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British Superbike: Race Two And Race Three Results From Oulton Park (Updated)

David Swarts
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British Superbike: Race Two And Race Three Results From Oulton Park (Updated)

BeerMonster Ducati teammates Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell split Bennetts British Superbike race wins Sunday at Oulton Park, in England.

Irwin won Race Two by 1.823 seconds over Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki’s Lee Jackson with LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde taking a close third.

Bridewell then won Race Three by 1.147 seconds over Irwin with Jackson claiming third place.

With two rounds and six races remaining, Irwin leads the Bennetts British Superbike Championship by 0.5 point over Bridewell.

Americans Julian Correa and Eli Banish finished sixth and 14th, respectively, in British Talent Cup Race Two on Sunday at Oulton Park.

 

BSB R2
 BSB R3
 BSB points after R3

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

0.5 point separates Irwin and Bridewell in title fight after intense Oulton Park

 

Tommy Bridewell (46) leads Glenn Irwin (2) and the rest of the British Superbike field at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Tommy Bridewell (46) leads Glenn Irwin (2) and the rest of the British Superbike field at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy MSVR.

 

The BeerMonster Ducati team celebrated an emotionally charged treble victory at Oulton Park at an intense opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship Showdown meaning that just 0.5 point separates Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell ahead of the penultimate round at Donington Park.

Irwin had kicked off the weekend with a victory in yesterday’s BikeSocial Sprint Race, dedicating the win to Team Owner Paul Bird who sadly passed away earlier this month, as the BeerMonster Ducati teammates fight to secure PBM’s ninth title at Brands Hatch in October.

In a dramatic second race of the weekend, Irwin was awarded the victory after his BeerMonster Ducati teammate was penalised for unsafe conduct under the Safety Car, dropping him to sixth place.

The pair had been duelling during the race, with the pair trading places for the lead. Bridewell held the advantage until Storm Stacey crashed out and the BMW Safety Car was deployed.

On the restart, Bridewell concertinaed the pack, forcing several riders to take evasive action to avoid crashing and he was issued a long lap penalty for unsafe conduct under the Safety Car.

Bridewell crossed the line just ahead of Irwin, but his time penalty dropped him to sixth place in the final result. The penalty promoted Lee Jackson into second place as he claimed his second podium finish of the weekend just ahead of Kyle Ryde on the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha.

In race three, Bridewell fought to claim the final race win of the weekend, holding off Irwin who claimed second place ahead of Jackson. Irwin’s strong performance has seen him surge ahead in the standings, having overhauled Bridewell’s 14.5-point advantage before the Showdown with six races now remaining to decide the 2023 champion.

The Oulton Park weekend featured five different riders on the podium representing four different manufacturers, with Irwin and Bridewell sharing the podium with Jackson, Ryde and Leon Haslam across the three races.

As the Championship reaches the penultimate round, the top nine riders in the standings remain in mathematical contention, with a maximum of 180 points available from the final two rounds. However, the top six currently remain within the 105 point target which is required if they are to remain in title contention for the final round of the season at Brands Hatch next month.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Race 2 result:

  1. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
  2. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +1.823s
  3. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +2.056s
  4. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +2.518s
  5. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +2.584s
  6. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +2.954s
  7. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) +3.788s
  8. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +4.104s
  9. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +5.020s
  10. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +6.858s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Race 3 result:

  1. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
  2. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) +1.147s
  3. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +2.107s
  4. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +5.375s
  5. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +7.655s
  6. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +8.182s
  7. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) +11.099s
  8. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +11.110s
  9. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +14.214s
  10. Storm Stacey (Starline Racing Kawasaki) +18.447s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:

  1. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 360.5
  2. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) 360
  3. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 300
  4. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) 283
  5. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) 280.5
  6. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 276.5
  7. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) 250
  8. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) 222
  9. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 207
  10. Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) 122.5

For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Glenn Irwin

BeerMonster Ducati

“We came here in the thick of a championship fight and I’ve been able to grab three podiums, so its been an unbelievable weekend.

“There’s been a lot emotion before we came here and I think how the entire team and everyone within the paddock have handled and been able to put on a show and go to work has been incredible.

“It pleases me a lot how the guys in the team worked and how I rode round here it’s a physical track. We all work very hard. It’s a bit of a cliché when we say we work our asses off and I guess we all do and when the team work as hard as you work, if not harder, you get results and reap the reward.

“The championship lead is nice, it’s always a nice position to be in. It’s certainly better than where it was nine races ago when I was 38.5 points behind. We still have that one additional DNF so to be in the lead, pretty much all square with the extra DNF is something that pleases me a lot.

“Hats off to Tommy [Bridewell] he rode a great last race. We were holding the pace up, both of us for sure purely for energy. You can go banzai round here but the other guy usually comes with you anyway so his last couple of laps were really, really strong. I was working hard but I’d seen at Cadwell when I was trying to push him he nearly made a mistake on the last lap as did I – so close to losing a lot of points.

“I got plus 1.3s I think with two [laps] to go and I was beat fair and square in the race at that point and it was bring home the 22 points. I honestly didn’t expect to overhaul 15 points this weekend, it’s been great. Fair play to the rest of the guys I shared the podium with this weekend because there has been some enjoyable racing.

“I haven’t’ watched any of it and I look forward to getting home tonight, grab a Chinese, and then do the school run in the morning. I have a lot to be grateful for. And how can you not enjoy four wins and two seconds in your last six races?”

American Clark Racing In Supersport 300 World Championship At Aragon

David Swarts
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American Clark Racing In Supersport 300 World Championship At Aragon

New rider line-up for team Accolade Smrz Racing BGR once again. Chris Clark will race alongside Perez Gonzalez in Aragon

Team Accolade Smrz Racing BGR will race the final two rounds of the 2023 World Supersport 300 championship with a new rider line-up. Maxim Repak’s condition, following his injury, won’t allow the young rider from Slovakia to return to racing for the remainder of the season. Levi Badie, who replaced him in Magny Cours, France, cannot participate in Aragon due to other commitments. The Czech team of Jakub Smrž was therefore forced to look for another talented rider. It will be Chris Clark from USA, only 16 years old, who will get the opportunity to measure his talent against other protagonists of the world championship in Aragon, 22-24 September.

Chris Clark: “I am so excited to announce that I will be racing in the world championship at Aragon with team Accolade Smrz Racing BGR. This is an amazing opportunity for me and I want to thank all of my sponsors and Jakub Smrž for allowing me to join the team at  Aragon. I am so excited to have the chance to learn from and ride with a team that has so much experience.”

Jakub Smrž (team manager): “Max will not ride for the remainder of the season and Levi has a race in Moto America, which coincides with Aragon. So we had to find another replacement rider. The plan was that Levi would return for Portimao but it is not possible to change riders so much without a proper reason, so Chris will also do the last race of the season. It will be a new challenge again but Chris is very promising and he has the right physique for a 300 machine.“

Canadian Superbike: Race Two Results And Report From Shannonville

David Swarts
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Canadian Superbike: Race Two Results And Report From Shannonville
Pro Superbike - Race 2

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by CSBK:

Young clinches third CSBK title after last-lap pass on Dumas

 

2023 Bridgestone CSBK Champion Ben Young. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
2023 Bridgestone CSBK Champion Ben Young. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.

 

Shannonville, ON – For the first time in a half-decade, the Canada Cup is staying with its owner.

Ben Young officially retained his #1 plate on Saturday, winning race two at Shannonville Motorsport Park to clinch the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class in the final round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.

It originally looked as though the title fight would at least proceed onto Sunday, as Alex Dumas grabbed the holeshot and led virtually from start-to-finish with Young settling into a comfortable second, needing to gain four points on Dumas in order to clinch.

His pace began to ramp up dramatically in the final few laps, however, and the gap continued to drop as Young reeled in Dumas, pressuring him but still not showing any indication he would take the risk of passing his rival.

That all changed on the final lap, though, as Young launched a daring move into turn four – the same place where Dumas crashed out a day ago – and held off a pair of retaliation attempts to steal a fifth consecutive victory and wrap up his third overall CSBK championship.

“I was pursuing Alex all race, and he was really pushing me to my limit. A few times I even caught myself wondering if I should back off a bit and settle into second, but I was stronger on the brakes so I just put my head down and went for it,” Young said.

This trophy had a bit more meaning for the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW squad, however, as Young admitted the narrative around his 2022 title fueled him to push for the win even if he didn’t necessarily need to for the points spread.

“Some people thought that we only won the championship last year because Alex crashed in AMP, so to prove that wrong even after all the bad luck we’ve had feels really special,” Young said. “But it’s been a great year battling him, and it took a great bike and a great team behind me to make it happen.”

The loss served as an exclamation point on what’s been a disastrous five-race stretch for Dumas, seeing his 36-point lead entering CTMP swing to a 28-point deficit entering the final race of the year.

The Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki rider was understandably frustrated at how the weekend has played out thus far, but will have an opportunity to at least end the year on a high note and build towards a fresh championship challenge in 2024.

