Round 9 - Oulton Park race winners!
Tommy Bridewell scores the Oxford Racing Ducati team’s first British Superbike win!
Round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship took place at the stunning Oulton Park circuit. The Oxford Racing Ducati team were looking forward to the triple header round and were keen to gain some podium credits for the Superbike Showdown.
Tommy was leading the re-started opening race when a technical problem forced him to retire. In race two on Sunday he rode another strong race to finish in second position and he was able to take his first win of the season in the third and final race of the weekend.
The Oxford Ducati team were feeling strong leading into Oulton Park having confirmed their place in the Superbike Showdown and they also secured good results there back in May. Tommy was looking extremely consistent all weekend in all the practice sessions and qualified for the opening race on Saturday on the front row in second place.
He got a good start and was once again away with the leaders, the race was soon red flagged and re-started, and he broke the lap record in the process. Another solid start saw Tommy fighting for the lead, he made it to the front but on lap six was forced to retire with a technical problem.
It was another front row start for race two on Sunday with a third place. Another mega start saw Tommy fighting with the other two Ducati’s for the lead. He looked confident and his lap times were strong, he went to make a pass into the last corner of the last lap on Redding but was unable to pull it off and lost the drive over the line finishing in third position.
Once again Tommy was placed on the front row in third for race three and after the disappointment of the previous race he was eager to make amends. He dropped back to fifth after the opening lap but he was controlling his time and soon started making passes. He was up to third behind Bradley Ray when Brookes crashed out of the lead. Tommy quickly made a pass on Ray for the lead and lap after lap broke the lap record. He rode an awesome race and pushed hard all the way through the 17-lap race to take his first win of the season for the Oxford Ducati Racing team and his first win since 2015!
Tommy – “I came into this weekend hoping to challenge for all three race wins. We had a technical glitch on Saturday which put an end to leading the race and we knew we just had to get on with the two races on Sunday and forget about that.
The Oxford Racing Ducati team worked hard to ensure they fixed the problem for the Sunday races. I felt like I had the pace to win both races, my lap times were fast and consistent, my race craft in race one wasn’t quite what it should have been and that’s what lost me the race.
To be able to rectify that situation in the final race of the weekend was a great feeling. We have all worked so hard this year and really believe that we all deserved that win, it feels like it’s been a long time coming!
The focus now has to be winning the Championship and now the showdown has started it is still all to play for. I’ve learnt so much in the last two races and running up at the front is all new for me and it is a fast pace with a handful of riders all capable of winning. I might have been doing this a long time but never in this situation which changes things again. To be fighting for wins and also a Championship is a great feeling but every weekend is also a learning curve.
I can’t thank the team enough for their continued effort and support that they put in to be able to put me in this position. I’m hugely grateful for everything they do for me. I’m ready for the showdown and looking forward to it.”
The team have worked so well and so hard to give Tommy a package he can win on, this weekend we proved he can do it and also smash a lap record too! Roll on Assen and our fight for the championship.