Bridewell leads the pack with Brookes set to fight for Integro Triple Crown prize
Tommy Bridewell tops the Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings ahead of Knockhill this weekend (June 28/29/30) and his Oxford Racing Ducati team is aiming for its first victory in the series at the Scottish circuit.
There have been four different race winners so far this season, with a further four riders claiming podium finishes from the opening four rounds. However as Bridewell targets his first 2019 victory, Brands Hatch double race winner Josh Brookes will have all eyes on him as he arrives in Scotland with a fighting chance of scooping the incredible £75,000 Integro Triple Crown prize.
The new incentive offers a rider the chance to bag £50,000 for winning all six races at the Brands Hatch, Knockhill and Snetterton rounds, plus a £25,000 three-circuit win bonus. Brookes completed the double in Kent, which means he is the only rider who can still net the top prize. And if he manages to secure five of the six race victories, he can still scoop a £40,000 prize and the £25,000 three circuit bonus.
If the Be Wiser Ducati rider scores the double win at Knockhill this weekend then he is guaranteed to take home at least £30,000 for claiming four of the six victories. However if another rider stakes his claim to the Integro Triple Crown and takes a double win at Knockhill, then it will mean a head-to-head battle at the final round of the competition at Snetterton between Brookes and the Knockhill double race winner to try to secure a £30,000 prize for winning any four of the six races.
Bridewell has netted three second places on his ascendency to the top of the table and is determined to overhaul his rivals this weekend, but the circuit has previously been a happy hunting ground for the Kawasaki teams with Team Green winning 11 of the last 13 races in Scotland.
No rider on the current Bennetts BSB grid has won a race at Knockhill, but FS-3 Racing Kawasaki’s Danny Buchan will be confident of success in Scotland after scoring a double podium finish last year; sharing the top three steps with eventual champion Leon Haslam and runner-up Jake Dixon.
The weekend marks another new circuit for Donington Park triple race winner Scott Redding; the Be Wiser Ducati rider had a taste of the track at a recent test and he will be looking to add to his tally of podium points.
Home-grown favourite Tarran Mackenzie is set to return to action at Knockhill with McAMS Yamaha after he was sidelined at Brands Hatch. The 23-year-old still holds fourth place in the overall standings and has fond memories of the circuit where he began his racing career.
Buchan holds fifth in the standings, with Honda Racing’s Xavi Forés locking out the final place in the top six ahead of this weekend as he prepares for his first races at the circuit. The Spanish contender looking forward to the Knockhill event after a test earlier in the season.
Christian Iddon leads the BMW charge for the Tyco team in seventh as he bids to claw his way into the top six for the first time this season. He holds a narrow two-point advantage over Peter Hickman for the Smiths Racing BMW team. Hickman is equally under fire from Andrew Irwin on the second of the Honda Racing Fireblades with a two-point edge, with Jason O’Halloran separated by just a further two points.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) 145
Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) 131
Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) 124
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 108
Danny Buchan (FS3-Racing Kawasaki) 94
Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) 75
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Tommy Bridewell – Oxford Racing Ducati
Championship leader
“I didn’t expect to be leading the championship going to Knockhill, but it has been so positive so far this season and we have been up there fighting for podiums and wins. I thought the new bike would be strong but we are where we are because we have been consistent and that makes the difference.
“If I am honest, I feel a bit unsure about Knockhill and how the Ducati will be there; ultimately every circuit we have been to so far have had different characteristics, but we haven’t ridden the bike on such a short, intense circuit yet. Every round so far we have gone to feeling confident of fighting for wins but we will have to see what the Ducati goes like there. From the past, Kawasaki have been really strong there and our bikes are very different so I think qualifying will play a massive part because it is that kind of circuit.
“We have been so close but never quite close enough to the win so far! It’s always about winning; at Brands Hatch I was giving it everything. It certainly isn’t through the lack of trying that we haven’t won one yet this year! It’s the podium points that matter and so I have to be finishing in the top three every race. Anything outside of that is almost irrelevant because they will be what is important in the Showdown. So if I am say in fourth on the final lap you can bet that I will be going for third that’s for sure!”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Seven Star Be Wiser Ducati Head For Knockhill
The Be Wiser Ducati British Superbike Championship team make the relatively short trip north Be Wiser Podiumfrom their Cumbria workshops to Knockhill in Fife this weekend whereby round five of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place.
And with riders Josh Brookes and Scott Redding winning the last seven races between them, confidence is high in Paul Bird’s Penrith-based squad as they look to extend their winning advantage in Sunday’s two races up in Scotland.
Last time out at Brands Hatch in round four, it was 36-year-old Australian Brookes who dominated, taking the factory-supported Be Wiser Ducati Panigale V4 R to a superb double to repeat what he did in round two at Oulton Park last month.
Sandwiched in between at round three was a treble victory for 26-year-old Gloucestershire rider Redding who was unbeatable at Donington Park meaning both riders arrive at Knockhill well placed in the standings with ex-MotoGP rider Redding in second place behind fellow Ducati mounted Tommy Bridewell and 2015 BSB champion Brookes in third.
The team tested there earlier this month and were happy with progress so go in search of more success north of the border which has recently included a victory for Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne’s in 2016 which he followed up with a double podium a year later whilst last year, Glenn Irwin scored a pair of hard fought fourth place finishes around the tight and twisty 1.27-mile track.
Meanwhile, there’s another incentive for Brookes who stands to be guaranteed a minimum £30,000 Integro Triple Summer Crown bonus if he picks up the two wins at Knockhill to make it four in a row. A £75,000 prize is on offer for any rider that can win all six races at rounds four (Brands Hatch), five (Knockhill) and six (Snetterton).
Scott Redding: “It’s sure going to be different this weekend but I’m really looking forward to racing at Knockhill. We got some laps in at the recent test so that will help us and I enjoyed the different challenge of the track but we know this round will be hard. The plan is to give it a good shot and improve throughout the weekend and if I can come away with a podium or two, that would be amazing. Most of all, I’m really looking forward to racing in front of the Scottish fans who I’ve heard are brilliant so hopefully we can give them something to cheer about.”
Josh Brookes: “We have shown good pace so far this year and the plan is to maintain our focus Brookes & Reddingwhen we arrive at Knockhill. The bike is getting better all the time and I need to ensure I keep my side of the deal. This is a different challenge for us with the track being so different to what we are used to but at the recent test, we highlighted areas we needed to improve, and we seem to have resolved them after the double victory last time out. It’s fair to say this is not my favourite track but this year I’m feeling so much more positive.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “Be Wiser Ducati are really looking forward to competing at what we class as a local track for us. Both Scott and Josh are riding really well and are in a good place right now and both are looking forward to a different challenge ahead of this weekend at Knockhill. It’s a short lap but offers good close racing with plenty of passing places so fingers crossed we can carry on our good run of results and fight for race wins again this weekend.”
There is live action on television with Datatag Extreme Qualifying on Saturday and both of Sunday’s races screened live also on Eurosport between 13:00 and 18:00 with highlights throughout the week repeated on both Eurosport and ITV4.
For further information, please visit the team’s website, www.pbmuk.net and the official website of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship www.britishsuperbike.com.