BSB 2024: Consistent Bridewell leads the way

The British Superbike Championship (BSB) passed its mid-way point at Brands Hatch at the weekend and with the top two spots in the standings occupied by last year’s leading protagonists, reigning champion Tommy Bridewell and runner-up Glenn Irwin, there’s a ring of familiarity to how the season’s shaping up

Title defence on track

On the one hand we shouldn’t be surprised to see Bridewell leading the way halfway through the season – his current lead stands at 19 points – but on the other hand we are.

After five and a half years on Ducati, many ‘in the know’ didn’t expect Bridewell to be so strong so soon on the Honda Fireblade and thought his best period would come in the second half of the year.

But he’s been fast from the outset to further prove, not that it was needed, what a class act he really is. On the podium at round two, he only had to wait until round four to take his win and although that remains his only victory, it’s his consistency that is currently making him the standout performer.

Tommy Bridewell BSB Image Credit Double Red

Eleven podiums have come his way in the last 14 races, a run un-matched by any of his rivals and his only mistake of the season came at round five at Snetterton, at the beginning of July, when he crashed on the opening lap of the first race, a race where he wasn’t alone in either making a mistake or struggling.

It’s that consistency that has perhaps surprised people with both Bridewell and the Honda showing they’re going to be on the pace whatever the circuit and whatever the conditions.

The challenge now, of course, is to maintain that consistency and win more races. He’s already demanding more of his team to ensure they make the most of the position they’re in and rightly so, that’s what champions do.

The next round comes at Thruxton, a circuit where he’s never finished on the podium before, so if he can right that wrong this year, that will only strengthen his title defence.

Ups and downs for Irwin

With six wins, Irwin is the most victorious of the season so far but it’s his other results that are keeping him behind Bridewell and not the other way round.

Whereas the Honda man has shown relentless consistency, Irwin and his Hager PBM Ducati have been lacking in that department and if he hasn’t won, he hasn’t finished on the podium.

That’s the area where he’ll be aiming for improvement at the remaining five rounds as although he’s been regularly in the mix with three fourths and two fifths, he needs to start turning those kind of results into seconds and thirds.

Glenn Irwin Image Credit Double Red

Scoring good points at each round is obviously a must but to become a champion, if you can’t win, seconds and thirds need to be racked up.

There’s nothing in particular that’s preventing Irwin from finishing on the podium more regularly and as he rightly pointed out after Brands, he’s in a better position now compared to the same point twelve months ago when the deficit to Bridwell was almost double at 34 points. And one race is all it takes for everything to click.

The Ulsterman proved at Brands that he has the stomach for the fight, climbing off a stretcher after a heavy race two crash – when his weekend and perhaps even title challenge looked over – to come from 23rd on the grid to claim seventh and nine hard-fought points.

Given last year’s championship was determined by just half a point, that seventh place could prove to be crucial.

Back in the mix

One rider who has been quietly going about his business but has been sneaking up on the rails is Christian Iddon and with eight podiums now to his name this season, he’s just five points back of Irwin and without doubt firmly in the championship mix.

Third overall in 2020 and fourth the following year, it’s taken the Oxford Products Ducati rider a while to get back to those heights after two challenging years, particularly 2022 when injury and a less-than-competitive Suzuki kept him down in an unfamiliar 15th come season’s end.

Christian Iddon Image Credit Ducati Racing

A move back to Ducati and the Oxford Products team should have seen him back at the front last year but we only saw glimpses; it took longer than expected for the partnership to gel and it’s only now we’re seeing Iddon reap the rewards.

But the smile is firmly back on his face and he’s pushing for the wins week in, week out so he’ll want to keep the momentum going and make the most of the position he finds himself in.

One to watch

One place behind Iddon in the table is Kyle Ryde, the Nottinghamshire rider 32 points behind the pace-setting Bridewell, but it’s perhaps OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing team-mate Ryan Vickers who may pose the greater threat.

