13/11/2023
Brands Hatch BSB: The theatre of Champions delivers perhaps its most riveting chapter yet
So that’s it. Tommy Bridewell is your 2023 champion. Though all that remains physically of a weekend which will be remembered for generations is just loose confetti and evaporating champagne, the emotions and passions conveyed in the scenes following the final race of the year will reverberate in the buildings adorning the paddock and the souls of those involved forever more. Whether the rider you support won or not, you have to admit that, in the end, the sport of Motorcycle Racing won.
The climax to the 2023 season: Each twist and turn from every session
The small matter of qualifying was first on the competitive agenda after three free practice sessions during Friday and Saturday morning, with the first session being a make or break 12 minutes for Leon Haslam, who knew he had to qualify well to even have half a hope of ultimate glory. He would make hard work of it, appearing to spin up everywhere as tyre temperature came at a real premium. In the end, he managed to grab one of the six spots to carry him into the second part of qualifying, ending the session top. He would be joined by Shropshire lad Storm Stacey, rookie Bradley Perie, IN Competition Aprilia rider Fraser Rogers, who was riding one of the most beautiful looking and sounding bikes on the grid, with Tom Booth Amos and rookie of the year Charlie Nesbitt joining them in the second session.
With the title contenders treading lightly at the start of the second session and Glenn Irwin being plagued by issues, it left the spotlight to be cast on the likes of Tom Booth Amos and Charlie Nesbitt who profited from the extra track time in the session before. The order would eventually shake out, with Aussie Jason O’Halloran taking the pole with Leon Haslam and Charlie Nesbitt joining him on the front row. The other notable names behind were Kyle Ryde rounding out the second row of the grid with Tommy Bridewell starting in 7th position. The main story of the session was the struggles of Glenn Irwin who could only manage 17th place.
BikeSocial Sprint: Bridewell and Irwin eyeball to eyeball once more as Ryde and O’Halloran take it to the line
A pencil thin racing line greeted the riders as they lined up for the first encounter of the weekend, with O’Halloran taking the hole shot ahead of a fast-starting Leon Haslam with Jack Kennedy ahead of championship leader Tommy Bridewell in fourth. It wouldn’t take long for the cream to rise to the top as Kyle Ryde made great progress early on, taking the lead on lap 3, just as Glenn Irwin simultaneously moved through from 17th to 4th. That left Ryde in the lead, with O’Halloran chasing behind closely. In 3rd and 4th, the two PBM boys prepared once more for battle.
The penultimate lap of the race was when the action would really kick off. Irwin finally let the brake off into Stirlings, bravely taking to the damper part of the track to try to complete the move. He ended up running wide, blowing the apex completely, and was lucky to not have hit the deck. Irwin’s moment allowed Bridewell to gap him, giving him a comfortable third in the end. Ahead, the battle for the lead had reached fever pitch, with O’Halloran going for the inside into Paddock Hill. Ryde managed to get the undercut on the exit, giving him back the lead. O’Halloran never gave up though, using his superior exit out of the final corner to take the race all the way to the line, with Ryde just taking victory by just 0.015 seconds.
Sunday Race 2: Those two again
Lining up on Sunday for the second outing of the weekend, Tommy Bridewell knew he only needed to finish directly behind Glenn Irwin in both of Sunday’s races in order to be crowned 2023 Superbike champion. It was a similar story to Saturday, with the same front four starting to pull away from the group behind, but this time led by Irwin with the two Yamaha riders of Ryde and O’Halloran sitting 2nd and 3rd and Bridewell running in 4th. The course of the race would alter after lap 8 when Christian Iddon high-sided on the exit of Druids, with Christian battered and bruised but not seriously injured, but nonetheless needing the intervention of a safety car. The cold temperatures of Brands Hatch meant that when they tipped onto the left side of the tyre, which gets less of a workout around Brands Hatch because of the proportion of right-hand corners to left-hand corners, there would be lower tyre temperature so less grip, particularly apparent through Graham Hill Bend and Surtees. That all came to shuddering fruition at Surtees when the R1, with its beautiful tribute livery to the outgoing McAMS team, of Jason O’Halloran suddenly and violently washed out, taking him out of contention for both the race and the title.
After that, the main battle was between Bridewell and Ryde, with the pair first engaging in battle between Hawthorn and Westfield, with the Yamaha man just about managing to fend off the Ducati man. Bridewell would finally get his man on lap 15 of the race into Paddock Hill. That led us to the finish, with Bridewell completing part one of his Sunday mission, knowing the same again would suffice to sew up the championship, as Kyle Ryde valiantly fought to complete the podium.
