iddon and teammates Bridewell and Irwin.
Iddon wasted no time in trying to capture the lead and moved ahead of O’Halloran on the brakes into the Hairpin on the opening lap, but his McAMS Yamaha rival instantly fought back and regained the position before the start line.
It was heartbreak for O’Halloran though as he crashed his McAMS Yamaha out of the lead a lap later. Meanwhile Bridewell had moved into second and with the Australian out of contention, the BeerMonster Ducati rider was then leading the pack.
Ryde had been working his way up the order and he was second by the third lap ahead of Iddon and Irwin. Irwin though was determined to bounce back from his race two crash and he was into second by the tenth lap with a move on Ryde into turn one.
The leading group then became Bridewell, Irwin Ryde, Iddon and Vickers, but the BeerMonster Ducatis broke the pack in the closing stages. Irwin then grabbed the lead from Bridewell on lap 18 with another move on the brakes into turn one before holding him off until the chequered flag with the pair separated by 0.879s at the finish.
Iddon had been holding third place as he fought for his first podium finish of the season but he overshot the Hairpin with ten laps to go and had to re-join after an excursion through the gravel but was then in tenth. He was able to get the better of Dean Harrison in the closing stages but he had to settle for ninth place.
Vickers meanwhile had been shadowing his LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha teammate and he hit third with a move at the Hairpin on lap 20, before holding off the race two winner to claim his second podium finish of the season.
Lee Jackson was fifth as he battled with Leon Haslam ahead of Tom Neave who scored his season best result for Honda Racing UK after keeping Josh Brookes at bay on the leading FHO Racing BMW Motorrad.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, Race 2 result:
- Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha)
- Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.903s
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +1.171s
- Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +2.148s
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +5.188s
- Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +10.926s
- Storm Stacey (Starline Racing Kawasaki) +12.603s
- Tom Neave (Honda Racing UK) +13.807s
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) +15.170s
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team) +15.458s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, Race 3 result:
- Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
- Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.879s
- Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +3.137s
- Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +7.483s
- Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +9.675s
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team) +9.854s
- Tom Neave (Honda Racing UK) +11.396s
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) +11.868s
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) +17.964s
- Dean Harrison (DAO Racing Kawasaki) +21.255s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
- Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) 163
- Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 155
- Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 152
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) 136
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team) 136
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 98
- Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) 97
- Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 85
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 78
- Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) 61
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Glenn Irwin
BeerMonster Ducati
“It’s a shame what happened in today’s first race as I could have been coming away with a hat-trick but I’m happy with the two wins we had and, like, yesterday, I really, really enjoyed the final race.
“I could see Tommy in the lead and knew when it was time to up the pace as whilst he was strong in some areas, I felt strong all around the circuit.
“He improved his braking into the hairpin all weekend, but the BeerMonster Ducati was strong out of the hairpin, and I was able to make my move along the straight and into the first corner.
“Two wins out of three means it’s been a pretty good weekend and I need to thank the team.”
More, from a press release issued by BeerMonster Ducati:
BeerMonster Ducati Double Up At Knockhill
Round four of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship proved a successful one for BeerMonster Ducati with doubles all round following the three races held at Knockhill in Scotland this weekend.
Following Glenn Irwin’s victory in the BikeSocial Sprint race yesterday, he backed that up with another win today to claim his first double of the season whilst teammate Tommy Bridewell kept his title charge on course with a superb double podium in both of today’s races to increase his championship lead.
Saturday’s results meant Glenn and Tommy lined up in fifth and ninth respectively for the opening 30-lap race around the 1.26-mile Fife venue with Irwin quickly slotting into third as Bridewell set about moving his way through the field once more on Paul Bird’s F23 specification V4R BeerMonster Ducati.
Tommy had moved up to sixth at half race distance with Glenn continuing to hold onto third as just 1.5 seconds covered the top six riders. It was all change on lap 23, however, as Irwin moved into the lead with Bridewell up to fourth before taking third two laps later.
But with three laps to go, there was heartbreak for Irwin as he crashed out of the lead at the Hairpin and that meant it was Kyle Ryde who got the win with Bridewell coming through for an excellent second.
That put Tommy in the middle of the front row for the final race of the weekend with Glenn in fifth once more. The duo completed the opening lap in the top five and soon moved forward, with Tommy taking the lead on the third lap as Glenn moved up to third.
By the tenth lap, they were running first and second and with Glenn having slightly quicker pace, he took over the lead on lap 18. On this occasion, he controlled proceedings all the way to the end and this time there was to be no mistake as he took the win from Bridewell by 0.879 seconds.
The result, which was the team’s second 1-2 of the season, sees Bridewell increase his championship lead to eight points ahead of Ryde with Irwin in third just three points down on his Yamaha rival.
Glenn Irwin: “It’s a shame what happened in today’s first race as I could have been coming away with a hat-trick but I’m happy with the two wins we had, and I really enjoyed the final race. I could see Tommy in the lead and knew when it was time to up the pace as whilst he was strong in some areas, I felt strong all around the circuit. He’s improved his braking into the Hairpin all weekend, but the BeerMonster Ducati was strong out of the Hairpin, and I was able to make my move along the straight and into the first corner. Two wins out of three means it’s been a pretty good weekend.”