“I tried to just get away early and to be honest I felt really comfortable, but Ben got by me in turn four and I think after the crash there yesterday and after leading every lap, I just was mentally drained,” Dumas said. “Congrats to Ben. It’s tough to lose another championship, but hopefully we can win it back in the years to come.”

The duo were once again clear of the pack by the end, but it didn’t start out that way as a pack of six ran together for majority of the opening five laps. That shuffling produced a very similar scenario to race one, though, as Sam Guerin again ran wide off the back straight and slipped out of the podium fight.

Instead the last podium place went to Trevor Dion, who continued his sensational debut weekend with the Economy Lube and Tire Ducati team with a third-place finish. That came at the expense of his former teammate Jordan Szoke, who Dion battled with throughout the race as the two put on a show to end the day.

“It’s been a phenomenal weekend. Such a hard-fought race today again, in the end we put it to Jordan but he ran a great race and didn’t make it easy at all,” Dion said. “He was faster than me in some places, but there were a lot of areas we had more speed too so I just wanted to put this Ducati into the podium and put my head down.”

Szoke was forced to settle for fourth, but continued what’s been perhaps his strongest weekend of the year after taking second-place on Friday aboard one of the Canadian Kawasaki machines.

The split between he and Dion has thus far been good for all parties involved, with the two both enjoying great weekends while Dion’s replacement – rookie Connor Campbell – continued to turn heads by finishing seventh in just his second-ever race aboard the Canadian Kawasaki superbike.

That performance earned him the FAST School Hard Charger Award on the day and a $500 prize to go with it, as he earns his place as one of the breakout stars of the final round.

Guerin’s crucial early mistake did knock him out of podium contention yet again but wasn’t enough to delay any celebration for BMW, as they also successfully defended their Constructors Championship in 2023.

The Motorrad brand celebrated their second consecutive crown with one race to go, and had Guerin join Young on the podium to accept the awards after the EFC Group rider’s heroics in round four at CTMP.

Tremblay wins in Sport Bike, MacKay inches closer to title

The other pro championships won’t have to wait long to be decided, after David MacKay and Andrew Van Winkle each moved closer to trophies on Saturday.

MacKay was only at the front for a single lap before Sebastien Tremblay took over a lead he wouldn’t relinquish, as the Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider looked nearly unstoppable in the debut of the revamped GSX-750.

The only rider who came close to ruining that debut was pole-sitter Brad Macrae, who overcame a mediocre start to hunt down Tremblay and put all kinds of pressure on the 2021 champion.

Unfortunately, Macrae would crash out just as he prepared an attack for the win, allowing a charging Elliot Vieira into second and MacKay back onto the podium in third as he extends his title advantage to 25 points over rival Matt Simpson – who was in the lead fight early but ran off the back straight early and could only fight back to fifth.

While MacKay was thrilled to extend his advantage, the star of the individual race was undoubtedly Tremblay who has now reeled off consecutive victories.

“I didn’t get a great start, but I followed for a lap and a half or so and then managed to get ahead of David. Brad made it super tough on me after that, but unfortunately he crashed out and I was able to relax a bit more again,” Tremblay said. “The 750 is really strong. We have some issues still to work through, but hopefully it can be even a bit better tomorrow.”

Vieira continued his red-hot second half of the season in second, putting the GP Bikes Ducati on the box for the fourth time in five races, though MacKay was happy to see him and Tremblay as the only two ahead of him.

“Our gameplan went exactly how we could have hoped,” MacKay said. “It was nice to get the holeshot and lead for a while, but we’re super happy with where we are. We did exactly what we needed to do for tomorrow.”

Simpson will need a miracle to overcome his 25-point deficit with only 27 points remaining, but has already turned his focus to adding a win to close out the year and taking whatever fortune comes afterwards.

As for Van Winkle, the 16-year-old phenom moved closer to securing a historic Bickle Racing Pro Twins title, winning for the first time in his national career at an opportune time as he takes over the championship lead from the injured Jeff Williams.

Van Winkle hasn’t mathematically clinched, but needs just to finish on Sunday to bring home the record-breaking title, which would make him the youngest pro champion ever.

“I just want to keep it on two wheels and clinch it, but we’re going to play it safe because you never know what can happen,” Van Winkle said. “It’s nice to be able to follow some of these Sport Bike guys and learn as much as possible, but hopefully we can bring it all home tomorrow.”

Full results from the penultimate day of the CSBK season can be found on the series’ official website.

 

British Superbike: Race One Results From Oulton Park

David Swarts
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British Superbike: Race One Results From Oulton Park
BSB R1

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

Irwin wins emotional opening race at Oulton Park

Glenn Irwin won an emotional opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship BikeSocial Sprint race at Oulton Park, withstanding race-long pressure from his teammate and title rival Tommy Bridewell, who made a costly mistake on the final lap which dropped him to fourth place.

The BeerMonster Ducati teammates arrived at Oulton Park for the Showdown determined to continue the legacy of PBM Team Owner Paul Bird, who sadly passed away earlier this month.

The pair continued their bid for a ninth title for the team by snatching the leading two positions on the opening lap of the BikeSocial Sprint Race ahead of Kyle Ryde, Storm Stacey, Leon Haslam and Lee Jackson.

Stacey crashed out on the opening lap unhurt at Lodge, but Haslam and Jackson had soon moved ahead of Ryde as he shadowed the BeerMonster Ducatis, led by Irwin.

Irwin held the lead until the final lap when Bridewell grabbed the lead at Cascades with the pair side-by-side and nothing between them. Irwin and Jackson were in close contention, with Irwin regaining the lead at Island Bend.

Bridewell remained determined and he was within striking distance of Irwin, but he made a costly mistake into Hislops Chicane for the final time, outbraking himself to run on and he was forced to rejoin in fourth place.

Irwin took the chequered flag to claim an emotional victory for the team, with Jackson just 0.390s adrift and Haslam returning to the podium in Cheshire.

Bridewell’s fourth place means the advantage at the top of the standings was halved, with now just 7.5 points between the teammates. Josh Brookes was fifth as he was able to move ahead of Ryde and Christian Iddon.

Jason O’Halloran was eighth on the McAMS Yamaha with Peter Hickman and Charlie Nesbitt completing the top ten.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, BikeSocial Sprint Race:

  1. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
  2. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +0.390s
  3. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +1.085s
  4. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +2.148s
  5. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +5.975s
  6. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +6.215s
  7. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) +6.746s
  8. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +10.169s
  9. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +20.237s
  10. Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) +20.277s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings:

  1. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) 321
  2. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 313.5
  3. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 266
  4. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 258.5
  5. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) 247
  6. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) 238.5
  7. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) 218
  8. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) 198
  9. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 189
  10. Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) 116

For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com

 

 

Glenn Irwin. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Glenn Irwin. Photo courtesy MSVR.

Glenn Irwin

BeerMonster Ducati

“We have to come and do our job and I feel like not just me, but as an entire team and Tommy [Bridewell] as well, we’ve done that all weekend.

“My bike was very, very good in that race. There are always areas to improve in racing but we will keep focusing on ourselves.

“I feel ready, I’ve said all year that I do feel like this is the year. I understand people feeling pressure, but it’s not there at the minute. I’m really, really enjoying my racing.

“I didn’t know what happened on the last lap, so thanks Tommy for not taking me out. It was quite close but seven and a half points now is better than 14 and a half it was before.

“Well done to all the boys as well. And obviously, that’s for the Birdman.”

British Superbike: Bridewell Earns Pole Position At Oulton Park

David Swarts
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British Superbike: Bridewell Earns Pole Position At Oulton Park

Tommy Bridewell earned pole position during Bennetts British Superbike qualifying Saturday at Oulton Park, in England. Riding his BeerMonster Ducati Panigale V4 R, Bridewell covered the 2.69-mile course in 1:33.758.

Bridewell just edged out his teammate and Championship rival Glenn Irwin, who did a 1:33.764 on his Ducati.

Kyle Ryde claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a lap time of 1:34.045 on his LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.

Americans Julian Correa and Eli Banish finished P4 and P12, respectively, in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Oulton Park.

Julian Correa (40). Photo by Cami Photography, courtesy Michael Correa.
Julian Correa (40). Photo by Cami Photography, courtesy Michael Correa.

 

SBK Comb Qual

 

Harry Klinzmann Remembers David Emde, 20 Years Later

David Swarts
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Harry Klinzmann Remembers David Emde, 20 Years Later

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

By Harry Klinzmann

Today marks 20 years since David Emde passed away way too soon. David was my very dear, closest friend while we were racing in the ’70s and ’80s. We always traveled together because David didn’t like his dad Floyd’s smelly cigars while traveling together with his dad and his mom Florence. So, I had David living 24/7 at my parents’ house in Garden Grove, California. I had David helping at my family’s restaurant Mr. Al’s as much as possible as a line chef. My dad, Mr. Al himself, really enjoyed cooking with David because he listened to the instructions and I didn’t.

