The British Superbike Championship heads to Brands Hatch for the first time in 2024 this weekend, which for Tommy Bridewell marks an important occasion.
For the #46, it will be the first time he's raced at Brands Hatch since he won the 2023 title in a final race showdown with his then-teammate, Glenn Irwin.
While it was Bridewell who triumphed last year, it's Irwin who reclaimed the points lead at the last round of the 2024 season at the Snetterton BSB, where the #2 took two wins.
Nonetheless, Bridewell is approaching the Brands Hatch round with positivity, thanks to his memories from last year and having been the fastest rider throughout practice at Snetterton.
"Last year when we raced at Brands I won the championship so I have some really good memories of racing there last year," Bridewell said ahead of the weekend.
"It makes me excited to go back and feel those memories again as you’re driving in. I’m really enjoying my racing at the minute and enjoying working with the team, developing this new Fireblade and fighting at the front with Honda.
"We’ve managed to build up some solid momentum so we just need to keep this going. I’m just really excited to see all the things we are working on coming together. I’m heading to Brands fully motivated for the weekend and ready to kick things into another gear."
Somewhat like Bridewell, although the initial struggles were perhaps more significant, the 2024 season has seen Andrew Irwin's performances build throughout, having started struggling to be inside the top 10, to now being a regular top six contender since the Donington BSB back in May, and scoring his first podium of the year at the Knockhill BSB.
"I’m looking forward to Brands as always," Irwin said. "I feel like at Snetterton we started to get some consistency and I was fast in all conditions, and the same at Knockhill which bodes well for this weekend.
"The forecast looks good so I’m looking forward to some better conditions and three dry races. We were right where we needed to be at Snetterton, we just need to make that final little step to be right in the podium fight. We will keep the consistency going and the momentum we have built, enjoy it and work well together as a team with our target to be inside the top six. The main thing is I am enjoying my racing again which is hugely important."
Since coming back from the Isle of Man TT to BSB, Dean Harrison has struggled, especially in comparison to his two Honda teammates, to find consistency. At Knockhill he blamed himself, saying "the lads are good, the bike's good," but "I've been poor basically," while at Snetterton he "just had one of those weekends where we’ve been on the back foot all weekend," he said. "The combination of weather and some little technical problems has cost us track time, which ultimately means you are spending the weekend in a recovery mode."
Looking to Brands Hatch, Harrison is focused on having a smooth weekend to build consistency.
"Brands is always a great circuit to ride so I’m excited to get back there and have another crack at it," Harrison said. "I really want to have a smooth weekend with no problems and just build and build throughout the weekend. We’ve had a bit of bad luck of late so I aim to hit the ground running on Friday and try and put together a solid consistent weekend without any curve balls. The weather looks good, but you never know until you’re there, really, so we will see what the weekend brings."
