BSB: Glenn Irwin wins race three at Snetterton to extend championship lead

Published: 24 August 2020

Glenn Irwin won the third and final race at Snetterton

Glenn Irwin has extended his lead in the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship after winning the third and final race of the weekend at Snetterton.

Irwin battled his way through the field from the third row of the grid, eventually getting the better of Josh Brookes for the lead of the race on lap 10. His fight through the order included an exciting back and forth fight with brother Andrew, as well as battling with the Kawasaki of Lee Jackson and the Ducati trio of Brookes, Christian Iddon and Tommy Bridewell.

The story so far

Josh Brookes gets his first win of 2020
Christian Iddon clinches his maiden BSB win
Danny Buchan takes pole at Snetterton

Once clear, Irwin pulled away from the pack and showcased the outright race pace of the all-new Honda Fireblade. He crossed the line to become the fifth different winner in six races this year, and also claimed the historic Monster Energy Race of Aces trophy.

After claiming four second-place finishes, a fourth and now a victory, Irwin has become Mr Consistency in 2020. He now has a 23-point advantage of Bridewell in the standings, with the Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider ending the third race in second.

Bridewell stole second spot with an excellent move on Iddon coming into Murrays for the final time. Iddon crossed the line in third spot, taking his second podium of the weekend. He’s now third in the championship standings, 32 points behind Glenn Irwin.

Lee Jackson secured fourth for the second consecutive race to complete an impressive weekend his side of the Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki team. Jackson got the better of Brookes for that position on the final lap of the race.

Brookes ended up in fifth spot after being unable to keep up with his fellow Ducati riders in the closing stages. Tarran Mackenzie and Jason O’Halloran were sixth and seventh respectively for the McAMS Yamaha team.

Andrew Irwin scored his first points of the weekend in eighth spot. The Honda Racing UK rider was given a three-place grid penalty for his incident with Ryan Vickers in Sunday’s opening race.

Bradley Ray and Kyle Ryde completed the top 10. Ryde was competing higher up the order but was forced to slow down when his Suzuki began to overheat. This was caused by being in the slipstream of the bikes around him.

Danny Buchan scored his first points of the weekend in 11th, whilst Gino Rea continued his impressive start to life at Buildbase Suzuki in 13th. Tom Ward finished in the final points-scoring position once again on the Bike Devil Kawasaki.

Elsewhere, Vickers had a highside coming out of Murrays at the end of the opening lap. It was a scary moment for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki rider, who had to dodge oncoming traffic.

Global Robots BMW’s Peter Hickman and Alex Olsen were both forced to retire with technical problem and ongoing brake issues respectively. Jack Kennedy and Taylor Mackenzie both retired with bike issues. Graeme Irwin also failed to finish on the Met Healthcare Team 64 Kawasaki.

The next round of the 2020 BSB season takes place on the Silverstone National Circuit on September 4-6.

BSB: Josh Brookes holds off Glenn Irwin to take victory in race two at Snetterton

First published: 23 August 2020 by Josh Close

Josh Brooks became the fourth different winner of the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season after leading for the majority of race two at Snetterton.

The VisionTrack Ducati rider launched off the line to take the lead at turn one, however Glenn Irwin quickly got him back on his Honda. Brookes would make another move on lap three, diving down the inside of Irwin at turn one after using the straight-line speed of the Ducati V4R.

Brookes would keep control of the race for the remainder of proceedings, despite Irwin and Tommy Bridewell never been too far behind. It looked like Irwin was going to make a move on the final lap, but the Honda Racing UK rider went in too deep at the chicane and lost too much ground.

Irwin managed to hold on to second spot, with Bridewell standing on the final step of the podium once again at Snetterton.

Lee Jackson had another impressive ride on the Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki to finish in fourth, ahead of race one winner Christian Iddon. Kyle Ryde was sixth on the Buildbase Suzuki, whilst the McAMS Yamaha duo of Tarran Mackenzie and Jason O’Halloran finished in seventh and eighth, like they did in race one.

Luke Mossey and Bradley Ray completed the top 10. Ray was fighting inside the top five when he was clipped by Danny Buchan at Agostini. Buchan crashed out of the race whilst Ray had to fight back from 17th.

Elsewhere, there was a collision between Andrew Irwin and Ryan Vickers at Murray’s. Andrew Irwin had tried to go around the outside of Vickers heading into the final corner but appeared to clip the front of the Kawasaki. Vickers hit the deck with his bike sliding into the Honda in the process. Vickers was visibly frustrated with Irwin and the incident is currently under investigation.

Hector Barbera crashed out at the same corner on lap eight after clipping the kerb, whilst Taylor Mackenzie retired with an issue with his SYNETIQ BMW.

Glenn Irwin now has an 18-point advantage over Bridewell in the championship standings, with Brookes a further five points back in third spot.

The third and final race of the weekend is scheduled to begin at 16:30.

BSB: Christian Iddon clinches his maiden victory as Ducati dominate at Snetterton

First published: 22 August 2020 by Josh Close

Christian Iddon secured his first-ever victory in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the opening race at Snetterton.

