Glenn Irwin was able to power through the pain caused by a shoulder injury to pick up a pair of top five finishes at Cadwell Park.
The Be Wiser Ducati rider injured his shoulder, the same one he injured last season, during free practice on Friday morning. Despite being banged up, Irwin was able to power through and qualified on the second row for the opening race.
Irwin would spend the majority of the race battling inside the top five, and was on course to secure a podium finish at he began the final lap. Unfortunately for Irwin, a resurgent Jake Dixon would make his move in the Woodland Section of the circuit to take the final podium spot away.
On to race two and Irwin would once again find himself battling inside the top five, slotting into fourth during the opening stages. Irwin would be relegated down to fifth midway through the race and from that point onward he was unable to make any further progress.
Reflecting on the weekend, Irwin was left feeling satisfied with his results given the circumstances that he found himself in. He said:
“The two races were tough today but given where I was on Friday morning with the injury, I’m reasonably pleased with fourth and fifth. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to stay in the mix for the entire race distance, but I was able to do that although I threw away the podium in race one when I left the door open on the last lap. I was struggling a bit with my shoulder for the last few laps, but it was my own mistake that cost me third place.
“In race two I gave it my best, but I felt very weak from about mid-race distance. I tried everything I could to improve my position, but I had to settle for fifth and so apologies to the team as it was a silly crash on Friday and one that cost us a good chance of a podium this weekend.”
The two top five finishes have allowed Irwin to move back up into third place in the championship standings, with a 68 point advantage over Danny Buchan in seventh. The final showdown places will be decided in a triple-header at Silverstone in three weeks.
