Oulton Park – Round 2
It has been a mixed weekend for Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing Team at round two of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park. Tommy was sixth in the opening race; he had a small crash in race two and rounded off the weekend with a fantastic second place in the final race of the weekend.
It has been a mixed weekend for Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing Team at round two of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park. Tommy was sixth in the opening race; he had a small crash in race two and rounded off the weekend with a fantastic second place in the final race of the weekend.
The weather conditions at Oulton Park were mixed on Friday and Saturday and it was hard to get some good consistent laps under their belt. There have been many changes to the Ducati this year and every track the team goes too they are starting fresh with new settings and making Tommy as comfortable as possible on the new machine.
Tommy was within the top five of both practice sessions on Friday and this automatically secured a place in the second qualifying session on Sunday. In FP3 Tommy topped the time sheets and his race pace was beginning to look strong. However, the weather changed for qualifying and in the tricky conditions Tommy ended up starting the opening race on Sunday from 16th place on the grid. He knew he had a lot of work to do but he always shines come the races, he got an average start but soon dug deep and began to make some strong passes and progress through the field. He was soon up to sixth place and rapidly catching the battle for the podium, sadly the race was red-flagged and cut short, he had to settle for sixth.
This promoted him on the grid to fifth for race two on Monday, in the dry conditions Tommy was eager to make quick progress through the field. He was about to make a pass for fourth but was caught out and tucked the front crashing out of the race. He’d managed a few laps and was placed in fourth on the grid for the final Superbike race. Another good start and great pace saw him eager to get a strong result. He managed to reel in race leader Brad Ray but in the process took Lee Jackson with him, he briefly took to the front but a move by Jackson saw Tommy pushed back to second, he had nothing more in the tank but secured a fantastic second place, his first podium of the season. He is now seventh in the Championship standings.
Tommy Bridewell: “It’s been an up and down weekend for definite. We got caught out in qualifying which made the weekend hard, we came through to a strong sixth from 16th on Sunday and we had strong pace.
I made a mistake in race two, but we bounced back in the final race to get second and our first podium of the season. It’s really positive all round and we still have a lot of work to do on this new spec bike but it’s certainly going in the right direction.
Thank you for all the teams sponsors and the supporters and we’re looking forward to some more strong results at Donington in a few weeks’ time.”
Silverstone – Round 1
It was the opening round of the British Superbike Championship this weekend for Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing team at Silverstone Circuit. It was a solid start to the opening round and Tommy secured a seventh, eighth and a seventh in the three races.
It was a challenging weekend for the team as they struggled with set-up and tyre wear especially in the two longer races on Sunday. It has never been their strongest track and it is good now to be able to move on to some tracks that are more suited to Tommy and the Ducati.
It was the opening round of the British Superbike Championship this weekend for Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing team at Silverstone Circuit. It was a solid start to the opening round and Tommy secured a seventh, eighth and a seventh in the three races.
It was a challenging weekend for the team as they struggled with set-up and tyre wear especially in the two longer races on Sunday. It has never been their strongest track and it is good now to be able to move on to some tracks that are more suited to Tommy and the Ducati.
Everyone worked extremely hard over the weekend and to leave in eighth position in the Championship standings is not a bad start to the Championship campaign. It is a very long season; it is important to pace ourselves and continue to get consistent Championship points.
Tommy had good practice and qualifying sessions and started the opening race on Saturday from fourth place on the grid. It’s hard to pass at Silverstone and only one main racing line but he got a reasonable start and was riding well but just lost rear grip from around the halfway point in the race, he slipped back to finish in seventh.
He was back in eighth for the second race on Sunday and the team made some overnight changes to help his progress. The races on Sunday were longer and his initial lap times were strong but once again struggled in the closing stages and had to settle for eighth place.
A big bold change for the final race of the weekend and Tommy started from seventh place, he worked hard and again had good pace, he secured another solid seventh position. Everyone worked extremely hard, they are now looking forward to moving on to more suited circuits and fighting for the podiums and wins.
Tommy Bridewell – “It was a positive but frustrating weekend; we need to understand what the difference is having the new parts on the bike. We can see the positives its made and we just need to unlock the true potential of the new bike to allow me to just make that step forwards.
It was a good weekend, the team worked great as always, we worked hard, we were learning all weekend. We knew it wouldn’t be easy as Silverstone has always been a tricky track for us in the past.
I’m really happy with the potential we have and the steps forward that we are definitely going to make, it will only get better at the rest of the rounds.”
Brands Hatch: The final round
“I’m disappointed to not lift the title but also really pleased to finish second, I couldn’t ask for anymore, the team have done a phenomenal job. I feel like I’m riding the best I’ve ever ridden and I’m really proud of every challenge thrown at me I’ve been there fighting”
Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing team could not have given any more this weekend and tried so hard to take the Bennetts British Superbike Championship to the final race of the season. Tommy was astounding at Brands Hatch securing three hard fought second places but also clinched an amazing second place in the British Championship standings.