Tommy Bridewell: “I’m over the moon with two seconds today especially as we were off the pace for the first day. I struggled a bit but credit to the team, we turned it around from qualifying onwards and I felt a lot better. It was a shame to see Glenn go down in the first race as it was again showing the strength of the team and the bike, but I knew he’d come out fighting in the third race. I got to the front and set a steady pace, trying to look after my tyre, but I knew Glenn would be there. He’s been riding with a bit more confidence than me, so I’ll take the two seconds especially as they’ve increased my championship lead.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s been another good day and whilst we could have come away with all three wins, we’ve still had four podiums and that’s a really good return given we thought this would be one of the more difficult circuits on the calendar. The team have worked phenomenally hard so full credit to them and both riders rode exceptionally well. Glenn’s had that bit more than the rest of the field this weekend and the crash was just one of those things where the penalty didn’t fit the crime. He bounced back superbly well but Tommy kept him honest in the last race and it’s great to have another 1-2. We’re looking good in the championship table and the way things are going, it’s going to cost us a lot in win and podium bonuses this year!”
More, from a press release issued by FHO Racing BMW:
A CHALLENGING WEEKEND IN SCOTLAND FOR THE FHO RACING BMW MOTORRAD TEAM
It’s been a tough weekend for the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team, as Faye Ho’s squad returned to its Bennetts British Superbike Championship duties, and coming to Knockhill’s 1.27-mile circuit was a stark contrast to the Isle of Man TT Races, where the team were last in action.
Even though the fourth round of the championship presented its challenges in terms of grip and set-up issues across the board for Josh Brookes and Peter Hickman, it wasn’t all bad with Brookes scoring vital points in all races.
Finishing inside the top-ten in all races aboard the BMW M 1000 RR, Brookes finished Saturday’s 20-lap Sprint Race ninth, and came home ninth and eighth in yesterday’s longer 30-lap races. With consistent point-scoring places, Brookes collected 22 points across the weekend and is still in championship contention where he’s fourth overall in the standings – 16 points shy of third place and 27 adrift of the championship leader.
For teammate Hickman, Knockhill delivered disappointment across the first two races, which saw him at the back of the field. Struggling to optimise the settings on his BMW machine, he finished the opening race of the weekend 16th and retired from Sunday’s first race.
With track temperatures high and conditions near perfect across the weekend, the final race saw temperatures drop which helped the FHO squad address the niggling grip issues they had faced. Starting from 17th on the grid, Hicky made up places across the 30 laps and came home 12th picking up four points.
The FHO Racing BMW Motorrad team now have a well-deserved break having been back-to-back with race meetings since the second round at Oulton Park with BSB, the North West 200 and the TT Races. The fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Snetterton next month across 7-8-9 July.
The weekend also saw the FHO Girls in action with two HEL Performance British Junior Supersport races, where Denise dal Zotto finished 21st and 24th, Jamie Hanks-Elliott came home 15th, just 0.275s shy of 14th in the opening race and 19th in the second race. Holly Harris finished 29th and 28th, with Scarlett Robinson coming home 30th in both races.
Josh Brookes:
“It’s been a difficult weekend to comment on really, it’s not been the results we wanted. We stayed on and finished all the races apart from a slip off this morning in warm up, so in one way we’ve got points in all three races and were in the top-ten. But it’s also been a frustrating weekend as we’ve not been able to make progress and fight for the higher places. We’ve tried to remain positive, make changes, always fighting to improve even if it’s just one sector, or one area of the bike to improve – but it just doesn’t seem to come here at Knockhill. We’ll now regroup as a team after a busy period with BSB and road racing, and we can head to Snetterton where hopefully we can look forward to some better results”
Peter Hickman:
“It’s been a super tough weekend here at Knockhill, coming from probably the biggest circuit in the world to the smallest doesn’t help. I tried 110% across the weekend, but for reasons I can’t even explain, I don’t know why, but we’ve just not had the pace right from the start. The team has worked so hard, we’ve turned the bike inside out and it’s not seemed to make any difference to the lap times. We changed things again for the last race and it actually did make an improvement where we finished 12th, the change was something we hadn’t tried before, and it did help as we went forwards for the first time rather than backwards. This weekend we’ve not finished where we want to be, or where we should be with the M 1000 RR and it’s hard to keep the morale up, but you have to keep plugging away and it’s great for the team that Josh finished inside the top-ten! Thanks to everyone for all their hard work and we’ll come back stronger at Snetterton.”
Faye Ho – Team Principal:
“It’s been a tough weekend for Josh, Pete and the team at Knockhill, but this is racing and sometimes the weekend doesn’t go as you would hope. Even though it’s not been plain sailing and we’ve not had the results we wanted, or that we know both Josh and Pete are capable of, for Josh to come away with three top-ten finishes and collect vital points is still a positive and keeps us in the championship fight. Pete and his side of the garage have tried all weekend, but he had his progress hampered until the final race.
It’s been a super busy period for everyone in the team with BSB, the North West 200 and of course the TT and I can’t thank everyone enough for all their hard work over this time. As a team we win together and we lose together, but the most important thing is that we’re all in this together and it’s how we deal with a difficult weekend that matters. Everyone has worked so hard and tried to remain upbeat and keep smiling even when times are tough. We have a few weeks now for some rest and we look forward to coming back to the fifth round refreshed and ready to get back into the mix.”
