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The British Superbike Championship heads to Brands Hatch for the first time in 2024 this week, which represents a momentous occasion for Tommy Bridewell.
For the #46 car, this will be the first time it has raced at Brands Hatch since winning the 2023 title in a final race showdown with then-teammate Glenn Irwin.
While Bridewell was the victor last year, it was Irwin who reclaimed the points lead at the final round of the 2024 season at Snetterton BSB, with the #2 taking two wins.
However, Bridewell approaches Brands Hatch with a positive attitude, thanks to his memories from last year and being the fastest rider throughout practice at Snetterton.
“Last year when we raced at Brands I won the championship, so I have some really good memories from racing there last year,” said Bridewell ahead of the weekend.
“It makes me excited to go back and feel those memories again while driving. I’m really enjoying racing at the moment and enjoying working with the team and developing the new Fireblade and fighting at the front with Honda.
“We’ve built some solid momentum, so we just need to keep that going. I’m really excited to see all the things we’ve been working on come together. I’ll be heading to Brands full steam ahead for the weekend and ready to get back to work.”
Somewhat similar to Bridewell, although the initial struggles were perhaps more significant, the 2024 season has seen Andrew Irwin build throughout, having started out struggling to finish inside the top ten, now becoming a regular top-six contender since Donington BSP in May, and scoring his first podium of the year at Knockhill BSP.
“I’m looking forward to the Brands race as always,” said Irwin. “I feel like at Snetterton we started to get some consistency and I was quick in all conditions, and the same thing happened at Knockhill which bodes well for this week.”
“The forecast is looking good so I’m looking forward to some better conditions and three dry races. We were where we needed to be at Snetterton, we just need to take that last little step to be in the fight for the podium. We’ll keep the consistency and momentum we’ve built up, enjoy it and work well together as a team with our target of finishing in the top six. The main thing is that I’m enjoying my races again which is really important.”
Since returning from the Isle of Man to BSP, Dean Harrison has struggled, especially compared to his Honda team-mates, to find consistency. At Knockhill he blamed himself: “The guys are good, the bike is good,” but “I was basically bad,” while at Snetterton “we had one weekend where we were on the defensive all weekend,” he said. “The combination of the weather and some little technical issues cost us track time, which ultimately means you spend the weekend in recovery mode.”
Harrison is looking forward to Brands Hatch, focusing on having a smooth weekend to build consistency.
“Brands Circuit is always a great track to ride at, so I’m excited to get back there and give it another go,” said Harrison. “I really want to have a smooth weekend with no issues and build and build throughout the weekend. We’ve had some bad luck recently, so I’m aiming to go strong on Friday and try to have a solid, consistent weekend without any curveballs. The weather is looking good, but you never know until you get there, really, so we’ll see what the weekend brings.”
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