Iddon’s victory comes in only his fourth race on the VisionTrack Ducati, as he fought his way up from seventh on the grid to take the win. Iddon avoided any of the drama going on around him and managed to come out on top in a battle with his teammate Josh Brookes.

Brookes ended up taking the second step on the podium after overtaking Bradley Ray at the final corner on lap 13. Tommy Bridewell took full advantage of that move, using the power of the Ducati V4R to complete the podium on his Oxford Products Racing Ducati.

Championship leader Glenn Irwin finished fourth on the Honda, getting the better of Ray (fifth) and Lee Jackson in sixth spot. Tarran Mackenzie was seventh ahead of teammate Jason O’Halloran, whilst Ryan Vickers and Kyle Ryde round out the top 10. Ryde had an issue with his Buildbase Suzuki behind the safety car on lap two and had to fight his way back through the pack. He was fighting within the podium spots when his bike appeared to momentarily lose power.

Gino Rea was 11th on his Buildbase Suzuki debut, ahead of Luke Mossey on the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW. Mossey led a trio of BMWs, with Peter Hickman ending the race 13th on his Global Robots BMW ahead of Hector Barbera on the second OMG machine.

Andrew Irwin crashed out on the opening lap of the race, with the safety car coming out as a result. Danny Buchan crashed out of the lead on the opening lap of the restart. Alex Olsen and Bjorn Estment both retired from the race.

After the opening race of the weekend at Snetterton, Glenn Irwin has a 14-point advantage over Iddon and Bridewell in the championship standings. Andrew Irwin is now 23 points behind his brother in fourth spot, with Brookes a further two points behind in fifth.

Race two at Snetterton is scheduled to take place tomorrow afternoon at 13:30.

BSB: Danny Buchan secures pole position at Snetterton

First published: 22 August 2020 by Josh Close

Danny Buchan will start this afternoon’s opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race at Snetterton from pole position.

The Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki rider, who topped FP1 on Friday, posted his fastest lap-time with just under five minutes remaining in the session. He was the first and only rider to dip into the 1:47s, posting a lap-time of 1:47.953.

Kyle Ryde picked up where he left off in FP2 this morning to take second on the grid. Ryde was only +0.067s slower than Buchan. Bradley Ray completes the front-row on the SYNETIQ BMW, taking the spot away from Josh Brookes in the dying seconds.

Brookes was only +0.003s behind Ray after shooting up the order as the chequered flag fell. Championship leader Glenn Irwin will start the first race from fifth, whilst Lee Jackson completes row two.

Christian Iddon will start seventh, alongside Ryan Vickers and Jason O’Halloran. Andrew Irwin had qualified eighth, but he will start from the back of the grid after being penalised for his accident with Brookes at Donington Park.

That penalty moves Tarran Mackenzie up into 10th spot on the second of the McAMS Yamaha bikes, whilst Tommy Bridewell starts from 11th on the grid. Gino Rea is elevated to 12th on his Buildbase Suzuki debut.

The opening race of the weekend is scheduled to begin at 16:15.

BSB: Kyle Ryde takes control in FP2 at Snetterton

First published: 22 August 2020 by Josh Close

Kyle Ryde leads the way at Snetterton after narrowly beating Josh Brookes in the second free practice session of the weekend.

The Buildbase Suzuki rider was inside the top five for the majority of FP2, moving into top spot with around one-minute remaining. His time of 1:48.310 was only +0.088s quicker than Brookes on the VisionTrack Ducati.

Bradley Ray made a vast improvement on FP1 to end this morning’s session in third. The SYNETIQ BMW rider was +0.271 off the pace set by Ryde. Danny Buchan, who topped FP1, was fourth on his Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki.

Jason O’Halloran was sixth on the McAMS Yamaha, ahead of Glenn Irwin on the Honda. All six manufacturers were represented in the top six.

Christian Iddon was seventh on the second VisionTrack Ducati, with Lee Jackson, Gino Rea and Ryan Vickers completing the top 10. Andrew Irwin was 11th on the second of the Honda Fireblades.

Elsewhere, Tommy Bridewell was still unable to break into the top 10 on his Oxford Products Racing Ducati, whilst Tarran Mackenzie was down in 17th. Jack Kennedy, the sole Santander Salt TAG Racing Yamaha rider this weekend, ended the session in 18th. Dan Linfoot has pulled out of the weekend on the second TAG Racing machine due to technical problems.

This afternoon’s qualifying session is due to begin at 13:20. This will be followed by the opening race of the weekend at 16:15.

BSB: Danny Buchan takes a commanding lead in FP1 at Snetterton

First published: 21 August 2020 by Josh Close

Danny Buchan got his Bennetts British Superbike Championship weekend at Snetterton off to a flying start by topping the opening free practice session.

The Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki rider was a second clear of the field and was the only rider to dip into the 1:49s. His fastest lap-time of 1:49.119 was +1.003s quicker than Buildbase Suzuki’s Kyle Ryde. Lee Jackson completed the top three on the second factory Kawasaki bike, only +0.008s slower than Ryde.