 

David Emde, R.I.P. Photo courtesy Harry Klinzman.
David Emde, R.I.P. Photo courtesy Harry Klinzman.

 

Mom and Dad loved David staying with us very much, and I believe Floyd and Flo liked David staying with us as well.

Boy, David and I did party a lot as well. Always chasing the ladies around. Then I thought, “Let’s send David to collect money on our arcade machines?” He loved doing that but found out real fast how heavy $5,000 weighs in quarters for the bank deposit. I was laughing so hard watching David lift a bag of quarters and sitting there at the bank waiting for the teller to count them. It took David days to do the five routes we had and after a few months David told me, “I’m sorry, but I’d rather cook.”

LMAO. Anyhow, we were brothers over the years. I did offer to paint David’s bikes, but I told David, “You gotta help sanding.” So, he helped with everything, but then he did it by himself.

I was so glad to have him staying with me over the years, and we learned off of each other. Such a kind person. There was nothing we couldn’t do as friends.

Oh, all the stories I could tell. It would be days of writing. Some day soon I will write a book, with someone’s help probably.

I miss my brother David as many of us do. It broke my heart in racing when first Mark Jones and Hugh Humble passed away. Then John Bettencourt, Jimmy Adamo, and the list goes on.

Life is so short. I am going on 65 next month, and I know my time is probably coming soon, but I am glad to still be here to share found memories of my life and wouldn’t change it in anyway. But not having David around has been a very hard blow.

RIP, my brother. I’ll be seeing you in Heaven, and then we all can race on.

HK31

 

Canadian Superbike: Dumas Takes Pole, Crashes Out At Shannonville (Updated)

David Swarts
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Canadian Superbike: Dumas Takes Pole, Crashes Out At Shannonville (Updated)

(Editorial Note: Former CSBK Champion Alex Dumas re-ignited his drive to regain the Championship by qualifying on pole, but then crashed out of the first of three races scheduled on the finale weekend. Scroll down to see what happened during Friday’s race.)

Dumas on pole position for CSBK tripleheader finale at SMP

Toronto, ON – The trend atop the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship continued to be reversed on Friday, as Alex Dumas snatched pole position from title rival Ben Young in the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class at Shannonville Motorsport Park.

Neither rider started out as the one to beat in Q1, as Jordan Szoke was the early leader in the first portion of the two-part BS Battery Qualifying session behind a best lap of 1:45.972.

The 14-time champion would have his provisional time bettered by Young halfway into that 20-minute period, the defending champ posting a 1:45.271, but Szoke appeared to be playing spoiler as Dumas sat third for most of Q1.

The Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki rider would change that in the final moments to move to within a second of the top spot, but Young’s momentum from his CTMP sweep still seemed to be carrying into the final round ahead of Q2.

That thought was quickly erased, though, as Dumas smashed the provisional top time right out of the gates with a 1:43.590 lap. Young would eventually close to within 0.032 seconds of his rival, but a late red flag prevented him going any further as Dumas held on for his second pole position of the season.

“We put a great lap together, and I felt really comfortable. A lot better than last time out,” Dumas said, after recovering from a cold that hampered him in round four. “It looks like it’s going to be between me and Ben, so it’s nice to feel comfortable going into the race.”

Young was confident he could have flipped his fortune on his last flying lap had the red flag not come out – claiming to be over a quarter-second up on his best time – but admitted the showdown will only matter when the lights go out in race one.

“Q2 is a bit of a short session for a long lap like this, so we were winding up for a better lap when the red came out,” Young said. “It’s going to be a good fight with Alex again, but we’ll want to stand one spot higher this afternoon.”

Despite losing out on pole for the final round, Young’s effort was enough for the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider to secure the season-long BS Battery Pole Position Award for a third consecutive season.

Joining the duo on the front row will be Sam Guerin – scoring his best qualifying position of the season in third – as the EFC Group BMW rider continues to play a starring role for BMW at the top of the order.

“It’s fun to be up here, it’s my first time in the top-three for qualifying this season,” Guerin said. “We’re quite a bit behind Ben and Alex, but we’ll see what we can do, and hopefully pick up some points this weekend.”

 

The final BS Battery Pole Position Award podium of the 2023 CSBK season with Alex Dumas (center) on the top step. Ben Young (left) was second-fastest ahead of Sam Guerin (right) in third. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
The final BS Battery Pole Position Award podium of the 2023 CSBK season with Alex Dumas (center) on the top step. Ben Young (left) was second-fastest ahead of Sam Guerin (right) in third. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.

 

Fourth would go to Tomas Casas, but the Parts Canada Yamaha rider is unlikely to compete for at least race one after a hard crash brought out the red flag to end qualifying.

Casas was eyeing a spot on the front row when he went down in turn four with just under two minutes remaining, hurting his throttle wrist in the process, though the extent of the injury is unclear heading into the weekend.

Szoke’s initial Q1 pace ultimately couldn’t materialize into a front row spot, but the Canadian Kawasaki rider will still be firmly in the podium mix after settling for fifth at the end of Q2, hoping he can benefit from Casas’ misfortune to lead Kawasaki into third in the Constructors Standings.

Sixth on the grid will be Economy Lube and Tire/LDS Consultants Ducati rookie Trevor Dion – notably Szoke’s former teammate – as he quickly came to grips with his new V4 machine, a crucial result as he chases down the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year award.

The current leader of that award, teenager John Fraser, was left stranded in ninth after his own late charge was spoiled by the red flag, looking to be on par for a 1:45 lap that would have placed him inside the top-four aboard his RLS Contracting Suzuki.

The first of three feature Superbike races will get underway at roughly 4:10 pm ET, concluding Friday’s schedule before races two and three continue this weekend at SMP.

The full results from Friday’s qualifying can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.

 

More, from another press release issued by CSBK:

Young wins, Dumas crashes out as CSBK title fight blows open at SMP

Shannonville, ON – It took a long time and many bizarre twists and turns to get here, but Ben Young is back atop the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.

The reigning champion saw his hopes of a successful title defence increase dramatically on Friday, conquering race one of the season-ending tripleheader at Shannonville Motorsport Park after former points leader Alex Dumas crashed out.

Neither rider got off the line particularly well, as Sam Guerin grabbed the holeshot and paced a group of four early in the opening lap, with Dumas chasing and Young fending off Jordan Szoke for third.

Ben Young (1) took another leap in the Bridgestone CSBK championship on Friday at Shannonville Motorsport Park, winning the first of three Superbike races on the weekend after his main title contender Alex Dumas crashed on the opening lap. Jordan Szoke (101) finished second. [Photo: Rob O'Brien / CSBK]
Ben Young (1) took another leap in the Bridgestone CSBK championship on Friday at Shannonville Motorsport Park, winning the first of three Superbike races on the weekend after his main title contender Alex Dumas crashed on the opening lap. Jordan Szoke (101) finished second. Photo by Rob O’Brien/CSBK
Dumas attempted to lunge down the inside of Guerin in the exit of turn four but was quickly denied, a move that may have compromised the 2021 champion as he would ultimately crash out just one turn later, seeing his championship grasp completely evaporate in only half a lap.

That would promote Young to second but only for a short while, as the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider quickly chased down Guerin and made a move for the lead just prior to the end of lap one, hoping to avoid handing a lap led bonus to anyone else.

That opening move would prove to be the decisive one, as Young never looked back en route to his fourth consecutive victory. It was hardly comfortable, though, as he faced a brief but stiff challenge from one of his former long-time rivals.

After Guerin made a costly mistake to allow Szoke into second, running too deep off the back-straight and falling as low as sixth, Szoke began to hunt down Young as he tried to reel in his first victory of the year.

Young would promptly respond with his best laps of the race, though, cruising to a 15th career win to move within one of Pascal Picotte for third on the all-time win list – and more importantly, extend a 23-point championship lead after Dumas sat trackside.

“I’m glad to see Alex is okay. It’s a bummer that’s how it played out, but it’s super awesome for us to finally take over the points lead,” Young said. “But it’s not over yet, this could just as easily swing back in Alex’s favour. We just got to keep chipping away at it, and hopefully continue up here this weekend.”

The runner-up finish marked a season-best result for Szoke, and while it was aided by mistakes from Dumas and Guerin, it was also the most encouraging performance of the 14-time champion’s season as he briefly looked to be reeling in the red-hot Young.

“Qualifying didn’t really go as we hoped, and then once we got in a bit of a groove Ben was just gone out front,” Szoke said. “I was with him for a while, but once he started to pull away, I just rolled out of it a bit. We haven’t had a lot of podiums this year, so it’s nice to give the team something to cheer about.”

Another team that had plenty to cheer about was the all-new Economy Lube and Tire/LDS Consultants Ducati program, as Trevor Dion fought through the early chaos to take a spectacular third in his debut aboard the V4 Panigale.

