Three podiums at Cadwell Park meant it was another good weekend for Tommy Bridewell in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. But it could have been so much better had he not continued to experience issues getting the Ducati Panigale off the line.

In every race around the 2.2-mile circuit, the Oxford Products Racing rider went backwards on the opening lap, dropping to the bottom of the top-10. But each time he fought back and ended the weekend with three third-place finishes and three more podium credits to his tally.
 
“Qualifying’s so important at Cadwell and I was disappointed not to be on the front row for the first race as I’m still struggling to get the bike off the line,” Bridewell said reflecting on his weekend.

"I've never been a bad starter and I've never struggled like I am now, it's almost impossible to stop the thing from wheelying. I've tried everything and the only thing that seems to work is slipping the clutch but by doing that, I lose a lot of drive."

"I can use a bit of rear brake but I'm using a 'scooter' style rear brake this year, rather than a thumb brake, as I prefer that when I'm riding. I'm not sure if it's just that or if there's maybe a bit of power delivery issue too."

"Either way, I’m losing quite a bit of time in the first few laps as a result and that’s preventing me from fighting for the wins. I had the pace to be at the front with Hicky and Jason but it’s hard to do those kinds of laps when you’re in traffic."

"It's frustrating as I'm having to ride so hard and I was nearly pulling the handlebars off the bike at the weekend! I just need that little bit more from the bike to make riding that little bit easier, or less hard."

The first race saw him finish 3.7s behind race winner Peter Hickman but Sunday’s first race looked like it would be even harder to get to the podium as he went from fourth on the grid to eighth at the end of the first lap.
 
His pace was even better this time around though and although third was again the outcome, he set the fastest lap of the race on his way to finishing just 0.8s behind Hickman.
 
“Race two was like the first and it was tough for me again. It was great fun as well, but I burnt up too much of my tyres trying to come through the pack,” Bridewell admitted.
 
“I had to put a few tough moves on people to get by, but I could see the front riders getting away, so I had to get stuck in. I charged hard to make up ground, but I didn’t have enough tyre left for the last two laps.”
 
The pole position for the final race looked like it would give him his best chance of victory, but the problems were plain to see as he could only watch Hickman, O’Halloran and co. leave him on the drag to Coppice.
 
On this occasion he didn’t drop as far back on the opening lap but it was a third consecutive third place for the Wiltshire ace although the results mean he now’s practically certain to be in the Showdown once more, with 16 podium credits to his name.

"I guess I should be happy with three third-places and I've told myself to be more positive this year but having won at Donington, I've realised that's all I want from my racing! Obviously, I know you can't win every race but if we can unlock that little bit we're missing with the bike, I think things could be different and we could take things to the next step."

"I knew Knockhill and Thruxton wouldn't be great meetings for me but I've been strong at the rest and feel like I'm riding well. The results mean we're getting some momentum at the right time. Jason's obviously riding really well and the Yamaha is a very strong, all-round package but we're putting ourselves in the right place to have a real good push in the second half of the season."