The new Pirelli tyre has allowed Yamaha and Ducati to improve, but Tommy Bridewell and Honda have stayed the same.
After destroying his Honda CBR1000RR-R on Saturday, Tommy Bridewell was riding a new bike on Sunday at Donington Park.
The 2023 British Superbike Champion has struggled in the opening five races of the season. At Donington Park, he failed to finish the opening race, then finished eighth and seventh in Races Two and Three.
After fighting for the podium last year, Bridewell's pace has stayed the same at Donington Park. However, with the new Pirelli rear tyre, the Yamaha and Ducati riders have been able to improve their pace and leave the Hondas behind.
"It was effectively a new bike today [Sunday] after my crash yesterday [Saturday], which didn’t miss a beat - so thank you to Ryan and Tom and the whole team for building it," Bridewell said after Round Two of the British Superbike Championship.
"We even had people from the Supersport garage as well as our own guys getting the bike built overnight, everyone was chipping in. This morning’s times (20th place in Warm-Up) weren't really representative. We didn’t have a problem, it’s just that the tyre rules we have in BSB at the moment are just madness. Because of that, the morning sessions, FP3 on Saturday and Warm-Up on Sunday are just a waste of time. You make sure that everything’s bolted on, and that’s it.
"The first race today [Sunday], we went back to my 2024 setup to get a bit of an understanding. I think for me, the crux of it is that we’ve got a new tyre, a bit grippier, and it certainly looks like it has benefited Yamaha and Ducati more than us.
"My pace is very, very similar to last year, my times are almost identical to last year and I’m riding as hard as I can without crashing - and yesterday [Saturday] I went a bit harder than that and I crashed!
"Last year, I was riding that hard to fight for podiums. This year, I’m riding that hard for sixth or seventh and the only difference is how our bikes are responding to the new tyre. It’s certainly frustrating, so we’ve all got a bit of work to do together to find that next step."
After the opening two rounds of the season, Bridewell finds himself eighth in the 2025 British Superbike Championship and is 53 points behind Bradley Ray.