The rookie was matching Szoke’s pace by the end of the race as he seemed to find a groove aboard the new machine, scoring Ducati’s first Superbike podium since 1993 while also climbing further into the Brooklin Cycle Racing Prom Rookie of the Year mix.

“I’m speechless! It’s our first weekend on the new bike, and it’s been a tough year at times, but we slowly and steadily found some real pace at the end,” Dion said. “Just sitting sixth after qualifying had me excited, so I’m really fortunate to be up here and I can’t thank the team enough for making it possible on such short notice.”

While Dion and Szoke each delivered incredible performances worthy of podiums on Friday, it will be hard for Guerin not to wonder how different it could have looked if not for his crucial mistake.

The EFC Group BMW rider did manage to recover from sixth to fourth, picking up 13 points for himself and crucially his manufacturer, but a second-place finish could have put him within striking distance of Dumas for the runner-up spot in the championship.

The most heroic performance of the day would go to Trevor Daley, however, who managed to return from his round four absence and bring home fifth despite still riding with a broken femur.

The OneSpeed Suzuki rider briefly ran fourth and managed to fend off Guerin for a few laps, salvaging crucial points in the Constructors Championship to keep Suzuki’s hopes alive entering the penultimate race of the year.

Jordan Royds would continue his consistent breakthrough year with a sixth-place finish, keeping his IBEW BMW in the same spot in the championship order and crucially taking points off the next Suzuki finisher, Sebastien Tremblay in seventh.

That would be one spot clear of Connor Campbell, who wound up with a remarkable eighth-place finish in his first-ever day aboard the second Canadian Kawasaki, as the B&T MacFarlane/Kubota rookie adjusted quickly to the Superbike ranks as Szoke’s newest teammate.

He would be the third rookie to grace the top-ten, one spot ahead of Paul Macdonell who overcame a mistake of his own to salvage a crucial ninth for the Acme Motorsports Yamaha team, keeping himself within two points of the Rookie of the Year lead and one point ahead of Dion.

That award will still be led by teenager John Fraser, but the RLS Contracting Suzuki rider had a frustrating day after also running wide off the backstraight, with Phillip Leckie splitting the two first-year riders in tenth aboard his SCM/Tanians BMW.

Young will now try to extend his championship lead even further – or perhaps even outright clinch a third Canada Cup – in race two on Saturday at SMP, while BMW attempt to do the same to close out the 2023 campaign.

Full results from Friday’s action can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.

British Superbike: Glenn Irwin Tops Practice Friday At Oulton Park

David Swarts
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British Superbike: Glenn Irwin Tops Practice Friday At Oulton Park

Editorial Note: Americans Julian Correa and Eli Banish were 15th and 16th, respectively, in combined British Talent Cup practice times Friday at Oulton Park.

 

BSB FP1 + FP2 Comb

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

Irwin holds the advantage as BeerMonster Ducati lead Free Practice at Oulton Park 

Glenn Irwin set the pace after the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship Free Practice sessions at Oulton Park today as the BeerMonster Ducati rider held the top spot by 0.047s as the Showdown gets underway at an emotional weekend for the PBM team.

Irwin is ready to fight back to close the 14.5 point deficit to his teammate Tommy Bridewell as the pair continue their bid to secure PBM an unprecedented ninth Bennetts BSB title following the passing of Team Owner Paul Bird earlier this month.

Irwin held off Leon Haslam who is chasing his first win of the season for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team this weekend and Ryan Vickers, who had a strong start to his comeback this weekend after sustaining a wrist injury at Cadwell Park.

Vickers held off his LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha teammate by an incredibly close 0.004s as Kyle Ryde held off Bridewell, who completed the top five for the BeerMonster Ducati team.

Jason O’Halloran was sixth fastest for McAMS Yamaha, narrowly ahead of Lee Jackson on the
Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki, who ended the session prematurely with a crash. Luke Mossey completed the top eight riders at the Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW team’s home round.

Peter Hickman was the fastest of the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad riders in ninth place, ahead of Christian Iddon who also had a crash in the closing stages of the afternoon session. Josh Brookes and Jack Kennedy completed the top 12 riders who progress directly into eBay Qualifying 2 tomorrow.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, combined Free Practice times:

  1. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 1m:34.225s
  2. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +0.047s
  3. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +0.139s
  4. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +0.143s
  5. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.227s
  6. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.353s
  7. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +0.488s
  8. Luke Mossey (Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW) +0.868s
  9. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +0.873s
  10. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) +0.987s
  11. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +1.014s
  12. Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) +1.038s

For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Glenn Irwin

BeerMonster Ducati

“We changed in a direction throughout the session and eventually at the end we really confirmed we had gone the wrong way. Despite that we were able to improve some sectors. I didn’t piece a lap together but I wasn’t too fussed as the overall time was quite good. From the beginning of the session it was enough to stay first, which pleases me. I just had a look at our ideals and our ideal is in the 33s which is starting to get into some serious pace.

“We have an amazing teammate obviously in terms of relevant data to look at and he’s kind of one way, we’re similar but geometries are different ends of the spectrum. I might visit a bit of the Tommy and he might visit a bit of the Glenn. We’ll probably meet in the middle and be glued to each other for three races as always!

“It’s a tough, tough weekend for the team. We’ve been through a lot of emotion. Two weeks ago today, when we got word of Paul’s passing and it might sound quite mercenary but there is really no time for us to be like that this weekend. Because he would be the first team boss to, if you made an excuse that you were doing bad because you were emotional, you’d probably get your P45!

“I’ll continue to work hard, and next week will be tough and we’ll pay our respect to Paul in the right way and shed some more tears. But this weekend I would like to shed tears of joy on the podium and I think that’s the best way to pay respect to Paul Bird because he was all about winning and I’m sure we’ll be giving it our best shot.”

MotoAmerica: Gloddy Returning To Twins Cup At NJMP

David Swarts
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MotoAmerica: Gloddy Returning To Twins Cup At NJMP

Ben Gloddy Rejoins Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering For REV’IT! Twins Cup Finale At New Jersey

The kickoff to the 2023 MotoAmerica season did not exactly play out the way Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Ben Gloddy envisioned when he showed up at Daytona International Speedway back in March. But, as we all know, racing can be both highly rewarding and sometimes unspeakably cruel.

For those who may have forgotten or didn’t know, Gloddy had a good start and ran as high as third in the very first REV’IT! Twins Cup race of the season at Daytona before another rider crashed in front of him at the exit of the west horseshoe on lap three. The crash forced Gloddy to take evasive action, but unfortunately the crashed bike made contact with Gloddy’s Aprilia RS 660, causing him to go down, as well. Unfortunately, he suffered a significant injury that required surgery, and he was not able to take part in race two the following day. The incident ultimately caused Gloddy to pull out as a season entry.

“I think most people know that racing is both a physical and mental sport,” Gloddy said. “After the incident at Daytona and during my physical recovery, I realized my head wasn’t where it needed to be in order to perform at my best not only for myself, but also my team, fellow racers, sponsors, fans, and family. I took time this summer to really figure out what was important and if the risk versus reward was worth it. I feel like I am in a good and clear place now, and to say I am excited to head to New Jersey with the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team is an understatement. After taking a break to get my head straight this summer, I am ready to be back on the track doing what I love and racing against some of the best in the country. I cannot thank the whole Rodio/Robem team enough for giving me this opportunity to race again. Big thanks also to everyone who has continued to support me. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and lining back up on the grid next weekend.”

Kevin Rodio, Owner of Rodio Racing added, “We were definitely disappointed when Ben told us he was retiring for the season. He’s a super-talented part of our family, and we hated to see his career put on hold. Like many, the news of his return has us all excited and looking forward to NJMP next weekend and beyond.”

Look for all three of Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s riders–Gus Rodio, Rocco Landers, and Ben Gloddy–aboard their Aprilia RS 660 motorcycles next weekend for the final round of the REV’IT! Twins Cup Championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

 

Recent Birth: Pip Florence Miller

David Swarts
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Recent Birth: Pip Florence Miller

MotoGP racer Jack Miller and his wife Ruby had a daughter, Pip Florence Miller, September 14 in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

British Superbike: Race Two And Race Three Results From Oulton Park (Updated)

The start of a British Superbike race Monday at Oulton Park with Peter Hickman (60) leading the way. Photo courtesy MSVR.
The start of a British Superbike race earlier this season at Oulton Park with Peter Hickman (60) leading the way. Photo courtesy MSVR.

BeerMonster Ducati teammates Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell split Bennetts British Superbike race wins Sunday at Oulton Park, in England.

Irwin won Race Two by 1.823 seconds over Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki’s Lee Jackson with LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde taking a close third.

Bridewell then won Race Three by 1.147 seconds over Irwin with Jackson claiming third place.

With two rounds and six races remaining, Irwin leads the Bennetts British Superbike Championship by 0.5 point over Bridewell.

Americans Julian Correa and Eli Banish finished sixth and 14th, respectively, in British Talent Cup Race Two on Sunday at Oulton Park.

