BSB: Disappointing race day for Irwin brothers

The Be Wiser Ducati squad of brothers Glenn and Andrew Irwin stole the headlines on Saturday at Thruxton by becoming the first siblings to share a front row in BSB.

With Glenn on pole and Andrew lining up third, the duo were looking strong ahead of Sunday’s two races but things didn’t come together for the Ulster pair. Polesitter Glenn struggled with tyre life despite opting for the special harder tyre available from Pirelli and crossed the line fifth in the opening race while brother Andrew crashed out.

As the temperature rose for race two, that further hampered Glenn while Andrew faced a tough fight back from 18^th on the grid.

“The important thing for me is that both sides of the PBM garage struggled last year,” Glenn said after the race. “That includes Shakey who went on to win the championship. I felt fast and was really confident with the bike, but I feel that maybe the gain in horsepower the team have found over the last two years is perhaps a bit too much for the tyres around here.

“That being said, we didn’t lose out too much in podium points so we are still in the fight.”

The disappointing end to an otherwise strong weekend for the Irwin duo comes amid rumours team boss Paul Bird has been speaking to MotoGP star Scott Redding about a ride for 2018.

While Bird admitted that talks with the Grand Prix race winner have taken place, MCN understands the move is unlikely with Andrew Irwin favourite to stay alongside his brother in the Penrith-based squad next year.