The 25 year old has almost 150 BSB races under his belt and started the season with a bang when he took a double victory at the opening round at Navarra in Spain. His form dipped slightly at round two, although he still took a podium, but round three was an unmitigated disaster when, after taking pole position, he crashed out of the first two races breaking his collarbone in the second.

Ryan Vickers Image Credit OMG Grilla Yamaha Racing

He’s been rebuilding since then and at Brands Hatch, he was quite simply superb demonstrating dominance rarely seen in the ultra-competitive BSB series.

A third pole position was one thing, but a hat-trick of wins was another and it wasn’t the fact he won all three races that stood out, it was the way he did it that made everyone sit up and take note.

With margins of victory around the iconic Brands GP circuit not seen since Steve Hislop won more than twenty years ago, Vickers now heads to Thruxton where the Yamaha has been the strongest package and the one to beat for the last few years.

At 71 points, his deficit to Bridewell is considerable but if he can maintain his scintillating speed and run of form, everyone will have their eye on him.

Luck deserts Kent

Four podiums at the first four rounds, and nine top six finishes in the 11 races to take place in that period, put Danny Kent firmly in the championship hunt but the wheels have fallen off his challenge slightly in the month of July.

Snetterton saw a first lap crash in the opening race and although he bounded back with a fourth and a sixth at the Norfolk venue, luck well and truly deserted him at Brands.

Danny Kent Image Credit McAMS Racing Yamaha

An error in race one saw him crash out and he was then taken out by Danny Buchan in the first corner, first lap crash that also eliminated Irwin in the Sprint race. And with just a single point for 15th in the final race, he’s slipped to 69 points behind Bridewell.

The former Moto 3 World Champion will be relishing the trip to Thruxton at the beginning of next month though as it was at the high-speed circuit where he scored his first BSB podium three years ago. He’ll be hoping a return to a happy hunting ground will re-ignite his championship challenge.

Comeback trail

The month of July could prove to be pivotal for Andrew Irwin who’s road back to the top in BSB has been both long and arduous. Recovering from a broken arm suffered last June has taken substantial time both from a medical and confidence point of view but the comeback now looks complete.

Knockhill in June saw him take his first podium since Brands Hatch in October 2022 and since then he’s looked like the Andrew Irwin we all became accustomed to in seasons before.

BSB Racing Action Image Credit OMG Grilla Yamaha Racing

He’s looked aggressive, confident and punchy and that’s been reflected in his results with the Honda Racing rider finishing inside the top six in the last five races.

That included another podium at Brands and like Iddon, he’s a far happier rider now than he has been for a long time. A previous winner at Thruxton, he could prove to be a valuable wing man for Bridewell as the season enters its second half.

Challenging seasons

For perennial title contenders Jason O’Halloran, Josh Brookes and Leon Haslam, 2024 continues to be a challenging season and none of them will be happy with where they find themselves at the mid-point of the season.

Leon Haslam Image Credit ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad

O’Halloran is best placed in seventh overall but that’s 89 points adrift of Bridewell and his victory at Donington Park in May remains his only podium with his pace simply not quick enough on the Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki to push for podiums let alone wins.

Haslam sits one place and six points further back in the table with Donington his only visit to the podium too as technical issues continue to blight his season.

Brookes, meanwhile, lies in 11th overall and whilst he’s regularly finishing in the top ten, sixth at round four remains his best result.

And for team-mate Peter Hickman, the light at the end of the tunnel still seems a long way off with just 25 points leaving him languishing down in 21st place in the table.

Having started watching motorcycle races all over the world form childhood, Phil Wain has been a freelance motorcycle journalist for almost 20 years and is features writer for a number of publications including BikeSport News, Classic Racer and Road Racing Ireland, as well as being a regular contributor to MCN and MCN Sport.

He is PR officer for a number of teams and riders at both the British Superbike Championship and International road races, including PBM Ducati, John McGuinness, KTS Racing and Jackson Racing. He is also heavily involved with the Isle of Man TT Races working with the race organisation, writing official press releases and race reports as well as providing the TV and radio broadcasting teams with statistical information.