 

BSB R2
 BSB R3
 BSB points after R3

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

0.5 point separates Irwin and Bridewell in title fight after intense Oulton Park

 

Tommy Bridewell (46) leads Glenn Irwin (2) and the rest of the British Superbike field at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Tommy Bridewell (46) leads Glenn Irwin (2) and the rest of the British Superbike field at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy MSVR.

 

The BeerMonster Ducati team celebrated an emotionally charged treble victory at Oulton Park at an intense opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship Showdown meaning that just 0.5 point separates Glenn Irwin and Tommy Bridewell ahead of the penultimate round at Donington Park.

Irwin had kicked off the weekend with a victory in yesterday’s BikeSocial Sprint Race, dedicating the win to Team Owner Paul Bird who sadly passed away earlier this month, as the BeerMonster Ducati teammates fight to secure PBM’s ninth title at Brands Hatch in October.

In a dramatic second race of the weekend, Irwin was awarded the victory after his BeerMonster Ducati teammate was penalised for unsafe conduct under the Safety Car, dropping him to sixth place.

The pair had been duelling during the race, with the pair trading places for the lead. Bridewell held the advantage until Storm Stacey crashed out and the BMW Safety Car was deployed.

On the restart, Bridewell concertinaed the pack, forcing several riders to take evasive action to avoid crashing and he was issued a long lap penalty for unsafe conduct under the Safety Car.

Bridewell crossed the line just ahead of Irwin, but his time penalty dropped him to sixth place in the final result. The penalty promoted Lee Jackson into second place as he claimed his second podium finish of the weekend just ahead of Kyle Ryde on the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha.

In race three, Bridewell fought to claim the final race win of the weekend, holding off Irwin who claimed second place ahead of Jackson. Irwin’s strong performance has seen him surge ahead in the standings, having overhauled Bridewell’s 14.5-point advantage before the Showdown with six races now remaining to decide the 2023 champion.

The Oulton Park weekend featured five different riders on the podium representing four different manufacturers, with Irwin and Bridewell sharing the podium with Jackson, Ryde and Leon Haslam across the three races.

As the Championship reaches the penultimate round, the top nine riders in the standings remain in mathematical contention, with a maximum of 180 points available from the final two rounds. However, the top six currently remain within the 105 point target which is required if they are to remain in title contention for the final round of the season at Brands Hatch next month.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Race 2 result:

  1. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
  2. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +1.823s
  3. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +2.056s
  4. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +2.518s
  5. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +2.584s
  6. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +2.954s
  7. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) +3.788s
  8. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +4.104s
  9. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +5.020s
  10. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +6.858s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Race 3 result:

  1. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati)
  2. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) +1.147s
  3. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +2.107s
  4. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +5.375s
  5. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +7.655s
  6. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +8.182s
  7. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) +11.099s
  8. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +11.110s
  9. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +14.214s
  10. Storm Stacey (Starline Racing Kawasaki) +18.447s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:

  1. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 360.5
  2. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) 360
  3. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 300
  4. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) 283
  5. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) 280.5
  6. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 276.5
  7. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) 250
  8. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) 222
  9. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 207
  10. Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) 122.5

For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Glenn Irwin

BeerMonster Ducati

“We came here in the thick of a championship fight and I’ve been able to grab three podiums, so its been an unbelievable weekend.

“There’s been a lot emotion before we came here and I think how the entire team and everyone within the paddock have handled and been able to put on a show and go to work has been incredible.

“It pleases me a lot how the guys in the team worked and how I rode round here it’s a physical track. We all work very hard. It’s a bit of a cliché when we say we work our asses off and I guess we all do and when the team work as hard as you work, if not harder, you get results and reap the reward.

“The championship lead is nice, it’s always a nice position to be in. It’s certainly better than where it was nine races ago when I was 38.5 points behind. We still have that one additional DNF so to be in the lead, pretty much all square with the extra DNF is something that pleases me a lot.

“Hats off to Tommy [Bridewell] he rode a great last race. We were holding the pace up, both of us for sure purely for energy. You can go banzai round here but the other guy usually comes with you anyway so his last couple of laps were really, really strong. I was working hard but I’d seen at Cadwell when I was trying to push him he nearly made a mistake on the last lap as did I – so close to losing a lot of points.

“I got plus 1.3s I think with two [laps] to go and I was beat fair and square in the race at that point and it was bring home the 22 points. I honestly didn’t expect to overhaul 15 points this weekend, it’s been great. Fair play to the rest of the guys I shared the podium with this weekend because there has been some enjoyable racing.

“I haven’t’ watched any of it and I look forward to getting home tonight, grab a Chinese, and then do the school run in the morning. I have a lot to be grateful for. And how can you not enjoy four wins and two seconds in your last six races?”

American Clark Racing In Supersport 300 World Championship At Aragon

Chris Clark (27). Photo courtesy Fred Clark.
Chris Clark (27). Photo courtesy Fred Clark.

New rider line-up for team Accolade Smrz Racing BGR once again. Chris Clark will race alongside Perez Gonzalez in Aragon

Team Accolade Smrz Racing BGR will race the final two rounds of the 2023 World Supersport 300 championship with a new rider line-up. Maxim Repak’s condition, following his injury, won’t allow the young rider from Slovakia to return to racing for the remainder of the season. Levi Badie, who replaced him in Magny Cours, France, cannot participate in Aragon due to other commitments. The Czech team of Jakub Smrž was therefore forced to look for another talented rider. It will be Chris Clark from USA, only 16 years old, who will get the opportunity to measure his talent against other protagonists of the world championship in Aragon, 22-24 September.

Chris Clark: “I am so excited to announce that I will be racing in the world championship at Aragon with team Accolade Smrz Racing BGR. This is an amazing opportunity for me and I want to thank all of my sponsors and Jakub Smrž for allowing me to join the team at  Aragon. I am so excited to have the chance to learn from and ride with a team that has so much experience.”

Jakub Smrž (team manager): “Max will not ride for the remainder of the season and Levi has a race in Moto America, which coincides with Aragon. So we had to find another replacement rider. The plan was that Levi would return for Portimao but it is not possible to change riders so much without a proper reason, so Chris will also do the last race of the season. It will be a new challenge again but Chris is very promising and he has the right physique for a 300 machine.“

Canadian Superbike: Race Two Results And Report From Shannonville

It was Alex Dumas (23) who grabbed the holeshot and led most of Saturday's Superbike race two at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Ben Young (1) took the lead on the last lap and went on to win the race, clinching the 2023 CSBK championship in the process. Trevor Dion (20) was third. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
It was Alex Dumas (23) who grabbed the holeshot and led most of Saturday's Superbike race two at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Ben Young (1) took the lead on the last lap and went on to win the race, clinching the 2023 CSBK championship in the process. Trevor Dion (20) was third. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Pro Superbike - Race 2

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by CSBK:

Young clinches third CSBK title after last-lap pass on Dumas

 

2023 Bridgestone CSBK Champion Ben Young. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
2023 Bridgestone CSBK Champion Ben Young. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.

 

Shannonville, ON – For the first time in a half-decade, the Canada Cup is staying with its owner.

Ben Young officially retained his #1 plate on Saturday, winning race two at Shannonville Motorsport Park to clinch the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class in the final round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.

It originally looked as though the title fight would at least proceed onto Sunday, as Alex Dumas grabbed the holeshot and led virtually from start-to-finish with Young settling into a comfortable second, needing to gain four points on Dumas in order to clinch.

His pace began to ramp up dramatically in the final few laps, however, and the gap continued to drop as Young reeled in Dumas, pressuring him but still not showing any indication he would take the risk of passing his rival.

That all changed on the final lap, though, as Young launched a daring move into turn four – the same place where Dumas crashed out a day ago – and held off a pair of retaliation attempts to steal a fifth consecutive victory and wrap up his third overall CSBK championship.

“I was pursuing Alex all race, and he was really pushing me to my limit. A few times I even caught myself wondering if I should back off a bit and settle into second, but I was stronger on the brakes so I just put my head down and went for it,” Young said.

This trophy had a bit more meaning for the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW squad, however, as Young admitted the narrative around his 2022 title fueled him to push for the win even if he didn’t necessarily need to for the points spread.

“Some people thought that we only won the championship last year because Alex crashed in AMP, so to prove that wrong even after all the bad luck we’ve had feels really special,” Young said. “But it’s been a great year battling him, and it took a great bike and a great team behind me to make it happen.”

The loss served as an exclamation point on what’s been a disastrous five-race stretch for Dumas, seeing his 36-point lead entering CTMP swing to a 28-point deficit entering the final race of the year.

The Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki rider was understandably frustrated at how the weekend has played out thus far, but will have an opportunity to at least end the year on a high note and build towards a fresh championship challenge in 2024.

“I tried to just get away early and to be honest I felt really comfortable, but Ben got by me in turn four and I think after the crash there yesterday and after leading every lap, I just was mentally drained,” Dumas said. “Congrats to Ben. It’s tough to lose another championship, but hopefully we can win it back in the years to come.”

