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Tag: tommy bridewell

  • WorldSBK: Ducati dominate Donington as Bulega winning run finally ends

    WorldSBK: Ducati dominate Donington as Bulega winning run finally ends

    Iker Lecuona finally broke through to win his first WorldSBK race at Donington Park, but Nicolo Bulega was soon back to his dominant winning ways as Ducati wrapped up two titles only two thirds of the way through the season at the Prosecco DOC UK Round.

     

    Race 1

    When Iker Lecuona sliced into the lead at the start of Race 1, so began a titanic battle that saw the aruba.it Ducati pair spend the virtually the entire race separated by a less than a quarter of a second.  A failed early move at the Melbourne hairpin a handful of laps into the race proved to Bulega he would need to try harder than ever before this year to extend his unbeaten run.

    The next flashpoint came in the closing stages where with three laps to go Bulega got ahead at the turn nine chicane.  Lecuona however was straight back past at Melbourne.  The battle resumed on the next lap where Bulega this time attempted a block pass at the same section of track but Lecuona was wise to it.

    Onto the final lap, it once came down to the penultimate corner at Melbourne hairpin.  Lecuona just had enough traction to fend off Bulega by less than two tenths of a second to win his first WorldSBK race, end Bulega’s run of 25 straight wins stretching back to last October.

    Despite their squabbling on track the rest of the field was very far behind.  Yari Montella (recently renewed with Barni for next season) secured a comfortable podium once he passed Sam Lowes, who ended up battling an impressive Tommy Bridewell for fourth.  Lorenzo Baldassari just held off Alex Lowes for sixth while the other Brits of Jonathan Rea failed to finish and Tarran Mackenzie failed to start the race respectively.

    Montella’s teammate Alvaro Bautista was stuck battling the BMW and Yamaha riders for the lower points places while Jake Dixon ended his first home race in WorldSBK in a lowly 18th, with Rea clearly the fastest Honda rider of the day.

    Race 1 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

     

    Tissot Superpole Race

    From second place it was again Lecuona who got the holeshot into Redgate.  But coming through Goddards on the second lap, the Spaniard crashed out and later retired with three laps to go.

    This left Bulega to see off Montella who had also jumped ahead of him at the start.  On lap five of the ten lap affair, Bulega scythed past at the Melbourne hairpin to get back to winning ways while also retaining pole for Race Two.

    After the passing of their team founder, Sam Lowes was able to secure a poignant podium finish.  His brother only just managed to come behind home after his charging teammate Axel Bassani nearly sealed the deal for fourth at Melbourne on the final lap.

    Baldassari was just clear of a sparring Bridewell and Xavi Vierge while Garrett Gerloff denied Rea a point and better grid spot for Race Two in ninth.  Meanwhile, Lecuona would start tenth for the afternoon race but at least he and Bulega had now secured the 2026 Teams’ Championship despite it only being July!

    Tissot Superpole Race Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

     

    Race 2

    Montella came oh so close to getting around Bulega at Redgate but instead the factory Ducati rider held on and rode off into the distance.  Without Lecuona on the front row to challenge him, it was back to usual for Bulega while his teammate had little difficulty charging through the field from 10th.

    That is until Lecuona encountered Montella.  It took Lecuona barely any laps to get to the final podium position but it would take until the final third of the race before he could pass Montella for second at Goddards with eight laps to go.

    Bridewell’s Ducati engine tragically blew up early on when he was looking at another strong finish.  The battle for fourth therefore was between the Lowes’ brothers before Bassani again went on a charge.  Sam fell to seventh behind an impressive Gerloff while Baldassari and Vierge saw off Bautista for the lower top 10 positions.

    Rea came home 14th and admitted that unlike other rounds this year he had enjoyed himself this weekend on his wildcard outing for Honda.  The BMW’s and Yamaha’s had nothing to shout about nor did the other Honda’s as Ducati romped to the Manufacturers’ Title after just eight of 12 rounds had been completed in 2026.

    Race 2 Results

    Image Credit: WorldSBK

     

     

    Feature Image Credit: WorldSBK

  • Bridewell stamps his authority on BSB with Snetterton treble

    Bridewell stamps his authority on BSB with Snetterton treble

    After a weekend of British Superbikes action like we saw at Snetterton last weekend, it’s time to (try) and condense it all down.

    But there’s one point that really needs nailed down and focused on in particular: Tommy Bridewell.

    An eight-point lead heading into the fifth round quickly jumped up to a 25-point buffer come the end of the weekend’s action, making one thing clear.

    Bridewell has truly stamped his authority on this year’s championship.

    Of course, there’s still absolutely anything that could happen with six rounds and 18 races remaining this year, and as we’ve seen in the past things can change in the blink of an eye in the UK’s premier motorcycle racing series.

    However we’re seeing a side of Bridewell that has been waiting to be unleashed for years, and right now the 34-year-old is flying.

    “These types of meetings don’t come around too often, so I’m delighted to take my first ever treble”

    Tommy Bridewell

    He took three wins from three at Snetterton, something he’d never achieved in the BSB prior to last weekend, and each of those victories were more than deserved.

    But the BeerMonster Ducati rider had to work for it right from the off, with Saturday’s opening race coming down to the wire as Bridewell snatched the lead from teammate Glenn Irwin at Nelsons corner.

    The disappointment for Irwin didn’t end there however, as he then dropped another two places at the final corner with Josh Brookes sliding up the inside of the Ducati which then invited Jason O’Halloran through on the run to the line.

