The 2023 BSB season is go!

The opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike championship takes place this weekend at Silverstone, Ducati UK's home circuit.

And this year Oxford Products Ducati Racing will be fielding not one but two riders. Christian Iddon is back on a Ducati Panigale V4 R as our new superbike rider, while Ben Currie will contest the British Supersport championship on a Panigale V2.

Oxford Products Racing Ducati join forces with Christian Iddon for 2023 Bennetts BSB

Oxford Products Racing Ducati have announced the signing of Christian Iddon for the 2023 Bennetts British Superbike Championship, as the multiple race-winner joins the team in their bid for the title next season.

The team based at their Moto Rapido Ducati dealership in Winchester have become firm title contenders since their debut Superbike season in 2011, scoring their best championship finish with the runner-up position in 2021 and a third place in their 2019 and 2022 campaigns.

Iddon joins the team having previously celebrated his best results in Bennetts BSB with Ducati, finishing third and fourth in the title battle in the 2020 and 2021 seasons respectively; with his first race win in the series also coming with the Italian manufacturer.

The team also extend their title partnership with Oxford Products, who enter their fifth consecutive season of association with Moto Rapido Ducati in 2023.

Iddon said: “Ducati is the manufacturer that I have had the most success with when I had two fantastic years on the bike previously. My 2021 season was much better than my 2020 season but the end result didn’t reflect it, it was circumstance that did. I felt I was getting stronger all the time on it so it feels great to be heading back to Ducati and to a new team for me with Oxford Products Racing Ducati.

Moto Rapido is a team that I have kept an eye on for a while, I have always been pals with the Team Owner Steve, so hopefully that stays! It is a team that has always had success, but in the last couple of years, they have had even more. They have really stepped up with the combined effort of rider with Tommy [Bridewell] and the team in recent years.

“Certainly last year they were the Ducati team who had everything required to take the fight for the championship and that is the important part for me. They are a team who are constantly developing and very technically minded which I believe will suit me. I am really looking forward to the challenge and what it may bring.

“I am coming off the back of what I think has been my hardest ever year in the championship. I have had worst seasons with injuries, but I have never had one where the effort and the possibility was so contrasting to the actual result that we actually got because I believe we had the potential. That is the nature of the beast and that is racing and sport.

“I am really looking forward now to trying to right those wrongs and get back to where I believe I should be and setting my sights back on my goal, which is to be British Champion.”

Team Owner Steve Moore commented: ”Firstly, thank you to Oxford Products for their continued support. We have gone from strength to strength with their help and we look forward to continuing to reward them with another fantastic season in 2023. They are a company with racing in their heart and they have become an integral part of our racing. Thanks to the boss Andrew Hammond for the continued and increased support even in these uncertain times. I know BSB fans will be sure to pick something from the Oxford shelves in their local dealerships too.

“I’m also very pleased to welcome Christian to the team; he was the number one choice for me. His experience of Ducati and the great form he had on the V4R before is confidence inspiring. The bike has developed substantially since he last rode it, so I can’t wait to get him on our bike and begin making it work for him with the 2023 updates.

“I am sure he will thrive with the focus of being in a one rider team. I’ve already had many technical conversations with him and we seem to be on the same page - he’s as nerdy as me with the technical details so we do get along really well and that’s key to the racing family ethic in our team.  He even seems to have a sense of humour too, which he’ll need!”

Oxford Products Racing Ducati announce British Supersport expansion with title contender Ben Currie

The Oxford Products Racing Ducati team will expand their British Championship presence in 2023, lining up in the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship to debut with the Ducati Panigale V2, supported by Ducati UK and Ducati Corse.

The Winchester-based team have already celebrated success in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, finishing runner-up in the title fight in 2021 and claiming third place this season, and now have their sights set on showcasing the Ducati in the Supersport class as they increase their commitment to the series.

The bike will be built at the Moto Rapido superbike workshop in Winchester to the same specification as the World Championship machines, working together with the team’s technical partners Termignoni and K-tech as they bid for championship victory. The team have already started preparing the bike with a full testing programme commencing in the New Year.

The team have signed Australian Ben Currie for their 2023 campaign as the Australian returns to British Championship action and bids to add to his race-winning tally in the class where he has previously been a title runner-up.

Currie said: “It is a dream come true to join the Moto Rapido team to ride a Ducati in the British Championship. I honestly cannot wait to ride the V2, I have been racing against it all year in the World Championship and it looks super strong. With a year under its belt racing at that level, combined with the experience of the team, I’m confident that we can challenge for the title. For now, the key is to prepare for next year.”

Team Owner Steve Moore commented: “This is certainly a new challenge for us to make our class debut, but with the information about the Panigale V2 we have from helping several champions in the TriOptions Cup it is the natural next step for our team.

“We are very happy to have secured Ben as our rider and welcome him to the team. Having been a front-runner in British Supersport, we will use his expertise of the class, along with our technical team from the Superbike side of the garage to help him and we expect development progress to be swift.

“It’s fantastic to see Ducati UK and Ducati Corse so excited about this challenge. They are keen to showcase the Panigale V2 in the UK and have been fantastic with the technical guidance we have already received.”

Brands Hatch final - Round 11

It was the final round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend. Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing had a strong end to the season with a fourth, fifth and fourth in the three races. Tommy also secured a fantastic third place in the overall Championship standings, marking another successful season with the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team.

The weather was mixed again this weekend so track time was limited, Friday was half wet half dry, and just not worth going out there too much and risking doing damage during practice.

