Tommy Bridewell has given a resounding thumbs up to his new Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade package after sampling the machine he’ll ride in defence of his British Superbike Championship title at Portimao.

Little more than a week after it was announced Bridewell would be switching from the Paul Bird Motorsport Ducati team he won the 2023 BSB title with in favour of a move to Honda Racing UK, Bridewell put his new steed through its paces in damp-to-dry conditions in Portugal.

Despite the inclement weather, Bridewell - riding his first inline-four machine since he started the 2018 BSB season on the Halsall Suzuki before switching to Moto Rapido Ducati - was full of praise for the Fireblade, going as far to say he would fight for the podium straight away.

“I was surprised at how much it actually pulled, I was almost thinking it was going to rev almost kike all noise and no go, stupid as it sounds, but it actually pulled strong, really strong. First impressions were good, really good, which is a bonus!

“To be honest, the main thing for me then was I rode around and thought ‘oh, this feels like my bike already’, so for me I was happy. 

“I felt like, if I was to line up on the grid now, I’d be fighting for a podium. I feel fast, I feel good on entry and I feel good on braking - 100% I’d be fighting for the podium if we were lining up now.

“Enjoyable, very enjoyable. First impressions are really positive, I enjoyed the bike, felt comfortable straight away, which is always the main target. Looking forward to getting 2024 underway.”