Brands Hatch - BSB Round 11
The Track
Circuit length: 2.433M / 3.916KM
Corners: 12
Lefthand: 3
Righthand: 8
BSB Lap Record : Tommy Bridewell - Honda 1:24.759s (2024)
Honda Racing UK rounds out a rollercoaster year with a BRITISH Supersport Champion and just one point away from a BSB title
Saturday 12th October 2024
In a dramatic Saturday at Brands Hatch for the Bennetts British Superbike season finale, Jack Kennedy secures the British Supersport championship for Honda Racing UK with win number nine of the season.
Changeable October weather played a crucial part in the trajectory of the day's racing as almost every session that Honda Racing UK participated in was in different conditions. And with so much at stake, cool heads were required to ensure that the right decisions were made at all the right times whilst under enormous pressure.
For Jack Kennedy and his crew, tyre choice in a wet but drying qualifying session was critical to providing Jack with the bike, and rubber, underneath him to rocket his way to pole position. Then as the red flag was waved bringing his race to a premature end, they made the right call once more to send him back out on wet tyres in the five-lap restarted race. From pole once more and with his championship rivals opting for slicks, Jack launched away from the line and rode off into the distance with the rain intensifying to secure his ninth win of the season and championship victory.
Already the most decorated British Supersport rider in history, Kennedy rewrites the history books as a five times champion and becomes the first Honda rider to win the British Supersport crown since Sam Lowes in 2010. With one race still remaining this season he has so far raced to nine victories (including two doubles - Knockhill & Brands Hatch), four seconds and a further two third place finishes.
For Dean Harrison it was an eventful day that sadly culminated in a crash out of second place in the shortened five lap Supersport dash. He does however, start tomorrows feature race from pole position having set the quickest lap in today's race.
In British Superbike things were no less dramatic for riders Tommy Bridewell and Andrew Irwin as they raced through heavy rainfall for twenty laps in the opening BSB race of the weekend. From sixth on the grid Tommy once more showed the sheer grit and determination with which he has ridden all year to secure a vital rostrum finish in third.
This crucial result cuts Kyle's lead in the championship to a single point with two races remaining tomorrow. Andrew Irwin meanwhile, struggled for feel from his Fireblade and achieved an eleventh place finish at the flag.
Sunday 13th October 2024
Following the culmination of the Bennetts British Superbike season finale, Tommy Bridewell and the Honda Racing UK finish second in the championship standings, just one point adrift of the top spot.
Tommy Bridewell, just one point adrift of his championship rival Kyle Ryde heading into the day, raced his heart out in a titanic scrap in race one to victory number three of the year and with it stole the championship lead by four points. With pole position also secured for race three, and with Kyle second on the grid, it was all to play for. in the feature race later in the day.
What followed was nothing short of heroic and surely a race that will go down in the history books as one of the best. Tommy and Kyle both displayed their class with sensational overtakes lap after lap, and the championship changing hands with every pass. Such was the pace of the race that a seven-year-old lap record was broken by Tommy too.
The fairy tale though just wasn't meant to be as Tommy would ultimately cross the line in second place having left absolutely nothing on the table and played his part in a race of the ages. His podium finish took his season tally to three wins, thirteen seconds and three third-place finishes in a remarkable first year with the Honda Racing UK team.
Andrew Irwin delivered another two solid top tens with a solid sixth place finish in race two and a ninth in race three after playing wingman to teammate Tommy for most of the early stages of the race.
In Supersport, Jack Kennedy made it back to back wins to secure his third double victory of the season and his twenty-fifth career double. He also secured a new lap record for good measure. His championship-winning season has been sensational, with ten victories, four seconds and two third-place finishes.
Dean Harrison raced hard from pole position in the Supersport race to secure yet another top-six finish.