The duo were once again clear of the pack by the end, but it didn’t start out that way as a pack of six ran together for majority of the opening five laps. That shuffling produced a very similar scenario to race one, though, as Sam Guerin again ran wide off the back straight and slipped out of the podium fight.

Instead the last podium place went to Trevor Dion, who continued his sensational debut weekend with the Economy Lube and Tire Ducati team with a third-place finish. That came at the expense of his former teammate Jordan Szoke, who Dion battled with throughout the race as the two put on a show to end the day.

“It’s been a phenomenal weekend. Such a hard-fought race today again, in the end we put it to Jordan but he ran a great race and didn’t make it easy at all,” Dion said. “He was faster than me in some places, but there were a lot of areas we had more speed too so I just wanted to put this Ducati into the podium and put my head down.”

Szoke was forced to settle for fourth, but continued what’s been perhaps his strongest weekend of the year after taking second-place on Friday aboard one of the Canadian Kawasaki machines.

The split between he and Dion has thus far been good for all parties involved, with the two both enjoying great weekends while Dion’s replacement – rookie Connor Campbell – continued to turn heads by finishing seventh in just his second-ever race aboard the Canadian Kawasaki superbike.

That performance earned him the FAST School Hard Charger Award on the day and a $500 prize to go with it, as he earns his place as one of the breakout stars of the final round.

Guerin’s crucial early mistake did knock him out of podium contention yet again but wasn’t enough to delay any celebration for BMW, as they also successfully defended their Constructors Championship in 2023.

The Motorrad brand celebrated their second consecutive crown with one race to go, and had Guerin join Young on the podium to accept the awards after the EFC Group rider’s heroics in round four at CTMP.

Tremblay wins in Sport Bike, MacKay inches closer to title

The other pro championships won’t have to wait long to be decided, after David MacKay and Andrew Van Winkle each moved closer to trophies on Saturday.

MacKay was only at the front for a single lap before Sebastien Tremblay took over a lead he wouldn’t relinquish, as the Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider looked nearly unstoppable in the debut of the revamped GSX-750.

The only rider who came close to ruining that debut was pole-sitter Brad Macrae, who overcame a mediocre start to hunt down Tremblay and put all kinds of pressure on the 2021 champion.

Unfortunately, Macrae would crash out just as he prepared an attack for the win, allowing a charging Elliot Vieira into second and MacKay back onto the podium in third as he extends his title advantage to 25 points over rival Matt Simpson – who was in the lead fight early but ran off the back straight early and could only fight back to fifth.

While MacKay was thrilled to extend his advantage, the star of the individual race was undoubtedly Tremblay who has now reeled off consecutive victories.

“I didn’t get a great start, but I followed for a lap and a half or so and then managed to get ahead of David. Brad made it super tough on me after that, but unfortunately he crashed out and I was able to relax a bit more again,” Tremblay said. “The 750 is really strong. We have some issues still to work through, but hopefully it can be even a bit better tomorrow.”

Vieira continued his red-hot second half of the season in second, putting the GP Bikes Ducati on the box for the fourth time in five races, though MacKay was happy to see him and Tremblay as the only two ahead of him.

“Our gameplan went exactly how we could have hoped,” MacKay said. “It was nice to get the holeshot and lead for a while, but we’re super happy with where we are. We did exactly what we needed to do for tomorrow.”

Simpson will need a miracle to overcome his 25-point deficit with only 27 points remaining, but has already turned his focus to adding a win to close out the year and taking whatever fortune comes afterwards.

As for Van Winkle, the 16-year-old phenom moved closer to securing a historic Bickle Racing Pro Twins title, winning for the first time in his national career at an opportune time as he takes over the championship lead from the injured Jeff Williams.

Van Winkle hasn’t mathematically clinched, but needs just to finish on Sunday to bring home the record-breaking title, which would make him the youngest pro champion ever.

“I just want to keep it on two wheels and clinch it, but we’re going to play it safe because you never know what can happen,” Van Winkle said. “It’s nice to be able to follow some of these Sport Bike guys and learn as much as possible, but hopefully we can bring it all home tomorrow.”

Full results from the penultimate day of the CSBK season can be found on the series’ official website.

 

British Superbike: Race One Results From Oulton Park

Glenn Irwin (2) leading Race One at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Glenn Irwin (2) leading Race One at Oulton Park. Photo courtesy MSVR.
BSB R1

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

Irwin wins emotional opening race at Oulton Park

Glenn Irwin won an emotional opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship BikeSocial Sprint race at Oulton Park, withstanding race-long pressure from his teammate and title rival Tommy Bridewell, who made a costly mistake on the final lap which dropped him to fourth place.

The BeerMonster Ducati teammates arrived at Oulton Park for the Showdown determined to continue the legacy of PBM Team Owner Paul Bird, who sadly passed away earlier this month.

The pair continued their bid for a ninth title for the team by snatching the leading two positions on the opening lap of the BikeSocial Sprint Race ahead of Kyle Ryde, Storm Stacey, Leon Haslam and Lee Jackson.

Stacey crashed out on the opening lap unhurt at Lodge, but Haslam and Jackson had soon moved ahead of Ryde as he shadowed the BeerMonster Ducatis, led by Irwin.

Irwin held the lead until the final lap when Bridewell grabbed the lead at Cascades with the pair side-by-side and nothing between them. Irwin and Jackson were in close contention, with Irwin regaining the lead at Island Bend.

Bridewell remained determined and he was within striking distance of Irwin, but he made a costly mistake into Hislops Chicane for the final time, outbraking himself to run on and he was forced to rejoin in fourth place.

Irwin took the chequered flag to claim an emotional victory for the team, with Jackson just 0.390s adrift and Haslam returning to the podium in Cheshire.

Bridewell’s fourth place means the advantage at the top of the standings was halved, with now just 7.5 points between the teammates. Josh Brookes was fifth as he was able to move ahead of Ryde and Christian Iddon.

Jason O’Halloran was eighth on the McAMS Yamaha with Peter Hickman and Charlie Nesbitt completing the top ten.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, BikeSocial Sprint Race:

  1. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati)
  2. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +0.390s
  3. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +1.085s
  4. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +2.148s
  5. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +5.975s
  6. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +6.215s
  7. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) +6.746s
  8. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +10.169s
  9. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +20.237s
  10. Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) +20.277s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings:

  1. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) 321
  2. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 313.5
  3. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 266
  4. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 258.5
  5. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) 247
  6. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) 238.5
  7. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) 218
  8. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) 198
  9. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) 189
  10. Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) 116

For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com

 

 

Glenn Irwin. Photo courtesy MSVR.
Glenn Irwin. Photo courtesy MSVR.

Glenn Irwin

BeerMonster Ducati

“We have to come and do our job and I feel like not just me, but as an entire team and Tommy [Bridewell] as well, we’ve done that all weekend.

“My bike was very, very good in that race. There are always areas to improve in racing but we will keep focusing on ourselves.

“I feel ready, I’ve said all year that I do feel like this is the year. I understand people feeling pressure, but it’s not there at the minute. I’m really, really enjoying my racing.

“I didn’t know what happened on the last lap, so thanks Tommy for not taking me out. It was quite close but seven and a half points now is better than 14 and a half it was before.

“Well done to all the boys as well. And obviously, that’s for the Birdman.”

British Superbike: Bridewell Earns Pole Position At Oulton Park

Tommy Bridewell (46). Photo courtesy Paul Bird Motorsport.
Tommy Bridewell (46). Photo courtesy BeerMonster Ducati/Paul Bird Motorsport.

Tommy Bridewell earned pole position during Bennetts British Superbike qualifying Saturday at Oulton Park, in England. Riding his BeerMonster Ducati Panigale V4 R, Bridewell covered the 2.69-mile course in 1:33.758.

Bridewell just edged out his teammate and Championship rival Glenn Irwin, who did a 1:33.764 on his Ducati.

Kyle Ryde claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a lap time of 1:34.045 on his LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.

Americans Julian Correa and Eli Banish finished P4 and P12, respectively, in British Talent Cup Race One Saturday at Oulton Park.

Julian Correa (40). Photo by Cami Photography, courtesy Michael Correa.
Julian Correa (40). Photo by Cami Photography, courtesy Michael Correa.

 

SBK Comb Qual

 

Harry Klinzmann Remembers David Emde, 20 Years Later

Harry Klinzmann (2) racing with David Emde (3) on Yamaha TZ750s at Ontario Motor Speedway circa mid-to-late 1970s. Photo of an old print photo by John Ulrich/courtesy Harry Klinzmann.
Harry Klinzmann (2) racing with David Emde (3) on Yamaha TZ750s at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1976. Photo of an old print photo by John Ulrich/courtesy Harry Klinzmann.

