Glenn Irwin has admitted that he will be very disappointed to come away from Brands Hatch this weekend without at least one victory to his name.
The Be Wiser Ducati rider heads to the Kent circuit having just missed out on the podium in both races last time out at Knockhill, but he is confident that he and the team can bounce back on a track that suits the Panigale R machine.
Ahead of this weekend’s race meeting, the 28-year-old commented:
“Knockhill was a little frustrating but we are going from one track which didn’t suit the Be Wiser Ducati to one which most certainly does, and my intention is to push for my first wins of the year. We’ve not been a million miles away at any round so far and Brands Hatch GP is a fantastic track which I really enjoy so hopefully it will all come together this weekend. I’ll be very disappointed not to come away with at least one win.”
The Northern Irishman currently sits fourth in the championship standings, just seven points behind third-placed rider Bradley Ray on the Buildbase Suzuki.
Irwin will be joined once again by younger brother Andrew, who has brought in by the team to cover for the injured Shane Byrne. The 23-year-old picked up an eighth place finish at Knockhill and he is hopeful that he can challenge inside the top 10 once again this weekend:
“I’m really looking forward to Brands Hatch this weekend, it’s a track that clearly suits the Ducati as Shakey has proved many times in the past. On Friday I’ll work on adapting my lines to suit the Superbike, then the plan is to qualify as best I can on Saturday and get a good grid position for race one. On Sunday, my minimum aim is to score a couple of top ten finishes which is more than a realistic target I feel.”
Qualifying for round six of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place on Saturday at 16:00. Sunday’s races are scheduled to take place at 13:30 and 16:30 respectively.