Tommy Bridewell delivered the best performance in his long British Superbike Championship (BSB) career at Snetterton at the weekend with his first-ever treble in the series, sending out a clear message to his rivals.
The BeerMonster Ducati rider had taken eight podiums across the first 12 races but only one of those was a victory and having never been a prolific race winner in BSB, the personal pressure was on to up his game in his quest for a long-awaited dream title.
Second in practice and then fourth in qualifying, Bridewell utilised all of those sessions to focus on his race pace and it was a move that paid dividends as he looked the most likely victor in each race.
Indeed, he timed his move to perfection on each occasion, kickstarting his triple success in Saturday’s Sprint race when he overhauled team-mate Glenn Irwin on the final lap.
“That was a mega race! Glenn was riding well but I’ve been keeping my head down, working with my team and doing all the hard work so it was a pleasing race,” he said.
“I felt like I had better pace than the others, but I knew Glenn would be determined enough to come back at me and so it proved.”
“He was better in a couple of places but, overall, I felt stronger, and the bike was working well so felt confident of getting back ahead. I was so determined to win the race.”
It got better still for the Wiltshire rider on Sunday with his 11th and 12th career BSB victories, the first by a relatively commanding 1.6s but the second by just 0.032s after a long battle with Irwin.
>>> UPDATED: 2023 BSB Championship Standings <<<
The two team-mates now have four wins apiece and 20 podiums between them after the first five rounds but it’s Bridewell who has the upper hand in the standings, his lead now 25 points.
“What can I say, it’s been a great weekend and whilst these types of meeting don’t come around more often, unfortunately, I’m delighted to take my first ever treble.
"We’ve hardly changed the bike all weekend and the team absolutely hit the nail on the head with set-up so a huge thanks to them.”
“It was nice to go toe to toe with Glenn in the final race with neither of us willing to give an inch, but it was good, clean racing. I focused on preserving the tyre in the early stages and we exchanged places on more than one occasion, so it was nice to come out on top and get the job done.”
Bridewell was quite vocal after his Sprint race win but was more reserved after Sunday’s victories, insisting there’s still a harmonious environment within the Ducati garage.
“Glenn’s a phenomenal rider and doing an awesome job. He got the better of me at Knockhill but it was my turn this weekend so I’m expecting many more battles.
"I’m here to win the Championship though, it’s as simple as that. I’ve got the team and infrastructure to do it so wins like this are what I need.”
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