Just as it had been at Donington Park, the second round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton proved to be a happy hunting ground for Glenn Irwin with a first and a second place finish helping him extend his championship lead on something he describes as 'not far off a road bike'.
The Honda Racing rider claimed a third BSB career victory on Sunday which followed on from a second place finish earlier in the day and he left the Norfolk venue with a healthy 23-point lead over Tommy Bridewell. It could have been better still had he not made a mistake during Saturday’s encounter which saw him come from tenth to fourth.
“Saturday’s race was enjoyable but I made a mistake at turn three and nearly ran into the back of Jason O’Halloran although I was pleased to come back through the pack and take fourth. We can see where the Fireblade is really strong and I was able to run with the Ducati's but we know where we have to improve too.”
The Carrickfergus rider made no such mistakes in either of Sunday’s races and after taking second place behind Josh Brookes at the beginning of the day, he took a controlled victory later in the day. Working his way from seventh on the opening lap, he hit the front on the tenth lap and was able to pull away when none of the other riders could.
“Sunday made it a perfect weekend and it was a great feeling to be back on the top step. At the same time, all the second places I’ve had so far this season have felt like wins as I was extending my lead in the championship – but getting the win is a really sweet feeling.”
Irwin has bounced back well after a spell in the doldrums and it’s clear he’s been revitalised since moving to Honda, benefiting both on and off the track. Few would have had him, or Honda, as Championship leaders after six races but he's certainly a title candidate now although he’s keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
“2019 was a really difficult year and things got really tough but I’ve come to Honda and it’s a really professional team, right from the PR side of things through to the technicians. The bike’s still not far off a road bike and the results so far have been great but we have to keep our feet on the ground as we might get to Silverstone and not feature in the top five.”
“I’m trying to ride in an aggressive, but controlled, manner and that’s what I did in race three, trying to be precise at all times. I won’t get carried away though and will approach Silverstone in the same way I did Donington and Silverstone but let’s keep the ball rolling.”
