Sunday round up from Brands Hatch BSB finale

2022 British Superbike Championship
Round 11 – Brands Hatch

British Superbike Race Two

Peter Hickman became the tenth different race winner of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the second race at Brands Hatch, claiming FHO Racing BMW their first victory of the season.

Glenn Irwin initially launched off the line to lead the pack on the opening lap from brother Andrew and Hickman with Danny Buchan and new champion Bradley Ray in close contention.

Hickman was determined though and the FHO Racing BMW rider had moved to the front of the pack by lap four with a move down the inside at Paddock Hill Bend. He was able to maintain his edge despite a small advantage over the chasing pack who fought for the final podium positions.

Buchan had been biding his time and he moved into second place with five laps to go as he continued to come under pressure from the Irwin brothers and Jason O’Halloran who had been closing back in on the leading group over the closing laps.

On the final lap, Hickman had the edge with Buchan in second, but the tussle for third between Glenn Irwin and Andrew Irwin plus O’Halloran ended prematurely at Surtees when the SYNETIQ BMW rider made contact with his McAMS Yamaha rival.

O’Halloran crashed out of the race unhurt, but Andrew Irwin was issued a ride through equivalent time penalty (20 seconds), a three place grid penalty for race three and two penalty points.

Glenn Irwin claimed another podium finish meaning he has the advantage for the runner-up spot in the standings heading into race three, after Tommy Bridewell was forced to start the race from the eBay pit lane after a problem on the grid.

Bridewell fought his way through to fifth place, just adrift of Kyle Ryde in fourth place on the lone Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha, after champion Ray crashed out on the second lap at Paddock Hill Bend.

Danny Kent continued his best weekend of the season so far in sixth place ahead of Buildbase Suzuki teammates Christian Iddon and rookie Charlie Nesbitt with the MCE Ducati pairing of Josh Brookes and Tom Sykes completing the top ten.

British Superbike Race Two Results

British Superbike Race Three

Glenn Irwin claimed the final Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win of the season for the Honda Racing UK team, holding off fierce rival and brother Andrew Irwin and Danny Buchan to sign of his 2022 campaign in style at Brands Hatch.

Glenn Irwin took the lead at the start but Danny Buchan made a move at Stirlings on the opening lap and then he was holding the advantage as the pack shuffled behind him with Peter Hickman, Glenn and Andrew in the front pack.

Buchan was withstanding the pressure but as the race reached the closing stages, the SYNETIQ BMQ rider made a mistake on the exit of Surtees, which created the opportunity the Irwin brothers needed to move ahead.

Glenn Irwin hit the front and then pulled the pin over the final three laps to take the chequered flag first for the final time this season and secure the runner-up spot in the standings. Andrew Irwin was back on the podium as he held the advantage over his teammate Buchan who completed the top three.

Tommy Bridewell was fourth on the Oxford Products Racing Ducati as he managed to get ahead of Hickman on the final lap, but the fifth place was enough to secure the Bennetts BSB Riders Cup trophy.

Champion Bradley Ray ended his season in sixth for the Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha team just ahead of the leading MCE Ducati of Josh Brookes with Buildbase Suzuki pairing Danny Kent and Christian Iddon running in eighth and ninth. Kyle Ryde completed the top ten on the second of the Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamahas.

Jason O’Halloran failed to make the start of the final race of the season due to the crash in the second race. After dominating the first half of the season the tough last few rounds saw the Australian slip to fifth in the championship at the final juncture.

Countryman Josh Brookes never really fired in season 2022 and finished the season 14th in the championship after a tough year. Brookes will join Peter Hickman at FHO BMW for BSB 2023.

British Superbike Race Three Results

British Superbike Championship Points

British Superbike Rider Quotes

Bradley Ray

“It’s been unbelievable. If you’d said the results we would’ve got this season at the start of the year. And said, ‘you’re going to be British champion’, I would have bitten your hand off and took it. The whole team have grafted all year. It hasn’t been easy from the start, but we put a lot of work in.

“Pre-season was good and I knew that this would be my best chance to fight for the championship with Yamaha, with Rich Energy OMG. We just got our head down the whole season, took everything in our stride, maximised everything race by race and that allowed us to come to Brands Hatch and have a difficult round like we have.

“Obviously it would have been nicer to be fighting for victory and fighting for podiums [this weekend] but we’ve done enough work throughout the season to prove that we’re worthy champions. Just a big shout out to the team, family, friends and everyone who came out to Brands to support me this weekend.”

Glenn Irwin

“It’s been a fantastic year, we started with the treble at Silverstone, but seemed to stagnate from there. Takumi my teammate worked through a swing-arm option, which at the time wasn’t giving what I needed, but at Knockhill it then came to a level where Takumi had a better lap time, and I knew it was starting to come good. We made the change, which was an instant improvement.

“The Fireblade developed and we worked incredibly well, I also had some surgery on my shoulder which is something that hindered me. We then went to some physical tracks where we were able to fight, which showed that the bike had made a huge step but also physically I had.

