Tommy Bridewell clinches the 2023 BSB title by a margin of just half a point, narrowly edging out Glenn Irwin.

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Tommy Bridewell of BeerMonster Ducati secured the 2023 British Superbike Championship after claiming second place in a tense final race of the season at Brands Hatch, closely following his nearest rival Glenn Irwin.

Bridewell’s last-lap maneuver against Kyle Ryde (racing for LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha) for the second spot ultimately proved crucial, granting him the necessary extra points to nullify Irwin’s victorious performance and maintaining a slight lead.

This marked a fitting conclusion to a season characterized by fluctuations between two beloved, seasoned teammates, Bridewell and Irwin. Their dedication resulted in Paul Bird Motorsport clinching their ninth BSB title, serving as a poignant tribute to their late team boss, Paul Bird.

Bridewell began the race from the pole position, but it was Ryan Vickers on the second OMG machine who led into Paddock Hill, surpassing the Ducati rider. However, Bridewell regained the lead at Hawthorn and was in front at the end of the first lap, with Vickers, Ryde, Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha), Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati), and Irwin following.

Ryde moved into second place on the second lap, and Irwin overtook Iddon for fifth at Surtees. Shortly after, Irwin secured fourth place at Hawthorn. Meanwhile, Ryde took the lead at Dingle Dell during a lively second lap.

By the fourth lap, the top five riders—Ryde, Bridewell, Vickers, Irwin, and Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad Team)—had created a slight gap ahead of the sixth-placed Iddon. Iddon now had Max Cook (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) and Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW) as his close competitors, with the two swapping positions on the fifth lap.

Irwin briefly claimed third place at the beginning of the sixth lap, but Vickers quickly fought back. Nevertheless, the Ducati rider successfully made the pass at Hawthorn later in the lap and then focused on doing the same to his teammate.

Drama unfolded on the seventh lap as Irwin made a late overtake to move ahead of Bridewell at Surtees. With Bridewell running slightly wide, Vickers managed to slip into third place, shifting the championship advantage in Irwin’s favor. However, there were still several laps to go in the race.

As lap eight unfolded, the race order was Irwin, Ryde, Vickers, Bridewell, Haslam, Iddon, and Brookes, with just a 1.5-second gap separating them. However, by the following lap, Bridewell made a move to reclaim third place and tucked in behind Irwin, putting himself back in control.

Ryde continued to lead the pack, and the front four were slowly creating a gap from the three riders trailing behind. On the 11th lap, Irwin seized the lead at Hawthorn, which meant Bridewell had to secure second place if he wanted to win the championship.

When they started the thirteenth lap, only half a second separated the leading four riders. Bridewell regained second place, taking the championship lead with a maneuver at Hawthorn, where the Ducati pulled up alongside and then moved ahead of the Yamaha.

Irwin appeared strong in the lead, but he needed to involve the riders behind him, primarily getting Ryde to pass Bridewell. However, Bridewell continuously blocked any attempts by Ryde, and the competition between them remained extremely close and tense.

As they embarked on the 17th lap of 20, the top three riders were closely bunched together, separated by a mere two tenths of a second. A slight hiccup by Irwin at Paddock Hill allowed Ryde to jump from third to first. Irwin reclaimed the lead at Hawthorn, but another slip-up allowed Ryde to move ahead with three laps remaining.

Commencing the second-to-last lap, Ryde was leading, followed by Irwin and Bridewell. It seemed that the Yamaha rider had a slightly better grip, but Irwin had different plans and regained the lead at his preferred spot, Hawthorn. This put him back in the championship lead as they approached the final lap.

On the last lap, Bridewell snatched second place at Druids, which turned out to be the decisive move. He successfully held off Ryde for the rest of the lap, and although Irwin secured the race win, Bridewell finished just 0.372 seconds behind to claim the championship victory by half a point.

Ryde took third place in both the race and the championship standings, while Vickers wrapped up his excellent season in fourth position. Haslam and Iddon followed in fifth and sixth, respectively. O’Halloran, Lee Jackson (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki), Brookes, and Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) completed the top ten.