Tommy got through to the Superbikes qualifying two session and qualified for the opening race on the front row, in third. Come the race he had a steady start and had to make some progress through the pack, the leaders had made a break at this point and Tommy had to settle for fourth.

For race two he started from second place on the grid, but disaster struck just before the warm-up lap and a small technical problem saw him being wheeled off the grid. The team quickly found the issue and Tommy was forced to start from pit-lane, re-joining the pack many seconds off the last man. He got his head down and focussed on the job in hand, picking off rider after rider, lap after lap. His determination got him through to fifth place by the end of the race, a great achievement (and a great race to watch if you haven’t seen it).

For the final race of the year, he was placed in fifth position, another steady start saw the leaders make a break. Tommy was fighting hard with Peter Hickman on the closing laps, and he gained another fourth place and third in the Championship standings.

This was the last race for Tommy and the Oxford Products Ducati Racing team after a great four and a half years together. The team would like to wish Tommy all the best for his future and thank him for his time with them. Also, a huge thank you to Oxford Products and all our other loyal sponsors. The team are looking forward to a strong 2023 with new riders.

Tommy Bridewell: “It was another strong weekend; it was good to end the season with three good solid race results. I was gutted not to get any race wins, but we did have good strong race pace. My highlight was starting from pit lane and managing to get up to fifth place!

It was nice to end the season on some strong results. As most are aware it was my last race with the team, I’d like to wish the team every success in their future and a huge thank you for everything they have done for me.”

Iain Hopcroft: “It was another great way to end the season, the team have performed so well this year with a great performance in the last three races at Brands Hatch.

The team can’t thank Tommy enough for the last four and half years, it’s been a lot of fun and podium pudding!

For 2023 we have the exciting news starting our Supersport challenge, alongside a strong Superbike rider.”

Donington Park - Round 10

Tommy Bridewell and the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team kept their Championship hopes alive during the weekend at Donington Park by securing an eighth, sixth and fourth place in the three British Superbike races.

Friday was a wash out so dry track time over the weekend was limited and Tommy was struggling with set-up during qualifying and race one.

He managed to qualify in 11th for the opening race on Saturday and this was always going to be tricky to fight for a podium from that far back. He worked hard and did what he could to finish in eighth place.

Tommy progressed up the grid to ninth for race two on Sunday and got a good start, but the leaders had bridged a gap as he made a break, he was fighting for fourth but ran wide with Jason O’Halloran on the last corner and finished in sixth.

For the final race of the weekend, Tommy started from eighth on the grid, he pushed hard and got to the back of the leaders but had to settle for fourth position.

He is still third in the overall Championship standings, and anything could happen at Brands Hatch so the team will keep fighting and pushing hard until the final race of the series this year.

The whole Oxford Products Racing Ducati team would like to send our thoughts and best wishes to Chrissy Rouse and hope he can make a speedy recovery.

Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati #46)
“It was a tough weekend to get the bike to do what I wanted. We struggled all weekend with rear grip which hampered us throughout. I’m a little disappointed to have lost a big points gap on Brad but all in all we will just have to try and bounce back to Brands and have a strong weekend there.”

Iain Hopcroft, Team Manager
“Despite beating our teams personal best we just couldn’t find the pace to fight at the front. We are now looking forward to Brands where we will fight for every point we can muster!”

Oulton Park - Round 9

It was an eventful but incredible start to the Showdown for the Oxford Products Ducati Racing team at Oulton Park this weekend, with Tommy Bridewell riding amazingly well at one of his favourite circuits to secure two second places and a brilliant win.

He was consistently fast from the start and the practice sessions went well with a couple of small changes. He got straight through to the Superpicks 12 qualifying session and started the opening race on Saturday from the front row in second.

He had a good start and looked strong throughout the whole race and consistently battling for a podium position. He managed to make a break on third place but was unable to catch leader Brad Ray, finishing in second place.

For race two on Sunday afternoon, he started from third on the grid. Another good start saw him fighting at the front but unfortunately Tommy had a coming together with Jason O’Halloran, the race was red-flagged due to another incident on circuit and Tommy was given a 15 second penalty so he had to start from 22nd place. He worked his way through the pack on the re-start, but another red flag saw him line up in 7th on the grid. Once the race finally got underway it was a 7-lap dash to the finish, Tommy worked hard and eventually got himself to second place and a good handful of Championship points.

For the final race of the weekend, Tommy dropped back to the second row in fourth place due to a penalty from race two. The race was cut slightly shorter to 15-laps, but Tommy was eager for another strong result. It was a real battle at the front and several riders were in the mix for the win. Tommy made some strong moves and got himself to the front of the pack. He kept focussed for the remainder of the race to take an impressive win, elevating himself from eighth in the Championship standings to second!

Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati #46)|
“Firstly I must apologise to Jason and McAMS for the incident in race two, I’m sorry and that is never my intention to do anything like that and it’s not the way I ride.

It was a strong and positive weekend to come away with two seconds and a first. I feel like we made some positive steps to understand the bike and get the best out of the package. I think we can make some good leaps at Donington before the races.

I’m still in with a chance of this Championship and I will be fighting until the last race at Brands to ensure we do all we can.”

Iain Hopcroft, Team Manager
“Oulton Park did not disappoint once again! Our favourite track mixed with some great riding and awesome teamwork made for a dramatic weekend. Now we can really fight for this Championship, bring on Donington!”