“This weekend has been great, I did want three from three after yesterday, but I fought hard for the third place. In the final race things felt good and we instantly went into tyre saving mode, but then I had to work hard and I had a clear target to take the lead. The wins are for my team, they have worked so hard this year and it’s nice to be able to reward them with two wins and second overall in the championship.”

Jason O’Halloran

“There aren’t many words really, this hasn’t been the end to 2022 any of us wanted but that’s BSB and as we have found out, anything really can, and will happen!

“We made some changes to the bike after yesterday and I felt really good in that race, I lost a bit of time at the start but the feeling was good and I knew we could be strong at the end. The podium finish was there for the taking but unfortunately we got taken out for the third time in as many rounds.

“The guys worked really hard to get the bike ready and it all looked good, but unfortunately the bike cut out on the out lap bringing our season to a close.

“It’s hard to be positive right now, but we’ve had a good year – I’ve won seven races, had a load of podiums and the team had many 1-2 finishes so there’s a lot to be proud of. Thanks to the whole team and everyone involved.”

Josh Brookes

“It’s a sad day for me as I’ve grown to love the MCE Ducati and I’m going to miss riding the bike as I think anyone who rides a Ducati will say its infectious, like motorbikes are in general. I’ve enjoyed my time with the brand and the team as we’ve had a good time together but who knows what the future will bring.

“As for today, I’d say it’s been my best day on the bike this year so it’s nice to end on a positive note. Seventh is not the result I want but in terms of lap times and consistency, and staying strong right up until the end, I felt better than I have done all year. I kept pushing and was running close to the British Champion so that’s a good achievement in our final race together.”

Tom Sykes

“I can’t deny it’s been a disappointing season as I came to BSB and the PBM team to get involved and fight for the title. Unfortunately, we had some restrictions and whilst we showed what we could do at a big circuit like Donington we ultimately couldn’t do that often enough.

“I’m upset for myself and the team as the level of talent at PBM, in all areas of the garage, deserves a lot more. Sometimes you have difficult seasons and, unfortunately, 2022 has been one of those years. I’m obviously very grateful for the opportunity at PBM and they’ve been a pleasure to work with all year so would like to wish them all the best.”

British Superstock

Billy McConnell won a dramatic three-rider scrap to take victory and secure second in the championship as he beat Dan Linfoot to the line.

After a race long battle with FHO Racing with Kobelco’s Alex Olsen, McConnell took the lead with three laps to go, closely followed by Linfoot and what followed was a three rider battle to the line.

McConnell took the spoils by 0.047secs from Linfoot, with Olsen just 0.257s behind. Tom Ward took fourth, some five seconds later as Australian Brayden Elliott stole fifth from Richard Kerr at the line.

With the win Billy McConnell cemented second place in the 2022 British Superstock 1000 Championship.

Billy McConnell

“The team have worked faultlessly all weekend and we kept the bike the same as what it was in July and right from the beginning of the weekend, it felt mint. I made a reasonable start – finally – and got into second place but felt like I had the pace to go to the front. I made the move on Alex although he was stronger than me along the back straight.

“I wasn’t sure of the grip levels in the second half of the race but got back into the lead and then got my head down. To take my fourth win was brilliant and that’s the same as what Champion Davey Todd took and if it wasn’t for the bad luck we had when we got taken out, things may have been different. That’s how racing goes though and having only come together just before the first round, we’ve all done a great job and I can’t thank the team enough. We gelled from the start and will be back for sure.”

Countryman Brayden Elliott finished the season with fourth place in the championship while Levi Day took tenth for the year.

British Superstock Race Results

British Superstock Championship Points

British Supersport Race Two / Feature

Bradley Perie brought down the curtain on an incredible history for the Appleyard Macadam Racing team as he took another win on the team’s final day in the series.

Perie beat Ashcourt Racing’s Lee Johnston by 2.508secs as Richard Cooper crossed the line third.

Perie’s team-mate Harry Truelove brought the second Appleyard machine home fourth after a close fight with Tom Booth-Amos.

Kiwi Damon Rees finished the final race in eighth place and took ninth in the championship.

Countryman Shane Richardson finished 23rd.

Mason Law was the GP2 class winner in 11th position, as Jake Archer took second with Harvey Claridge third.

British Supersport Race Two/Feature Results

British Supersport Championship Points

GP2 Championship Points

British Junior Superstock Race

Franco Bourne was back on the top step of the podium as he took the win by 1.785secs over Sam Laffins to end the season with the double win.

Third rider home was Seth Crump, who crossed the line a further 2.775secs back with Taylor Rose fourth as Owen Jenner beat Zak Fuller to claim fifth. Crump finished third in the championship.

Jacob Hatch finished the final race of the season in 17th place and the season in 22nd.

British Junior Superstock Race Two Results

British Junior Superstock Championship Points

British Junior Supersport Race

Mikey Hardie signed off the year with a double win as he beat Jack Roach to the final race win of the year – and secured the runner-up spot in the championship.

Hardie took the win by 3.516secs as Roach took second, a further 0.843secs ahead of Joe Ellis in third. Fourth rider home was Charlie Atkins, with Abbz Thomas fifth.

British Junior Supersport Race Two Results

British Junior Supersport Championship Points