Race 3: A champion is crowned
Tension hung thick in the air as the title fighters knew that this could be the end of the road for their title challenge. Ryan Vickers took the hole shot into turn one but had the early attentions of a Tommy Bridewell desperate to get the job done as quickly as possible to deal with through the opening couple of corners. Bridewell wasted absolutely no time, launching an assault into Surtees on race leader Vickers. Eventually the order would shake out with Ryde finding his way to the lead with Tommy still running second. The attentions of Ryan Vickers and Glenn Irwin were never far away from the leading pair behind, giving us a four-way fight for the lead through much of the race. After passing Vickers on lap 6, Irwin set after making the move on his teammate. Brands Hatch collectively held its breath as Irwin levelled Bridewell on the brakes coming into Surtees, running the Wiltshire farmer wide, allowing Vickers between the pair of them. If the flag had been thrown out then, Irwin would have taken the title.
After both the PBM Ducati riders passed Kyle Ryde, Irwin knew he would have to get a little creative if he still wanted this championship. His creativity on lap 17 came by accident to a degree, when his Ducati very nearly flicked him through the exit of Paddock Hill due to him looking over his shoulder at the pursuing pack. The ensuing mess that came at Druids meant that he’d let Kyle Ryde turn under both himself and Tommy Bridewell while also maintaining second, meaning it was now Irwin who was one pass away from taking the title once more. After spending a couple of laps measuring the move, Irwin executed the pass on the way into Hawthorn corner on the penultimate lap, meaning Bridewell had to also overtake Ryde to wrestle back control of the championship. On the approach to Druids on the final lap of the season, Bridewell made his move, out-braking Kyle Ryde while the bike bucked and kicked on the entry to the corner. Gritting his teeth, he just about shut the door in time, meaning he just had to keep Ryde behind to win the championship as the destiny of the title changed hands for the 8th time in the race. Despite Ryde applying all the pressure he could as they battled through the Grand Prix loop for the final time, Tommy held on to claim his first British Superbike title, as a devastated Glenn Irwin took the race victory with Kyle Ryde completing an incredibly emotional podium.
Tommy Bridewell – Your British Champion: The unlikeliest mix
The moment of the weekend must when, having just been crowned the champion after one of the most dramatic final races ever seen, Tommy Bridewell lifted the trophy, presenting it to the heavens, and by doing so, completing, as he put it, his life’s dream. In this moment, the emotions were clear to see for everyone. His face painted a clear picture of joy, glory, sadness in equal measure. With Bridewell riding with the memory of his older brother Ollie who lost his life in British Superbikes back in 2007, you could sense the suffering that has taken him to this crowning moment, not least one of the most polarising and fierce battles this little rock has ever seen on two wheels.
One of the most remarkable things about Tommy is the contrast between the way he can present himself off the track, where he often speaks from the heart, to on the track, where he appears to ride in an incredibly smooth and balanced fashion, on a weekend where he had everything bar the kitchen sink thrown at him. When you factor in all the emotion, remembering just how intertwined his racing and personal life is, it makes the way he rides even more astounding.
We’ve focussed so much on Tommy off the track, that you almost forget the sheer brilliance of the move he put on Kyle Ryde, which we now know was the defining move in this years championship. One of the most incredible things about his pass, executed on the last lap of the championship into Druids corner, was the fact it came in a place you wouldn’t have expected it to come. If the move was on, the form horse would have surely been using superior speed advantage in his Bologna bullet to past past down the straight into Hawthorn corner, something which is much easier said than done. But no, that wasn’t the way he was going to do it. Instead, he pulled one of the most inch perfect moves you could dream of seeing, putting his life’s mission, his heart and soul, every gram of power he could muster, to try to stop his Ducati on the apex, with the rear fully out of line, knowing one twitch, one bump, one miniscule error, and the crown would be placed atop the head of his arch rival. Bearing in mind this was at the end of the most exhausting races where the pendulum swung one way and the other countless times over and over, it made the winning overtake even more breath-taking and unbelievable.
Bridewell, Irwin, Ryde: The greatest battle ever?
At the end of 33 races, spanning the length and breadth of this country, taking in every single track, each with its own quirky twists, turns and challenges, the top two in the championship, despite everything that was said and actions taken on the track, ended the season separated by just 0.5 points. As ever, in any sport, any close finish has its contrast of the highs for the victor, and the tantalising despair for the loser knowing just how close they were. In this case, it’s Irwin who will reflect on one of the most incredible finale meetings dreaming of what could have been. Though I can’t repeat the words Tommy used to describe Glenn’s season, you would be failing to clear a very low bar if you couldn’t at least echo his sentiment. Despite the wounds of defeat smarting heavily right now, there is no doubt that his time will come.
In a duel as close as this, how can anyone say that he was beaten. Even suggesting the old cliché, “The best man won” is still incredibly difficult, they both had great reasons and seasons which were deserving of the title. As it happened, fate had it that the championship would head to Bridewell, but none of that should detract from the incredible season that Glenn has put together, having won almost a third of the races.
