Tommy Bridewell delivered a masterclass at Knockhill in the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race of the weekend, becoming the fifth different winner of the season. The reigning champion celebrated his first victory with Honda Racing UK, while Rory Skinner and Andrew Irwin completed the podium, making it ten different riders who have scored top-three finishes in 2024.
Bridewell launched the Honda Fireblade from Omologato Pole Position to immediately take the lead on the opening lap, ahead of Jason O’Halloran and brothers Andrew and Glenn Irwin. The defending champion then set a series of fast laps, enough to break away from the chasing pack as the track dried after earlier heavy rainfall.
The battle for second was intense, with O’Halloran holding off pressure from the Irwin brothers, Christian Iddon, and Skinner, who was aiming for a home round success.
Andrew Irwin capitalized on his brother’s wide turn at the hairpin to forge ahead. Skinner, in his comeback race, moved up the order and by lap ten, the Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad rider was in fifth.
Andrew Irwin aimed for his first podium finish of the season, moving into second by lap 13, ahead of O’Halloran, who eventually finished fifth for Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki.
The fight for second then was between the Irwin brothers and Skinner. However, Glenn Irwin was forced to retire when he was shown the black and orange flag due to his Hager PBM Ducati smoking.
Skinner executed a perfect move down the inside at the Hairpin, overtaking Andrew Irwin on lap 16 to secure second place in front of his home crowd.
Kyle Ryde rebounded from his Qualifying crash to finish fourth for the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing team, as his teammate Ryan Vickers and Christian Iddon crashed out together on lap 17.
Josh Brookes achieved his best result of the season with a sixth-place finish on the lone FHO Racing BMW Motorrad, while Peter Hickman retired with a technical problem. Danny Kent finished seventh for McAMS Racing Yamaha, ahead of the MasterMac Honda pairing of Lee Jackson and Charlie Nesbitt.
Leon Haslam completed the top ten, salvaging points for ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad after his heavy crash in Free Practice yesterday.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Knockhill, Race 1 result:
- Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK)
- Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW Motorrad) +2.572
- Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) +4.290
- Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) +5.078
- Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) +7.141
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) +10.955
- Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) +11.364
- Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) +11.852
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) +13.410
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) +13.971
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
- Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 115
- Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) 111
- Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) 111
- Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 107
- Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) 88
- Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 84
- Jason O’Halloran (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) 81
- Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) 68
- Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team) 53
- Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) 53
MSVR Press Release
