SNETTERTON Round-Up
22nd August 2020
The Track
Circuit length: 2.99m / 4.811km
Corners: 12
Lefthand: 5
Righthand: 7
BSB Lap Record : Shane Byrne - Ducati 1:47.143 (2017)
Valiant comeback for Glenn Irwin at Snetterton
Honda Racing's Glenn Irwin made a valiant comeback in this afternoon's opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race at Snetterton after a mistake early on pushed him back into 10th place, but digging deep aboard the all-new CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP he crossed the line fourth and also scored the fastest lap of the race, which sees him start tomorrow's Race 2 from pole position.
Across the weekend Glenn and his brother Andrew have been putting in consistent lap times as they continue to build and develop the new machine, in blustery conditions at the Norfolk circuit. Glenn qualified for this afternoon's race in fifth position, and although brother Andrew qualified eighth fastest, he was starting the race from the back of the grid in 26th position.
Unfortunately during lap one Andrew crashed out of the race, through no fault of his own. Unhurt from the crash he will start tomorrow's 16-lap race again from the back of the grid having not obtained a lap time in the first race. The results from today see Glenn maintain his Bennetts British Superbike Championship lead with 73 points, while Andrew is fourth with 50.
The final Superbike race of the weekend also didn't disappoint, but with Andrew starting seventh and Glenn 12th, they knew they had a job on their hands. However, showing throughout the race the strength of the new Fireblade, both Honda men set about tracking down their opponents, and by half race distance Glenn was sitting third with Andrew fourth.
On lap 23 the brothers made their move into the podium spots with Tommy Bridewell leading the pack, but again on the final lap Andrew made his move on his brother to take second place, with Glenn completing the podium in third.
Meanwhile the team's Superstock 1000 contenders Tom Neave and Davey Todd have been working on optimising the set-up of the Fireblade for the fast Snetterton circuit. With solid positions across the weekend it was Davey who topped the times in yesterday's final free practice session.
With one Superstock race this weekend, today's focus was on qualifying and throughout the 20-minute session Tom and Davey were well in the mix. With just 0.902s separating the top-seven, Davey qualified six with Tom hot on his heels in seventh.
The 12-lap Pirelli National Superstock 1000 race will take place tomorrow (Sunday 23 August) at 12.40, with BSB Race 2 (16 laps) at 13.30 and Race 3 at 16.30 (16 laps).
#18 Andrew Irwin
I don't really know what to say about today to be honest, starting from the back of the grid was always going to be tough, but for it to end the way it did with a crash on the opening lap which wasn't my fault, I'm just gutted and sorry to the team - they've got a bit of a job on tonight. But tomorrow is another day and we try again. I know we have the pace and if we can get a good start then there's no reason why we can't get a good lap time for the final race of the weekend.
#2 Glenn Irwin
The race was enjoyable but it would have been more enjoyable if I was in the position I was in at the beginning, but the comeback was really good. We can see where the Fireblade is really strong, I was able to run with the Ducati's but we know where we have to improve in respect to where we are with engine development, we're in such early stages and we know there are steps we can make to improve and be stronger. I think tomorrow starting from pole we can be strong, so it's head down and full focus throughout the race.
#68 Tom Neave
It’s been a bit of a funny weekend really, we’ve been chasing set-up and we’ve not really found a sweet spot with the Fireblade yet, so there’s still some work to be done. I don’t feel completely beat yet, I still think we can improve things and we still have warm-up tomorrow and race, where it really matters, so there’s still time to turn the weekend around.
#74 Davey Todd
To be honest what we’re aiming for was the front two rows and we’ve achieved that, so we should be really happy, but there’s still a lot more in the tank to come - we had a lot more pace than what we could show in qualifying. I'm pleased with the second row, I’m good off the start anyway and we’ll be in the mix for the race for sure.
Team Manager Havier Beltran
I'm really pleased for Glenn in today's opening race, he had a few moments in the first few laps but was able to fight hard and come through the pack to fourth place - being down in 10th at one point. He's showing true grit and determination, and continues to work hard following Donington Park. However, again we have the highs and lows of racing, and unfortunately Andrew crashed out on the opening lap of the race here at Snetterton. Due to our starting position at the back of the grid, and the fact we were unable to complete a lap time we therefore, as per the MSVR rules, have to start tomorrow's first race from the exact same position. I'm happy with the progression on the Superstock side, we've had challenging conditions so far this weekend, but thankfully the wind dropped substantially from yesterday and I'm looking forward to seeing both Tom and Davey race tomorrow.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings
Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 118
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 95
Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 86
Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) 82
Jason O'Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 65
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) 58
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 56
Lee Jackson (Massingberd-Mundy Kawasaki) 52
Kyle Ryde (Buildbase Suzuki) 44
Bradley Ray (SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad ) 30
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