#4 Jack Kennedy
I've gone faster around Brands Hatch on a 600 than I have ever gone, I've got my first pole position and finished the season with another top six, so there are loads of positives to take away from this weekend. I think today we were just lacking the dry time needed to keep running with the front guys as in the race I began to realise where with the setting I needed things to be a little different. But look, the front guys are running at lap record pace almost every round and you have got to be absolutely perfect to be up there with them. Congratulations to Jack on his championship and to everyone in the team for all of their hard work all year, they have not stopped for a moment and have grafted from the off.
#1 Tommy Bridewell
Of course I am disappointed, I am a bike racer and I come to win. I believed in this project from the outset and knew from the outset that there was no doubt in my mind that I would be stood here as a either a two-times British champion or in the position that I am in now. I couldn't have done any more, and as a racer you can only give your all, and that's exactly what I have done. My nearest competitors were a mile behind, to be honest it was just me and Kyle all year, and hand on heart, I couldn't have lost to a better kid, I am genuinely so happy for him and his team. I know what it's like in that position, he was under immense pressure and he handled it. I am gutted for Honda, I gave it my all and tried my hardest all year. We just need to work on a few areas, try to improve the wheelie so I can get off the rear brake, but hey, what a last race at the end of the year. I want to sign off by saying thank you to the team, I've given them a hard time in moments but I know just how much work goes on behind the scenes and I know just how much potential there is to still be realised. I am honestly, really happy with the work that we have done and for what we have achieved.
#18 Andrew Irwin
I think all in all today has been a decent day of racing, yes the results were not perhaps the maximum of what we could've achieved when and I certainly don't get too excited with top sixes, but once again we have shown the speed that we are capable of this weekend and delivered two decent point scoring finishes. The bike has kept on feeling better and better all weekend and we have continued to make progress which is all you can ask for. In the last race, I got such a good start and did everything I could to play the team game for as long as possible, then when Vickers came past I struggled to keep my rhythm and lost touch with the front guys. I want to say a big thank you to my team, and to congratulate everyone for all of their hard work this year, Tommy has shown what the package is capable of and shown that the Honda is a title-fighting package.
#5 Dean Harrison
I've gone faster around Brands Hatch on a 600 than I have ever gone, I've got my first pole position and finished the season with another top six, so there are loads of positives to take away from this weekend. I think today we were just lacking the dry time needed to keep running with the front guys as in the race I began to realise where with the setting I needed things to be a little different. But look, the front guys are running at lap record pace almost every round and you have got to be absolutely perfect to be up there with them. Congratulations to Jack on his championship and to everyone in the team for all of their hard work all year, they have not stopped for a moment and have grafted from the off.
| 1 | Kyle Ryde (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) | 398pts |
| 2 | Tommy Bridewell (Honda Racing UK) | 394pts |
| 3 | Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) | 352pts |
| 4 | Danny Kent (McAMS Racing Yamaha) | 290pts |
| 5 | Ryan Vickers (OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing) | 265pts |
| 6 | Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) | 261pts |
| 7 | Lee Jackson (MasterMac Honda) | 237pts |
| 8 | Leon Haslam (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) | 218pts |
| 9 | Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) | 193pts |
| 10 | Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW Motorrad) | 189pts |
| 12 | Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) | 182pts |
| 1 | Jack Kennedy (Honda Racing UK) | 466pts |
| 2 | Luke Stapleford (Macadam Triumph Racing) | 404pts |
| 3 | Ben Currie (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) | 375pts |
| 4 | Eugene McManus (ROKiT Haslam Racing BMW Motorrad) | 279pts |
| 5 | Harry Truelove (ASTRO-JJR Suzuki) | 230pts |
| 6 | Alastair Seeley (Macadam Triumph Racing) | 225pts |
| 7 | TJ Toms (R&R Racing Yamaha) | 184pts |
| 8 | Shane Richardson (ASTRO-JJR Suzuki) | 146pts |
| 9 | Rhys Irwin (ASTRO-JJR Suzuki) | 112pts |
| 10 | Carter Brown (Josh Davis Motorsport Yamaha) | 111pts |
| 11 | Dean Harrison (Honda Racing UK) | 102pts |
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