    Snetterton’s second race of the weekend was a little more straightforward for Bridewell, who made the most of a red flag restart to edge away from his rivals as they scrapped for the remaining podium positions.

    But once again the pair of PBM Ducatis put on a show in the final race, and this time it was Irwin chasing down Bridewell for the win after the Northern Irishman made a slight mistake in the closing stages when he ran wide and lost the lead.

    On the final lap Bridewell looked comfortable out in front, but that gap quickly diminished in the final sector, and it was a drag race to the line with the championship leader coming out on top by just 0.032 seconds.

    A treble in the books and a comfortable lead in the championship going to Brands Hatch meant Bridewell was understandably delighted.

    “What can I say!? It’s been a great weekend and these types of meetings don’t come around too often, so I’m delighted to take my first ever treble,” he told Paul Bird Motorsport.

    “We’ve hardly changed the bike all weekend and the team absolutely hit the nail on the head with set-up so a huge thanks to them.

    “It was nice to go toe to toe with Glenn in the final race with neither of us willing to give an inch, but it was good, clean racing.

    “I focused on preserving the tyre in the early stages and we exchanged places on more than one occasion, so it was nice to come out on top and get the job done.”

    As mentioned earlier, it’s been clear Bridewell has had this talent locked away for quite some time, and now with everything falling into place he certainly is the man to beat in 2023.

    Find the standings after Round 5 here.

    Featured Image Credit: @OfficialBSB on Twitter

  • Irwin takes two wins, Bridewell extends BSB lead at Knockhill

    Irwin takes two wins, Bridewell extends BSB lead at Knockhill

    Tommy Bridewell left Knockhill after the fourth round of the British Superbikes season with a slightly bigger championship advantage than he arrived with.

    Heading into the weekend he held a slender three-point lead over teammate Glenn Irwin in the standings, but following a strong outing on the Fife-based circuit with two fourth-placed finishes and a second-place finish to his name gave him an eight-point lead going to Snetterton at the beginning of July.

    But it’s no longer Irwin that follows him – Kyle Ryde is the man now settled in behind the current championship leader, and that’s thanks to an Irwin crash on the second race of the weekend.

    Leading the pack with just three laps to go, Irwin looked set to take his second victory of the weekend following a victory on Saturday’s sprint race.

    But that all unravelled in the blink of an eye when the Northern Irishman crashed at the Hairpin, promoting Ryde into first to take his fourth victory of the year.

    However, Irwin bounced back in fine form come the final race of the weekend to take victory and wrap up BSB’s visit to Scotland.

    The BeerMonster Ducati rider had to work for it however and benefitted from a Jason O’Halloran crash – the Yamaha rider had been locked in a battle with Christian Iddon from the beginning of the race, but it was a disappointing end to the weekend for the Australian whose final race of the weekend ended prematurely.

    Irwin – promoted up a position thanks to O’Halloran’s crash – eventually made his way past Ryde on lap 10 of the race and quickly set about catching teammate Bridewell for the lead.

    He had to remain patient, and eight laps later he pulled the trigger into the first corner, which was all he needed to do as he held off any pressure from behind there on to take the win.

    With a second victory wrapped up from the weekend’s action, it was a question of what could have been for Irwin had he not suffered his race two crash.”

    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,” he told Paul Bird Motorsport.

    “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.”

    Find the standings after Round 4 here.

    Feature Image Credit: @OfficialBSB on Twitter 

  • Tommy Bridewell joins Paul Bird Ducati for 2023 British Superbike title attack

    Tommy Bridewell joins Paul Bird Ducati for 2023 British Superbike title attack

    Seemingly the worst kept secret in silly season is finally announced. Tommy Bridewell will race with the Paul Bird Motorsport squad for 2023 in the British Superbikes.

    Tommy Bridewell PBM Ducati – Picture courtesy PBM Ducati / Double Red Photography

    Bridewell had been rumoured to be joining the PBM Ducati lineup for a few weeks now and the rumours gained traction when Steve Moore, Team Principal of the Oxford Products Ducati team, which Bridewell has ridden with for the last 4 years, took to Twitter to say “Thank you Tommy Bridewell, Stacey Jo and the Bridewell family for a mega 4.5 years. They said we’d never get along, but the results made our team! I’m so proud that he was in demand from several big factory teams. He has earned his place. Now we’ve got to try to beat him.”

    On the same day Bridewell was quoted by Ducati on social media “It was nice to end the @OfficialBSB season on some strong results. It was my last race with @MotoRapidoBSB, I’d like to wish them every success in their future and a huge thank you for everything they have done for me.”

    On signing with PBM Ducati, Bridewell said “This is my best shot at winning the title with a team that knows all about winning British Championships. I’ve known the team for a long time and this represents a fantastic opportunity as I’ve strived for years to beat them. There was a consensus that we should work together and PBM can guide me towards our goal. I’m confident in my riding and the team can give me the technical support I need. The job comes with added pressure but it’s one I’m relishing.”  

    Team owner Paul Bird said “I’m delighted to have Tommy joining the team for 2023. He came up to me in the paddock as a 15-year-old when he was just starting out and told me he would ride for me one day and now it’s going to happen. He’s done a great job on a Ducati over these past couple of years and has been one of our toughest rivals so to have him on board with us is fantastic and we can’t wait to get started.”

    We are still awaiting confirmation of who will fill the second seat alongside Tommy Bridewell. Lots of rumours are floating around at the moment but until it is confirmed, we have to keep biting our nails and waiting for news.

    Follow me on Twitter @RacingArmchair for daily racing chat and updates.