BSB Knockhill: Glenn Irwin leads BeerMonster Ducati one-two in race three

Glenn Irwin bounced back from his crash in race two by winning the third and final Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Knockhill.

Irwin took the lead of the race away from BeerMonster Ducati teammate Tommy Bridewell into turn one, with Bridewell unable to fight back. Bridewell came home in second to complete the one-two finish for Paul Bird’s PBM squad.

Bridewell leaves Scotland with the championship lead, whilst Irwin sits third overall, 11 points behind his teammate.  

Ryan Vickers got the better of LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha teammate Kyle Ryde to complete the podium. It’s Vickers’ second podium of the season, having also podiumed at Donington Park. Ryde’s fourth place leaves him second in the championship, eight points behind Bridewell.

Lee Jackson completed the top five onboard the Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki, finishing ahead of Leon Haslam and Tom Neave. The latter ends his weekend with his best-ever result in the Superbike class.

Josh Brookes was eighth, whilst Christian Iddon came home in ninth after running on at the hairpin whilst in a podium position on lap 20. Dean Harrison completed the top 10 for DAO Racing Kawasaki.

Luke Mossey and Peter Hickman finished 11^th and 12^th respectively, whilst Jack Kennedy, Max Cook and Hector Barbera secured the final points available.

Jason O’Halloran crashed out of the lead at turn seven on the second lap of the race. Danny Buchan retired from the race with his second mechanical problem of the weekend, whilst Jack Scott also retired early in the race.

Josh Owens crashed out at turn three on lap 10, whilst Storm Stacey had to pull over with a bike problem on lap 16. Stacey was on course to record his third seventh-place finish of the weekend.

Charlie Nesbitt crashed out at turn three on lap 25. The fall means that Nesbitt failed to finish all three races at Knockhill.

Round five of the 2023 BSB season takes place at Snetterton on July 7-9.

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Kyle Ryde’s impressive form continued in the second Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Knockhill as he clinched his fourth victory of the 2023 season.

Ryde led the vast majority of the race, but was overtake by Glenn Irwin across the line as the riders started their 23^rd lap. Irwin was able to take advantage after Jason O’Halloran’s attempted move on ride at the final corner.

However, Irwin crashed out of the lead at the hairpin at the end of lap 27, allowing Ryde to retake control of the race. From that point, Ryde was left untroubled and crossed the line to win for the first time at Knockhill.

Tommy Bridewell came home in second spot after getting the better of O’Halloran in the latter stages. Bridewell now holds the championship lead once again, and sits four points clear of Ryde. Irwin is now 13 points adrift in third.

O’Halloran completed the podium for McAMS Yamaha, whilst Ryan Vickers made it three Yamaha riders inside the top four. Christian Iddon completed the top five on the Oxford Products Racing Ducati.

Lee Jackson and Storm Stacey were sixth and seventh on their respective Kawasaki machines. Tom Neave equalled his best-ever BSB result in eighth, whilst Josh Brookes and Leon Haslam completed the top 10.

Danny Buchan recovered from the back of the grid to finish 11^th ahead of Dean Harrison and Jack Kennedy. The Mar-Train Yamaha team did a fantastic job to fix Kennedy’s bike after a huge crash during Sunday’s warm up session.

Jack Scott secured the final point on offer, whilst Hector Barbera was the final rider to finish the race onboard the TAG Honda.

Josh Owens and Max Cook both went down in separate incidents on the second lap. Owens fell at turn three, whilst Cook went down at the final corner on his Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki.

Liam Delves crashed out of the race at turn seven, whilst Danny Kent went down at the same corner on the following lap (lap 7). Charlie Nesbitt became the third rider to fall at turn seven on lap 12.

Peter Hickman returned to the FHO Racing BMW garage at the end of lap 18 and retired from the race.

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

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Glenn Irwin dominated the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Knockhill to secure his third victory of the season.

Irwin led all but one of the 20 laps, taking control of proceedings at the beginning of lap two when he went down the inside of Jason O’Halloran at turn one. From that moment, Irwin was left unchallenged.

