Tommy Bridewell: “We will all be conscious of what happened” as BSB returns

Tommy Bridewell’s thoughts remain with the riders who tragically died at Oulton Park.

This weekend, the second round of the British Superbike Championship at Donington Park means a return to racing for the first time since that terrible accident.

Shane Richardson and Owen Jenner died after a crash in the Supersport race at the 2025 season-opener.

“Obviously, we were overtaken by events as a sport at Oulton Park and I absolutely know from personal experience how deeply our motorcycle racing community feels these things,” said 2023 BSB champion Bridewell.

“We will all be conscious of what happened, but I am committed to giving my best, and while Donington’s not necessarily the strongest track for the bike, I’ve always ridden well there.”

Andrew Irwin said: “Obviously, it isn’t a normal race weekend. I think we will all be keeping Owen, Shane and their families close to our hearts and Tom as well.”

Honda boss Havier Beltran said: “The opening round of this year’s British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park gave Honda Racing, its riders and everyone within the motorcycle racing community a great deal to think about.

“First in those thoughts, and most importantly by far, have been, and remain, the riders who are missing from the paddock this weekend and their families.”

Honda target improvement at Donington Park

Bridewell added: “Our performance in the opening round wasn’t what we are capable of.

“My expectation is to be fighting for the podium this weekend. We hit that target five times in the six races together at Donington in 2024 and we have to start performing at that level consistently from now on to realistically be in the championship battle.

“I am looking forward to seeing whether the improvements made at the North West 200 last week will transfer to the BSB programme and help put us in a better place for the rest of the season.”

A qualifying crash ruled Honda teammate Andrew Irwin out of much of the Oulton Park opening round.

“I think that Donington will prove to be the weekend when I kickstart my season,” Irwin said.

“The plan is that I get passed fit to ride on Friday, then take part in the first Free Practice session and assess where we are.

“I believe that my recovery from the shoulder injury that I picked up is going to plan and I’m confident that I will be back to riding like any other BSB weekend.

“From my perspective, Donington Park is much less physical than somewhere like Oulton Park and then afterwards we have five weeks off before Round 3 at Snetterton when I can really focus on completing my recovery. I’ve won three races at Donington in the past, it’s my most successful track on a Superbike and I always enjoy racing there.

“We were relatively competitive in pre-season testing there. The weather looks to be warm and sunny and that will help us, the Honda Fireblade is very kind to its tyres and the long race suits us so, fingers crossed, we will be strong."

Team manager Beltran added: “In our preparations, we have been working with Andrew Irwin to ensure that he is fit to race this weekend after a nasty fall at the first round, and we will be monitoring his progress closely throughout the weekend.

“Finally, we now have a clear picture of where we are competitively in both the Superbike and Supersport classes, with clear targets to achieve.

“I am proud of the way in which the team has been working over the past fortnight, delivering strong performances at the North West 200 and now returning to BSB action in what is a very busy opening segment of our racing calendar.”