Another thing to remember about this finals weekend was the part of Kyle Ryde, who rode probably the best weekend of his career on a Superbike when it really mattered. Like Irwin, I think Kyle will be incredibly proud of the campaign he has put together but might just rue the slight slump he had around Snetterton and Brands Hatch during the middle of the year. Replacing those races with consistent top five results, and it’s not out of the question that it could have been him walking out as the champion to an adoring crowd on Sunday evening. If you were looking for another man whose time is coming, then Kyle Ryde will be very high on that list.
None of the above is meant to be a criticism of Kyle Ryde. If anything, it lifts the achievements of Bridewell and Irwin, reminding everyone the level you must be at to claim the biggest prize in British Motorcycle racing. All three of them were riding at a level you only achieve in the heat of a generational battle, and Kyle was right at the forefront of that, riding a Yamaha which, there is no secret, isn’t as good as the kit the Ducati boys are sat on at the moment. To ride the R1 the way he did was miraculous, perhaps bordering on perfection. We all know perfection is a bit of a cliff face, the closer you get, the more liable you are to going over the edge and into the abyss of the gravel trap. With so much at stake, all three were dancing with destiny, in perhaps the most daring number ever attempted.
One championship winner, two champions: The respect, finally
If you’d told someone that you would have the ability to write that as a sub-heading this time last month, you’d have probably been laughed aside. When you think about it, two men, both with huge personalities, each going for their first title, the fact there were fireworks is perhaps no real surprise. There is a decent likelihood that they still don’t like each other, but what we saw Sunday, straight after the last race, when the pair embraced after sharing the most emotionally charged and personal title chases in the history of bike racing, you could feel the respect between the two of them.
There was something about this battle in particular which seemed to really capture the imagination of the British public. The evidence was for all to see, with Brands Hatch absolutely packed to the rafters as people waited with bated breath to see the destiny of this years Superbike crown. Whether it was the story coming into it, with two titans whose paths had already crossed this year, or the story of an incredible woman, battling her own bereavement after the tragic loss of her father earlier in the year as she tried to control a divided team and find her own way as a leader. Chucked in at the deep end doesn’t even come close to describing what Jordan Bird has had to contend with as she experienced, at just 24-years-old, more than many team managers deal with in an entire career in the first three rounds of her tenure ship. There surely can be no truer champion than her in the paddock this year.
Where from here: 2024 beckons
As is inevitable after a season finishing in as exciting a fashion as this, many will already be looking ahead to what 2024 will offer, with the small matter of the season starting in Spain at Navarra, which has recently been acquired by the MSV group led by Jonathan Palmer. One of the greatest storylines of this 2023 season has been the ascendency of the new crop of rookies who are coming through, fronted most obviously by the top three in the rookies standings this year with Charlie Nesbitt running out winner, followed home by Max Cook and Bradley Perie. The calibre of rookie may in future be looked back on in the same way that the young crop of talent in 2007-2009 in terms of what they went onto achieve when he looked in the future.
Add into the equation the introduction of the pathway bike towards the end of the season, which has allowed new specifications of bikes to be tested as a bridge from Superstock to Superbike, which lowers the cost of being able to step up to the big class. As well as this, it has also brought in talented riders onto the big stage such as Franco Bourne, Alex Olsen, Fraser Rogers, Shaun Winfield and Tom Booth Amos. It was Tom Booth Amos who really showed up out of all the pathway bikes, impressing greatly during a qualifying session in which Mother Nature threw everything at the riders. You can only assume that his performance over the weekend did his chances of picking up a Superbike ride in the future a whole heap of good. Another man who has really impressed this season has been Franco Bourne, with the 19-year-old lad from County Durham taking victory in just his second 1000cc Superstock race all the way back at Silverstone. The season since then would have him take in a few rounds on the factory Honda Superbike replacing the injured Andrew Irwin before continuing his apprenticeship on the pathway Superbike back with the Marvel HCL Motorsport Team. Make no mistake about it, the 2020 British Talent Cup Champion is coming in the future, and you would have to say that he is one of the brightest prospects the British paddock has seen in many a year.
The closing word on a weekend to remember:
We now have the depressing prospect of the descent into winter fully taking over, if it hadn’t already after the weekend, without the thrill of BSB as the evenings continue to darken. However, the feeling after the final Superbike race is something that will live on in all those who saw them as the battle of the 2023 British Superbike Championship takes its rightful place alongside the other great battles and stories in Motorsport folklore. Ultimately, it was a weekend where we wanted a hero to take on the pressure of the occasion and become a champion. It turned out that there was actually three. It doesn’t seem fair to say that given that every rider, no matter class or position, who rolls out of pit lane and puts their life, their health, their soul and passion on the line as they lay it all down to chase their dreams while entertaining each and every one of us, is one hell of a hero in my book. The beauty of a weekend like last weekend is bearing witness to people who we follow and support, each of whom are relatable to all of us in some way, realising their dreams, and in some cases, living out the pinnacle of their lives.
Thank you Tommy, Glenn and Kyle for delivering one of the greatest sporting spectacles I personally have ever seen.