The BeerMonster Ducati rider now leads the championship by three points, taking top spot away from teammate Tommy Bridewell, who finished race one in fourth place. It was an impressive fightback from Bridewell, who qualified down in 10^th.

Meanwhile, Kyle Ryde came home in second ahead of O’Halloran. It’s Ryde’s fifth podium of the season so far and he moves to within nine points of the championship leader.

Christian Iddon completed the top five onboard the Oxford Products Racing Ducati after getting the better of Leon Haslam late in the race. Haslam is fighting through the pain barrier after dislocating his shoulder earlier this month. Despite this, Haslam crossed the line in sixth.

Ryan Vickers was seventh ahead of an impressive Storm Stacey. Vickers survived an early scare when he lost control of his R1 when he hit a bump on the run to the final corner. Vickers did brilliantly to avoid making contact with the riders around him.

Josh Brookes was ninth for FHO Racing BMW, whilst Lee Jackson completed the top 10. Jack Kennedy and Dean Harrison finished 11^th and 12^th respectively, whilst Josh Owens, Luke Mossey and Tom Neave secured the final points on offer.

Peter Hickman finished outside of the points on the second FHO Racing BMW in 16^th, finishing ahead of Max Cook, Jack Scott and Liam Delves.  

Charlie Nesbitt and Hector Barbera both crashed out of the race at turn seven in separate incidents, whilst Bradley Perie crashed at the final corner on lap 14.

Danny Buchan did not start the race due to a mechanical problem with his SYNETIQ BMW M1000 RR. Buchan was reportedly suffering with a gearbox issue earlier in the day.

Sunday’s BSB races are due to take place at 13:35 and 16:30.

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Glenn Irwin has secured his first pole position of the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season at Knockhill.

The BeerMonster Ducati racer posted a best lap-time of 47.158, which was enough to beat Ryan Vickers to top spot by just 0.067s. It’s Irwin’s first pole since the championship’s first visit to Oulton Park last season, whilst it’s his 13th overall in BSB.

Irwin and Vickers are joined on the front row by Jason O’Halloran, who completed a successful two-day test with McAMS Yamaha at Knockhill a couple of weeks ago.

Kyle Ryde heads row two for the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha squad, ensuring that there are three Yamaha riders inside the top four. He’ll be joined on the second row by rookie Charlie Nesbitt, who is enjoying a fruitful weekend onboard the MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing Fireblade.

Leon Haslam completes row two in sixth spot. Haslam appeared to be struggling with a bike issue towards the end of the session, looking down his left side whilst cruising back into the pits.

Josh Brookes qualified seventh on the FHO Racing BMW M1000 RR, qualifying ahead of Storm Stacey and Lee Jackson. Brookes returns to BSB having enjoyed a successful return to the Isle of Man TT, where he finished fifth in Senior TT and podiumed in the Supertwin event.

Championship leader Tommy Bridewell has work to do this afternoon after qualifying down in 10^th position. Jack Kennedy and Christian Iddon complete the fourth row.

Dean Harrison qualified 13^th for DAO Racing Kawasaki after topping the Q1 session, with Josh Owens and Danny Buchan ending the session in 14^th and 15^th respectively.

2023 Senior TT race winner Peter Hickman is struggling so far this weekend and will start race one at Knockhill from 16^th. Luke Mossey (17^th) and Max Cook (18^th) were the final riders classified in the Q2 session.

Tom Neave missed out on a spot inside Q2 by 0.028s and will start race one from 19^th as a result. Neave is the only Honda Racing UK rider racing at Knockhill this weekend, with teammate Andrew Irwin ruled out of action after fracturing his right humerus in a crash during the Knockhill test.

Bradley Perie and Jack Scott qualified 20^th and 21^st respectively, ahead of Hector Barbera.

Danny Kent’s Honda suffered a technical problem at the start of Q1, and whilst he was able to eventually get back on the circuit, his lap was cancelled for exceeding track limits. As a result, Kent will start the first race from the back of the grid.

Q1 was red flagged at one stage following a crash for Liam Delves. He was taken to the medical centre and was later declared fit by medics.

The first BSB race of the weekend at Knockhill is due to begin at 16:45.