The weather conditions were a bit mixed this weekend especially for qualifying on Saturday. Tommy rode really hard to gain fifth on the grid for the opening Superbike race. He got a strong start and he was eager to get towards the front quickly. Despite a few collisions with Christian Iddon he was able to stay on, set some super-fast lap times and he was battling Tarren (Mackenzie) for the win. He just was not able to get the better of him and finished second place just 0.16!
He was so quick in race one he was sitting on pole position for race two on Sunday. He got a great start and really battled hard, he was locked in a scrap with Tarren again and led the majority of the race, narrowly avoiding a big crash when Taz had a huge moment out the back of the circuit and Tommy hit his rear wheel! He re-grouped got his head down, got back in the lead and the two had a drag to the line with Taz taking the win and the Championship by 0.087!
Once again Tommy was quickest in the race and sat on pole position again for the final race of the 2021 season. He got a fantastic start and was soon battling up at the front again; he soon took the lead and spent the entire race once again fending off Tarren Mackenzie. Taz snuck underneath him pushing Tommy back to second position at the end of the race.
We are excited already for the 2022 season; we are very grateful to all our loyal sponsors and great to always have their continued support. We would like to congratulate Tarren Mackenzie and the McAms Yamaha team on winning the Championship, we will be back again in 2022 and up for another fight!
Tommy Bridewell: “I’m really happy, obviously the goal was to come away with the Championship but we just couldn’t manage it despite how much we tried. To fight tooth and nail with Tarran all weekend was great, I had nothing left, I gave everything I possibly could, there was nothing left to give!
The last two or three rounds we’ve made massive progress, to have signed for next year and make this progress now is brilliant. I’m disappointed to not lift the title but also really pleased to finish second, I couldn’t ask for anymore, the team have done a phenomenal job. I feel like I’m riding the best I’ve ever ridden and I’m really proud of every challenge thrown at me I’ve been there fighting.
Second in the Championship is brilliant, top Ducati rider and now all our concentration will be focussed on 2022 and going one better.”
Iain Hopcroft: "Such an amazing season that we could not have achieved without each and everyone’s input!
I am so proud of the team and they deserve all your kind words and social media posts (of which I have received a fair amount already) for the hard work and dedication they have put in this season. I am looking forward to what 2022 brings and hope you can join us for the journey once more."
As a team our success sheet reads:
Tommy Bridewell 2nd in the British Superbike Championship
Josh Day 1st in the Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup (three-time back-to-back champion)
Carl Stevens 1st R&G Shield within the Ducati Cup
Ollie Walker 8th Honda British Talent Cup
Ryan Hitchcock 15th Honda British Talent Cup
Tommy Bridewell re-signs to remain with the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team for 2022
Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team are to continue their winning relationship into next year and will contest the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship together for the fourth consecutive year.
Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team are to continue their winning relationship into next year and will contest the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship together for the fourth consecutive year.
Tommy Bridewell: "I am obviously really happy to be staying with the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team for another year. For me it was a logical decision to continue next season, we are strong as a team and the Ducati is the all-round package. I feel that together we can fight for the championship,” said Bridewell.
I am really excited for the rest of this year, pre-season testing and looking ahead to 2022. It is nice to be in a position now where my contract is signed and I can really focus on the final two rounds of this year and continue going forwards."
Steve Moore: "I am really happy to announce that Tommy will be back with the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team next season. We have come a long way since we began working together.
What started as a few races has turned into a long-standing relationship, which is hard to come by. So far, we have celebrated race wins, podium finishes, and we are fighting for the championship, so I am excited to see what we can continue to accomplish as a team.
We can now look ahead to next season, but also importantly focus on this year’s title fight now without any distraction and that is important for all of us.
I also want to thank our title sponsor Oxford Products who continue their association with us along with many of our long-standing partners. This continuity in all areas of the team will only be a positive as we continue our ambition to achieve further success in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship."
Donington Park: Round 10
It was a mixed weekend for Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing team at the penultimate round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park
It was a mixed weekend for Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing team at the penultimate round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park. Heading into October, weather was always going to become a factor to the series. Tommy crashed out of wet race one then secured a seventh and fourth in the final two races.
It was cold and wet the majority of the weekend and this played havoc with tyre choices and set-up. Tommy was able to qualify on the second row in sixth for the opening race on Saturday. The weather conditions were horrendous for race one and Donington is renowned for being like an ice-rink once wet. He got a good start and looked settled in second place when he just touched the brakes and down he went, crashing out.
After the disappointment of Saturday Tommy was keen to make amends on the Sunday. The weather once again was cold so Tommy and the team opted for the harder SC0 tyre, sadly this did not work with the Ducati as they had hoped, he started from fifth but just could not get the heat and grip in the tyres that he wanted and finished in seventh place.
He started race three from ninth and as they sat on the grid the heavens opened again and soaked everything, a delayed start enabled the team to make some changes, find a problem they did not know they had and start again, wet race declared. After the previous day Tommy was extremely cautious for the entire race and it was a battle to bring the Ducati home in one piece, he was able to secure a strong fourth position.