FIRST PERSON/OPINION:

By Harry Klinzmann

Today marks 20 years since David Emde passed away way too soon. David was my very dear, closest friend while we were racing in the ’70s and ’80s. We always traveled together because David didn’t like his dad Floyd’s smelly cigars while traveling together with his dad and his mom Florence. So, I had David living 24/7 at my parents’ house in Garden Grove, California. I had David helping at my family’s restaurant Mr. Al’s as much as possible as a line chef. My dad, Mr. Al himself, really enjoyed cooking with David because he listened to the instructions and I didn’t.

 

David Emde, R.I.P. Photo courtesy Harry Klinzman.
David Emde, R.I.P. Photo courtesy Harry Klinzman.

 

Mom and Dad loved David staying with us very much, and I believe Floyd and Flo liked David staying with us as well.

Boy, David and I did party a lot as well. Always chasing the ladies around. Then I thought, “Let’s send David to collect money on our arcade machines?” He loved doing that but found out real fast how heavy $5,000 weighs in quarters for the bank deposit. I was laughing so hard watching David lift a bag of quarters and sitting there at the bank waiting for the teller to count them. It took David days to do the five routes we had and after a few months David told me, “I’m sorry, but I’d rather cook.”

LMAO. Anyhow, we were brothers over the years. I did offer to paint David’s bikes, but I told David, “You gotta help sanding.” So, he helped with everything, but then he did it by himself.

I was so glad to have him staying with me over the years, and we learned off of each other. Such a kind person. There was nothing we couldn’t do as friends.

Oh, all the stories I could tell. It would be days of writing. Some day soon I will write a book, with someone’s help probably.

I miss my brother David as many of us do. It broke my heart in racing when first Mark Jones and Hugh Humble passed away. Then John Bettencourt, Jimmy Adamo, and the list goes on.

Life is so short. I am going on 65 next month, and I know my time is probably coming soon, but I am glad to still be here to share found memories of my life and wouldn’t change it in anyway. But not having David around has been a very hard blow.

RIP, my brother. I’ll be seeing you in Heaven, and then we all can race on.

HK31

 

Canadian Superbike: Dumas Takes Pole, Crashes Out At Shannonville (Updated)

Pro Superbike championship leader Alex Dumas (23) will start all three races this weekend from pole position after narrowly beating Ben Young in Q2 at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
Pro Superbike championship leader Alex Dumas (23) will start all three races this weekend from pole position after narrowly beating Ben Young in Q2 at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.

(Editorial Note: Former CSBK Champion Alex Dumas re-ignited his drive to regain the Championship by qualifying on pole, but then crashed out of the first of three races scheduled on the finale weekend. Scroll down to see what happened during Friday’s race.)

Dumas on pole position for CSBK tripleheader finale at SMP

Toronto, ON – The trend atop the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship continued to be reversed on Friday, as Alex Dumas snatched pole position from title rival Ben Young in the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class at Shannonville Motorsport Park.

Neither rider started out as the one to beat in Q1, as Jordan Szoke was the early leader in the first portion of the two-part BS Battery Qualifying session behind a best lap of 1:45.972.

The 14-time champion would have his provisional time bettered by Young halfway into that 20-minute period, the defending champ posting a 1:45.271, but Szoke appeared to be playing spoiler as Dumas sat third for most of Q1.

The Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki rider would change that in the final moments to move to within a second of the top spot, but Young’s momentum from his CTMP sweep still seemed to be carrying into the final round ahead of Q2.

That thought was quickly erased, though, as Dumas smashed the provisional top time right out of the gates with a 1:43.590 lap. Young would eventually close to within 0.032 seconds of his rival, but a late red flag prevented him going any further as Dumas held on for his second pole position of the season.

“We put a great lap together, and I felt really comfortable. A lot better than last time out,” Dumas said, after recovering from a cold that hampered him in round four. “It looks like it’s going to be between me and Ben, so it’s nice to feel comfortable going into the race.”

Young was confident he could have flipped his fortune on his last flying lap had the red flag not come out – claiming to be over a quarter-second up on his best time – but admitted the showdown will only matter when the lights go out in race one.

“Q2 is a bit of a short session for a long lap like this, so we were winding up for a better lap when the red came out,” Young said. “It’s going to be a good fight with Alex again, but we’ll want to stand one spot higher this afternoon.”

Despite losing out on pole for the final round, Young’s effort was enough for the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider to secure the season-long BS Battery Pole Position Award for a third consecutive season.

Joining the duo on the front row will be Sam Guerin – scoring his best qualifying position of the season in third – as the EFC Group BMW rider continues to play a starring role for BMW at the top of the order.

“It’s fun to be up here, it’s my first time in the top-three for qualifying this season,” Guerin said. “We’re quite a bit behind Ben and Alex, but we’ll see what we can do, and hopefully pick up some points this weekend.”

 

The final BS Battery Pole Position Award podium of the 2023 CSBK season with Alex Dumas (center) on the top step. Ben Young (left) was second-fastest ahead of Sam Guerin (right) in third. Photo by Rob O'Brien, courtesy CSBK.
The final BS Battery Pole Position Award podium of the 2023 CSBK season with Alex Dumas (center) on the top step. Ben Young (left) was second-fastest ahead of Sam Guerin (right) in third. Photo by Rob O’Brien, courtesy CSBK.

 

Fourth would go to Tomas Casas, but the Parts Canada Yamaha rider is unlikely to compete for at least race one after a hard crash brought out the red flag to end qualifying.

Casas was eyeing a spot on the front row when he went down in turn four with just under two minutes remaining, hurting his throttle wrist in the process, though the extent of the injury is unclear heading into the weekend.

Szoke’s initial Q1 pace ultimately couldn’t materialize into a front row spot, but the Canadian Kawasaki rider will still be firmly in the podium mix after settling for fifth at the end of Q2, hoping he can benefit from Casas’ misfortune to lead Kawasaki into third in the Constructors Standings.

Sixth on the grid will be Economy Lube and Tire/LDS Consultants Ducati rookie Trevor Dion – notably Szoke’s former teammate – as he quickly came to grips with his new V4 machine, a crucial result as he chases down the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year award.

The current leader of that award, teenager John Fraser, was left stranded in ninth after his own late charge was spoiled by the red flag, looking to be on par for a 1:45 lap that would have placed him inside the top-four aboard his RLS Contracting Suzuki.

The first of three feature Superbike races will get underway at roughly 4:10 pm ET, concluding Friday’s schedule before races two and three continue this weekend at SMP.

The full results from Friday’s qualifying can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.

 

More, from another press release issued by CSBK:

Young wins, Dumas crashes out as CSBK title fight blows open at SMP

Shannonville, ON – It took a long time and many bizarre twists and turns to get here, but Ben Young is back atop the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.

The reigning champion saw his hopes of a successful title defence increase dramatically on Friday, conquering race one of the season-ending tripleheader at Shannonville Motorsport Park after former points leader Alex Dumas crashed out.

Neither rider got off the line particularly well, as Sam Guerin grabbed the holeshot and paced a group of four early in the opening lap, with Dumas chasing and Young fending off Jordan Szoke for third.

Ben Young (1) took another leap in the Bridgestone CSBK championship on Friday at Shannonville Motorsport Park, winning the first of three Superbike races on the weekend after his main title contender Alex Dumas crashed on the opening lap. Jordan Szoke (101) finished second. [Photo: Rob O'Brien / CSBK]
Ben Young (1) took another leap in the Bridgestone CSBK championship on Friday at Shannonville Motorsport Park, winning the first of three Superbike races on the weekend after his main title contender Alex Dumas crashed on the opening lap. Jordan Szoke (101) finished second. Photo by Rob O’Brien/CSBK
Dumas attempted to lunge down the inside of Guerin in the exit of turn four but was quickly denied, a move that may have compromised the 2021 champion as he would ultimately crash out just one turn later, seeing his championship grasp completely evaporate in only half a lap.

That would promote Young to second but only for a short while, as the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider quickly chased down Guerin and made a move for the lead just prior to the end of lap one, hoping to avoid handing a lap led bonus to anyone else.

That opening move would prove to be the decisive one, as Young never looked back en route to his fourth consecutive victory. It was hardly comfortable, though, as he faced a brief but stiff challenge from one of his former long-time rivals.

After Guerin made a costly mistake to allow Szoke into second, running too deep off the back-straight and falling as low as sixth, Szoke began to hunt down Young as he tried to reel in his first victory of the year.

Young would promptly respond with his best laps of the race, though, cruising to a 15th career win to move within one of Pascal Picotte for third on the all-time win list – and more importantly, extend a 23-point championship lead after Dumas sat trackside.

“I’m glad to see Alex is okay. It’s a bummer that’s how it played out, but it’s super awesome for us to finally take over the points lead,” Young said. “But it’s not over yet, this could just as easily swing back in Alex’s favour. We just got to keep chipping away at it, and hopefully continue up here this weekend.”

The runner-up finish marked a season-best result for Szoke, and while it was aided by mistakes from Dumas and Guerin, it was also the most encouraging performance of the 14-time champion’s season as he briefly looked to be reeling in the red-hot Young.

