Hectic Brands Hatch BSB finale decides championship by half-a-point

2023 British Superbike Championship
Round 11 – Brands Hatch

Images by David Yeomans Photography

Summary

Tommy Bridewell celebrated an emotional 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship title in an incredible Showdown decider; finishing second behind his BeerMonster Ducati team-mate and fierce title rival Glenn Irwin in the final race of the season to take the crown by an unprecedented margin of just half a point.

Superbike Race Two

Jason O’Halloran, sporting a special livery to mark the McAMS Yamaha team’s final races in Bennetts BSB initially hit the front of the pack from the Omologato Pole Position, but Irwin was immediately on the attack. Knowing that he needed to close the gap to Bridewell in the standings, Irwin didn’t hesitate to make a bold move on O’Halloran at Druids to take an early lead.

Saturday’s winner Kyle Ryde was another early mover on the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha, following Irwin past O’Halloran to take second place. Bridewell was down in sixth with Christian Iddon and Leon Haslam between him and the leading trio on the opening lap.

At the front, Ryde was pressuring Irwin throughout the lap, but Irwin was determined to maintain his position. There was nothing between the leading riders though with Irwin, Ryde, O’Halloran and Bridewell in contention for the podium.

On lap five, O’Halloran made a decisive pass on Ryde for second place at Paddock Hill Bend, but the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha rider fought back in determined style at Druids to try to hold on. The Australian made another attempt at Surtees however and this time made it stick. With those two scrapping for position, Bridewell was able to edge closer as the fight at the front transformed into a four-way scrap.

With the leading four title contenders all keeping each other in check on track, this opened the door for Christian Iddon to start gaining on them. The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider’s quest for the podium was short lived however as he crashed out at Druids on lap eight and this prompted a BMW Safety Car intervention.

When the race resumed at full speed on lap 11 Irwin continuing to hold the lead at the front from O’Halloran. The latter’s hunt for victory ended dramatically at Surtees however, as he crashed the McAMS Yamaha in dramatic style.

Bridewell began to pressure Ryde for second and an attempted pass that didn’t quite stick at Hawthorn on lap 13 was followed two laps later by a pass at Paddock Hill Bend. Ryde tried to fight back at the start of lap 16, first into Paddock Hill Bend and then again on the brakes at Druids. The move didn’t quite work though and the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha rider was forced wide and lost ground.

This left the BeerMonster Ducatis to have an edge at the front, but the title rivals who’ve been inseparable on the track all year long continued to match each other. Bridewell continued to pile on the pressure for the remaining laps, but had to settle for second as Irwin crossed the line ahead.

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The result means that Bridewell entered the final race of the year at Brands Hatch on Sunday afternoon 5.5 points ahead of Irwin and knowing that a repeat of this result will be enough to become champion. Ryde took third to ensure he remains in mathematical contention, 30 points behind Bridewell with only 35 remaining.

Ryan Vickers finished fourth whilst Lee Jackson and Leon Haslam saw their title hopes end despite strong runs to fifth and sixth. Max Cook, Josh Brookes, Peter Hickman and Storm Stacey rounded out the top ten.

Superbike Race Two Results

Superbike Race Three

Ryan Vickers got the strongest launch off the line to take the lead for LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha, but Omolgato pole-sitter and championship leader Bridewell was immediately on the attack. Bridewell first took a look at Surtees, aiming to make early progress whilst Irwin was further back down in sixth.

As it reached the second lap Kyle Ryde was on the move, diving ahead of his teammate Vickers before launching a bold attack on Bridewell to take the lead at Dingle Dell. Meanwhile, Irwin started to really move towards the front, climbing through to fourth to leave Vickers as the only rider between the two BeerMonster Ducati team-mates.

Irwin began to size up his next move on lap four with an initial look up the inside of Vickers at Surtees and then again at Hawthorn. He was forced to wait until lap six though, when he eventually made a move stick at Hawthorn after an earlier bid at Druids.

As the pack rocketed onto their seventh lap, there was nothing to separate the two main title rivals, whilst Ryde continued to lead with nothing to lose. Irwin then made an incisive move on Bridewell at Surtees, and with the latter’s loss of momentum at the apex also allowing Vickers past, meaning virtual championship lead changed for the first time.

The momentum seemed to be with Irwin as the race sped towards its halfway point, as he began to apply the pressure on Ryde. He wasn’t able to make a move stick, meaning that Bridewell once again seized back the provisional series lead when he passed Vickers at Hawthorn on lap nine.

The championship picture changed once again on lap 11 when Irwin made the most of a strong run out of Surtees to pass Ryde at Hawthorn. The Yamaha attempted to make the most of its cornering ability to fight back straight away, but he was forced to settle into second as the leaders exited Stirlings, and this once again put Irwin in a position to potentially take the crown.

Bridewell refused to give up though, passing Ryde with a similar move at Hawthorn just two laps later. Ryde once again attempted to take the position back immediately but couldn’t get ahead.