It is still all to play for at the final round at Brands Hatch with three races and 75-points up for grabs! There are only 21 points now separating the top four in the series and as Oulton and Donington have proved, anything can happen. We will be fighting hard to the end.
Tommy Bridewell: “The weekend was full of mixed emotions; there is a lot at stake. It was a tough weekend with the weather which we knew would play a part in the final rounds. I think it’s obvious to see that Donington is dangerous in the wet, I did absolutely nothing wrong, I did exactly the same as what I did all weekend and it took me out of second place. 20 points would have seen me second in the Championship and now we are 21 points behind. It was a massive dent to crash out of the race.
In the dry I just didn’t have the feeling with the bike that I really wanted due to limited track time in the dry conditions. We made some good changes for the final dry race of the weekend but then it rained really heavily.
I didn’t have the pace to match the top three, I knew I was safe in fourth, it wasn’t a race it was more like survival of the slowest! It is all still the play for, Brands has always been good for us, the bike is phenomenal there and I hope we can be back challenging for wins there.”
Iain Hopcroft: ”Tommy rode so well all weekend and is thinking about the championship, we came away from Donington with an amazing opportunity to Win this championship!! Roll on Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks!”
Moto3
it was to see the return of Ryan Hitchcock who had crashed at Thruxton earlier in the season and broken his arm, being the last round of the season he used the time to settle back into riding and prepare himself for some winter testing and the 2022 season.
Ollie Walker had some great practice sessions and even qualified 5th for the race but unfortunately crashed out of the session breaking his arm and some ribs, like a champ he stayed on to watch his team mates before heading to hospital back in Bristol where he undergoes surgery today.
Oulton Park: Round 9
What an amazing weekend for Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing team at Oulton Park in the first showdown round of the Championship. He secured a strong sixth place in the opening race on Saturday and was just incredible on Sunday taking victories in both races, his first double win!
What an amazing weekend for Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing team at Oulton Park in the first showdown round of the Championship. He secured a strong sixth place in the opening race on Saturday and was just incredible on Sunday taking victories in both races, his first double win!
The weekend started well for Tommy and the practice sessions went really well putting him straight into Q2 on Saturday. In the final practice session in the wet conditions Tommy was quickest and despite damp condition for qualifying, unfortunately Tommy had a tyre issue and he was not able to gain grip anywhere which left him in 15th on the grid for the opening race.
He got a good start and was soon picking his way through the fierce riders and made good progress with some fast lap times. He managed to work his way back through to a strong sixth place.
He was also placed in sixth on the grid for the second race on Sunday; a tough start saw him drop back to ninth after the opening lap. He made a move on Mackenzie into the chicane but out braked himself and he was forced to run on through the barriers on the slip road. He re-joined down in 13th place and knew it was going to take a severe amount of determination and effort to get back to a podium position. One thing Tommy does not lack is grit and determination and his pace was exceptional, plucking off riders every lap and he was soon on the back of the leading pack. As always he made some clean and consistent passes, he had a foot on the podium but wanted more and had the pace to get more. On the final lap he made another strong pass on race leader Jason O’Halloran and took one of the best wins we have seen all season!
His super-fast lap times in race two saw him sitting in pole position for the third and final race of the day. Tommy got a fantastic start in race three and there was no turning back, despite spots of rain throughout the race Tommy just disappeared into the distance, gaining nearly a nine second lead at one point. He was absolutely phenomenal taking a hugely dominant win; he is now only 9 points off winning the Championship!
Tommy Bridewell – “Firstly I would like to dedicate my wins to Dean Berta Vinales who sadly lost his life at Jerez this weekend. Things like this affect the entire racing paddock and my wins are for him.
All in all it was a great weekend. I felt really good on the bike after some changes in warm-up, we made some big changes. I was struggling to stop the bike and I ended up running straight on down the long lap penalty, which was my fault. That obviously dropped me a long way down the field and I lost about 2.5 seconds. It wasn’t the time I lost it was the time and effort I had to put in to pass the riders I’d already passed! I seemed to have really good pace compared to anyone else which helped me take the win!
The plan in the second race was if I could make the start and get to the front just go! That’s what I managed to do, it’s easy to let another riders to do the hard work at the front but I knew if I could get off the line I had the pace. I couldn’t believe I could do nearly lap record pace on several laps, the bike was awesome, the team were amazing and now we’re 9 points off winning the Championship. We have to keep the pressure on Yamaha and see what we can do in the final two races of the year.”
Ducati Cup – Dominant Day reigns supreme!
Josh Day has been dominant all season and this weekend was no different!! He was fastest in every session and continues his streak of pole positions for qualifying.
Race 1 on Saturday Saw Josh take control of the race and win in style and Sundays Race 2 was the realisation that he could win the championship with one round remaining. Everyone else knew to keep the hunt alive they ad to beat Josh and David Shoebridge gave it his all and lead the race early on but Josh played it smart and as the race entered two thirds distance made his move, this was to be perfect as the race was then red flagged and Josh took the Championship for the THIRD time!!!