Glenn Irwin underlines team’s British Superbike Championship title belief

Motorcycling

Glenn Irwin enjoyed a fine weekend in Spain

James Robinson

Glenn Irwin made a steady start to the British Superbike Championship after finishing fourth and eighth in the opening races of the season at Navarra in Spain.

OMG Yamaha’s Ryan Vickers took the early series lead after clinching a double, beating team-mate Kyle Ryde in the first race and Danny Kent (McAMS Yamaha) in the second encounter.

Ulsterman Irwin has finished as the runner-up in the championship in the past two seasons, including narrowly missing out on becoming Northern Ireland’s first BSB champion last year when he was beaten to the title by his then PBM Ducati team-mate Tommy Bridewell by only half a point.

The 34-year-old is determined to go one better and will now look to challenge for the podium places at Oulton Park in less than two weeks’ time after Yamaha riders dominated at Navarra.

“It certainly is,” said Irwin when asked if the Spanish circuit was a ‘Yamaha track’.

“They’re amazing when they get out front at a track like this. But we also have some good areas and there’s a lot of tracks that they will probably say suit the Ducati, so no complaints.

“The guys have worked really hard and we looked quite slow in the final corner, but we found some power and we never sit still, and we always believe.”

Vickers won the first race by 1.3s from Ryde, with Kent eight tenths back in third. Irwin was 4.3s in arrears in fourth ahead of Rory Skinner (Cheshire Mouldings BMW).

In Race 2, Vickers almost gifted victory to Kent at the last corner on the final lap when he lost the front of his Yamaha.

He recovered and held on to win by 0.277s on the line, with Ryde on the rostrum again in third.

Honda Racing’s Andrew Irwin had a tough weekend, finishing 16th and 13th, while team-mate and reigning champion Bridewell was forced out of the second race with a technical problem while holding third.

The English rider was seventh in the first race despite starting from 15th place on the grid after his machine developed an issue in Superpole qualifying.

In the Supersport class, Alastair Seeley finished seventh and sixth on his return to the class on the Binch Racing Yamaha.

Dublin’s Jack Kennedy was third in the Sprint race for Honda Racing and fifth in Sunday’s feature race.

In the British Talent Cup, meanwhle, debutant Jack Burrows was 11th and ninth while Cullybackey’s Peter Willis was seventh, 19th and 12th.

Antrim’s Nikki Coates won the main BMW F900R Cup race, while Derek Sheils finished up ninth.