Over the tense laps that followed, Irwin seemed to have just enough speed to keep clear of those chasing, but Ryde seemed to be sizing up a move on Bridewell. Ryde’s attempts at Stirlings and Paddock Hill Bend amounted to nothing though as Bridewell continued to hold onto second and the championship lead as it stood on track.

With just four laps to go, the drama ramped up when Irwin made a slight error at Paddock Hill Bend which was enough bring Bridewell and Ryde back onto his rear wheel. Both riders attempted to make a pass stick under the braking at Druids as they ran three-wide and it was Ryde who emerged with the race lead, with Irwin just behind and Bridewell third.

Irwin briefly regained the lead and an effective championship advantage at Hawthorn before Ryde launched back past as Irwin ran slightly wide on the exit of Westfield. By the time they exited Dingle Dell and leaned into Sheene Curve, Ryde was at the front with Irwin and Bridewell right behind him.

The balance shifted again on the penultimate lap of the season when Irwin produced a rapid drive out of Surtees to pass Ryde at Hawthorn and once again move into the title seat. This left Bridewell needing to pass Ryde with just a lap and a half of the 2023 Bennetts BSB campaign left to run.

The decisive moment came at Druids on the final lap. Bridewell produced a strong run through Paddock Hill Bend to set up a run on Ryde into the tight right hand corner before outbraking him and holding the position as they fired down Graham Hill Bend for the final time.

By this point, Irwin had managed to build a bit of a gap which he held to the chequered flag. But with Bridewell’s second position was enough to take the title by the slimmest winning points margin in series history. Ryde followed the BeerMonster Ducatis home to take third and ensure that the top three riders in this year’s standings shared the final podium of the season.

After a strong start to the race, Vickers fell a bit further behind those ahead but fourth place was still a solid end to a year in which he became a Bennetts BSB race winner for the first time.

Leon Haslam continued his consistent 2023 form to complete the top five, and secured fifth place in the championship ahead of Jason O’Halloran and Josh Brookes.

Superbike Race Three Results

Quotes

Tommy Bridewell

“I dedicate everything I do in my life to my brother. The day I lost Ollie, I promised him I would become British Champion and today is that day.

“Everything in my life has been built towards this and I’ve dedicated every day to my late brother Ollie and to become BSB champion, so for it to finally happen has made my life complete. Full credit to Glenn, he’s brought both the best and worst out of me and he’s pushed me like no team-mate has ever done before – he’s an unbelievable rider and certainly knows how to ride a bike!

“When Paul Bird took me on, I told him I’d give everything, so the title is dedicated to both him and Ollie and I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in the team for the opportunity. Today was tough and tense, but we got it done.

“I don’t know how you can summarise that last race. There were points when Glenn was ahead in the championship and I was back then it was swinging either way. And to be able to stand here and say I finally won the Bennetts British Superbike Championship is absolutely unbelievable.

“It hasn’t sunk in and it probably won’t sink in for a while. I’m lost for words but what a year it’s been. Thank you to the team, thank you to everyone that supports me and hopefully it’s the first of many to come.”

Glenn Irwin

“The maths were simple today; I had to win both races and although I did that, it wasn’t quite enough so hats off to Tommy. I tried every trick in the book, especially in the last race, and positions changed regularly, sometimes in my favour and sometimes not. The most important thing though was that I gave it everything and that’s all I can ask so full respect to Tommy. You had two guys from the same team giving it everything and all for the same reason and whilst there were ups and downs along the way, you could see today the respect we have for each other. Saturday’s race was probably what cost me, but I feel in the form of my life and a 1-2 in the championship is the best possible outcome for the Birdman.”

Jason O’Halloran

“After yesterday’s race I was really confident we could have a strong end to the season today, I felt really good in the dry and lining up pole gave us a chance. We got a good start and I was feeling really strong, when the safety car came out I think the tyres just cooled that little bit too much and as I tipped in to Surtees the front just went so early without warning. It was a huge shame as I was biding my time and we saw that some of our rivals on the harder tyre were struggling even towards the end so with the SCX in I’m confident we could have had a result. Unfortunately, following the crash the brakes just didn’t feel quite right in the final race, and a few other things, meaning we couldn’t challenge like we had in the first two races. It’s a shame to end this way, but I think together with the team we can look back on what we’ve achieved with great pride. We’ve had an incredible journey over the last five years and I wish everyone all the success in their next steps. A huge thanks to Steve Rodgers, Wendy, Tina and all the other people who make this happen.”

Niccolò Canepa

“It was a great experience to race in the last two rounds of BSB with McAMS Yamaha. It’s a fantastic team with wonderful people and an amazing atmosphere made the weekends truly special. Unfortunately, it felt like there were different conditions in every session I rode over the two weekends and this meant we couldn’t show our full potential. BSB is a very competitive class so without the track time and experience racing with the faster riders, a good result is not possible. Still, I very much enjoyed my time here and a huge thanks to Steve and the team for the opportunity.”

British Superbike Championship Points