Pole start and potential podium for Christian Iddon at Knockhill
Real progress has been made by Christian and the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team this weekend and we were on for our best result of the season to date during the final Bennetts British Superbike race at Knockhill.
Race 2
Christian Iddon got another good start on today's first 30-lap BSB race at Knockhill. He set off from eighth on the grid, and immediately passed Charlie Nesbitt before taking Lee Jackson at Duffus Dip on Lap 2 to move up to sixth. Christian then got past Josh Brookes to move up into fifth, keeping up with leading group of riders.
As the race reached half-distance Christian was looking to get past Ryan Vickers, but Tommy Bridewell was on a charge behind him, and got past Christian demoting him back to sixth.
The final laps saw Christian drop back slightly but when race leader Glenn Irwin crashed out at Taylor’s Hairpin on Lap 27, Christian was gifted a position to rack up his third consecutive fifth-place finish
Showing his speed on the Panigale V4 R, Christian posted the fastest lap of the race with a time of 47.582s so he lined up for the third and final Superbike race of the weekend at the front of the grid, his first pole of the season.
Race 3
Christian held second behind Jason O’Halloran as the lights went out but after trying to get the place back at the hairpin he was sat up and Tommy Bridewell took advantage to pass Iddon and demote him to third.
But only moments later, on the second lap, race leader Jason O’Halloran crashed out, gifting Tommy Bridewell the lead and Iddon second place.
The next lap saw Christian back to third after Kyle Ryde passed, and Christian was then down to fourth after Glenn Irwin came through.
But on Lap 17 of 30 Christian got third back from Kyle Ryde at the hairpin to make it a Ducati 1-2-3 behind the BeerMonster Ducati duo.
Sadly, on Lap 20 Christian ran on at the hairpin dashing any hopes of a first podium with the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team. But he did well to keep his bike upright and make it out of the gravel trap in tenth. He was then able to make up another position before the flag to finish ninth.
But the team can be happy with the real progression made together during the weekend, and we now look ahead to Round 5 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton next month.
Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati #21)
“The weekend started out super difficult, I really struggled and couldn't get any flow with the bike and just couldn't make the lap time come. But we seemed to find a bit of form by the time we got to the first race, 20 strong laps. Pulled our way from twelfth to fifth and gave ourselves eighth on the grid for the first race on Sunday which was ok, but it wasn't brilliant, but ok and we got ourselves fifth again in that one, in the front group but just sort of hanging on to it.
I then made a little bit of an error at the hairpin in the next race, and lost the group and ended up in a bit of a lonely fifth.
But in the final race I felt a lot more racy to be fair. We gained in every aspect apart from one, but we lost in that one and I wasn't able to get the drive that I was able to get previously over the start finish straight.
But apart from that the bike was so much better everywhere else and that's shown in the sector times. So, I felt really, really good and a podium was on the cards by the looks of it. And I actually felt like I could have had a little bit more for the two Ducatis up front. I just picked the rear up going into the hairpin but the bike sort of swapped on me and I just couldn't stop it and went straight on into the hairpin into the gravel. Ended up finishing ninth.
It's frustrating. It would have been really nice to reward the team for all their hard work all through the year so far with a podium. But we have to wait a little bit longer for it. Progress has been made for sure, we're starting to get there, and starting to finally show what we've got.”