“Qualifying didn’t really go as we hoped, and then once we got in a bit of a groove Ben was just gone out front,” Szoke said. “I was with him for a while, but once he started to pull away, I just rolled out of it a bit. We haven’t had a lot of podiums this year, so it’s nice to give the team something to cheer about.”

Another team that had plenty to cheer about was the all-new Economy Lube and Tire/LDS Consultants Ducati program, as Trevor Dion fought through the early chaos to take a spectacular third in his debut aboard the V4 Panigale.

The rookie was matching Szoke’s pace by the end of the race as he seemed to find a groove aboard the new machine, scoring Ducati’s first Superbike podium since 1993 while also climbing further into the Brooklin Cycle Racing Prom Rookie of the Year mix.

“I’m speechless! It’s our first weekend on the new bike, and it’s been a tough year at times, but we slowly and steadily found some real pace at the end,” Dion said. “Just sitting sixth after qualifying had me excited, so I’m really fortunate to be up here and I can’t thank the team enough for making it possible on such short notice.”

While Dion and Szoke each delivered incredible performances worthy of podiums on Friday, it will be hard for Guerin not to wonder how different it could have looked if not for his crucial mistake.

The EFC Group BMW rider did manage to recover from sixth to fourth, picking up 13 points for himself and crucially his manufacturer, but a second-place finish could have put him within striking distance of Dumas for the runner-up spot in the championship.

The most heroic performance of the day would go to Trevor Daley, however, who managed to return from his round four absence and bring home fifth despite still riding with a broken femur.

The OneSpeed Suzuki rider briefly ran fourth and managed to fend off Guerin for a few laps, salvaging crucial points in the Constructors Championship to keep Suzuki’s hopes alive entering the penultimate race of the year.

Jordan Royds would continue his consistent breakthrough year with a sixth-place finish, keeping his IBEW BMW in the same spot in the championship order and crucially taking points off the next Suzuki finisher, Sebastien Tremblay in seventh.

That would be one spot clear of Connor Campbell, who wound up with a remarkable eighth-place finish in his first-ever day aboard the second Canadian Kawasaki, as the B&T MacFarlane/Kubota rookie adjusted quickly to the Superbike ranks as Szoke’s newest teammate.

He would be the third rookie to grace the top-ten, one spot ahead of Paul Macdonell who overcame a mistake of his own to salvage a crucial ninth for the Acme Motorsports Yamaha team, keeping himself within two points of the Rookie of the Year lead and one point ahead of Dion.

That award will still be led by teenager John Fraser, but the RLS Contracting Suzuki rider had a frustrating day after also running wide off the backstraight, with Phillip Leckie splitting the two first-year riders in tenth aboard his SCM/Tanians BMW.

Young will now try to extend his championship lead even further – or perhaps even outright clinch a third Canada Cup – in race two on Saturday at SMP, while BMW attempt to do the same to close out the 2023 campaign.

Full results from Friday’s action can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.

British Superbike: Glenn Irwin Tops Practice Friday At Oulton Park

Glenn Irwin (2). Photo courtesy MotorSport Vision Racing.
Glenn Irwin (2). Photo courtesy MotorSport Vision Racing.

Editorial Note: Americans Julian Correa and Eli Banish were 15th and 16th, respectively, in combined British Talent Cup practice times Friday at Oulton Park.

 

BSB FP1 + FP2 Comb

 

 

 

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

Irwin holds the advantage as BeerMonster Ducati lead Free Practice at Oulton Park 

Glenn Irwin set the pace after the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship Free Practice sessions at Oulton Park today as the BeerMonster Ducati rider held the top spot by 0.047s as the Showdown gets underway at an emotional weekend for the PBM team.

Irwin is ready to fight back to close the 14.5 point deficit to his teammate Tommy Bridewell as the pair continue their bid to secure PBM an unprecedented ninth Bennetts BSB title following the passing of Team Owner Paul Bird earlier this month.

Irwin held off Leon Haslam who is chasing his first win of the season for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team this weekend and Ryan Vickers, who had a strong start to his comeback this weekend after sustaining a wrist injury at Cadwell Park.

Vickers held off his LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha teammate by an incredibly close 0.004s as Kyle Ryde held off Bridewell, who completed the top five for the BeerMonster Ducati team.

Jason O’Halloran was sixth fastest for McAMS Yamaha, narrowly ahead of Lee Jackson on the
Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki, who ended the session prematurely with a crash. Luke Mossey completed the top eight riders at the Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW team’s home round.

Peter Hickman was the fastest of the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad riders in ninth place, ahead of Christian Iddon who also had a crash in the closing stages of the afternoon session. Josh Brookes and Jack Kennedy completed the top 12 riders who progress directly into eBay Qualifying 2 tomorrow.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, combined Free Practice times:

  1. Glenn Irwin (BeerMonster Ducati) 1m:34.225s
  2. Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) +0.047s
  3. Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +0.139s
  4. Kyle Ryde (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) +0.143s
  5. Tommy Bridewell (BeerMonster Ducati) +0.227s
  6. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.353s
  7. Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) +0.488s
  8. Luke Mossey (Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW) +0.868s
  9. Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +0.873s
  10. Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Ducati) +0.987s
  11. Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) +1.014s
  12. Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha) +1.038s

For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Glenn Irwin

BeerMonster Ducati

“We changed in a direction throughout the session and eventually at the end we really confirmed we had gone the wrong way. Despite that we were able to improve some sectors. I didn’t piece a lap together but I wasn’t too fussed as the overall time was quite good. From the beginning of the session it was enough to stay first, which pleases me. I just had a look at our ideals and our ideal is in the 33s which is starting to get into some serious pace.

“We have an amazing teammate obviously in terms of relevant data to look at and he’s kind of one way, we’re similar but geometries are different ends of the spectrum. I might visit a bit of the Tommy and he might visit a bit of the Glenn. We’ll probably meet in the middle and be glued to each other for three races as always!

“It’s a tough, tough weekend for the team. We’ve been through a lot of emotion. Two weeks ago today, when we got word of Paul’s passing and it might sound quite mercenary but there is really no time for us to be like that this weekend. Because he would be the first team boss to, if you made an excuse that you were doing bad because you were emotional, you’d probably get your P45!

“I’ll continue to work hard, and next week will be tough and we’ll pay our respect to Paul in the right way and shed some more tears. But this weekend I would like to shed tears of joy on the podium and I think that’s the best way to pay respect to Paul Bird because he was all about winning and I’m sure we’ll be giving it our best shot.”

MotoAmerica: Gloddy Returning To Twins Cup At NJMP

Ben Gloddy (72), before things went bad in Twins Cup Race One at Daytona. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Ben Gloddy (72), before things went bad in Twins Cup Race One at Daytona. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Ben Gloddy Rejoins Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering For REV’IT! Twins Cup Finale At New Jersey

The kickoff to the 2023 MotoAmerica season did not exactly play out the way Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Ben Gloddy envisioned when he showed up at Daytona International Speedway back in March. But, as we all know, racing can be both highly rewarding and sometimes unspeakably cruel.

For those who may have forgotten or didn’t know, Gloddy had a good start and ran as high as third in the very first REV’IT! Twins Cup race of the season at Daytona before another rider crashed in front of him at the exit of the west horseshoe on lap three. The crash forced Gloddy to take evasive action, but unfortunately the crashed bike made contact with Gloddy’s Aprilia RS 660, causing him to go down, as well. Unfortunately, he suffered a significant injury that required surgery, and he was not able to take part in race two the following day. The incident ultimately caused Gloddy to pull out as a season entry.

“I think most people know that racing is both a physical and mental sport,” Gloddy said. “After the incident at Daytona and during my physical recovery, I realized my head wasn’t where it needed to be in order to perform at my best not only for myself, but also my team, fellow racers, sponsors, fans, and family. I took time this summer to really figure out what was important and if the risk versus reward was worth it. I feel like I am in a good and clear place now, and to say I am excited to head to New Jersey with the Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering team is an understatement. After taking a break to get my head straight this summer, I am ready to be back on the track doing what I love and racing against some of the best in the country. I cannot thank the whole Rodio/Robem team enough for giving me this opportunity to race again. Big thanks also to everyone who has continued to support me. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and lining back up on the grid next weekend.”

Kevin Rodio, Owner of Rodio Racing added, “We were definitely disappointed when Ben told us he was retiring for the season. He’s a super-talented part of our family, and we hated to see his career put on hold. Like many, the news of his return has us all excited and looking forward to NJMP next weekend and beyond.”

Look for all three of Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s riders–Gus Rodio, Rocco Landers, and Ben Gloddy–aboard their Aprilia RS 660 motorcycles next weekend for the final round of the REV’IT! Twins Cup Championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

 

Recent Birth: Pip Florence Miller

Pip Florence Miller. Photo courtesy Jack Miller.
Pip Florence Miller. Photo courtesy Jack Miller.

MotoGP racer Jack Miller and his wife Ruby had a daughter, Pip Florence Miller, September 14 in Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

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