Just as we’ve been accustomed to in recent times, this year’s British Superbike Championship is set for a tense and thrilling finale with just four points separating current leader Kyle Ryde and reigning champion Tommy Bridewell.
Bridewell or Ryde to come out on top
As we all know anything can happen in BSB and with 105 points still on offer at the final round at Brands Hatch, that statement will no doubt be proven accurate but the undoubted title contenders – and where the expected title winner will come from – are Ryde and Bridewell.
With 16 podiums apiece even more true, the duo have been the most consistent riders of the 30 races to take place so far; indeed, Ryde has only failed to score points once all season. He’s won considerably more races than Bridewell too, eight to two, and with four of those coming in the last six races, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha Racing rider is very much the man in form.
He was victorious in one of the races at Brands twelve months ago, with third in the other two, so knows what kind of form is needed when the title’s on the line. He’s very much in the ascendancy but Bridewell isn’t going to give up his hard-earned title without a fight, possessing the major threat Ryde knows all too well.
Bridewell, as mentioned, has only won two races this year relying more on his consistency to keep him at the sharp end. That may not be enough to see him take his second successive crown though, and he knows wins are what’s needed at Brands. However, he’s been more vocal of late with regards to the performance, or lack of it, from the Honda Fireblade and if he continues to have struggles, he’ll have to call on all his grit and determination to get the better of Ryde.
Outside bet
Glenn Irwin is the third and final title contender but with a 46-point deficit to the pace setting Ryde, he has a mountain to climb if he’s to deny his season-long rivals. With the aforementioned 105 points on offer though, it’s not an insurmountable task but luck will have to be on his side if he’s to claim the coveted number one plate.
If truth be told, the Hager PBM Ducati rider is going to need disaster to strike both Ryde and Bridewell and will need them to have at least one DNF each. That’s the only realistic way the points deficit can come down enough for him to still be in with a chance ahead of the final race.
The Ulsterman’s challenge has been affected by his lack of consistency and he’s only stood on the podium on two other occasions than his eight wins. That, combined with three DNF’s and another disastrous round at Thruxton, when he only picked up three points from the three races, is why he’ s faced with the 46-point deficit. The new-for-2024 rear Pirelli tyre has also affected his challenge with the Ducati, and BMW, the biggest hit.
That won’t stop him from trying though and his tally of eight wins matches that of Ryde, so he certainly has a chance of ending the final round with three more wins to his name. Like Bridewell, Irwin is a fighter so he’ll be giving it 100% as always and will no doubt have his say in the destination of the 2024 title.
Spoilers
That last statement is also true of the two other riders who’ve been at the forefront the most in 2024; Danny Kent and Ryan Vickers. The duo have taken eight and ten podiums apiece and although Kent is still to claim his maiden BSB victory, Vickers has seven so far this season.
Three of those came at the earlier meeting at Brands in July when he was head and shoulders above the opposition. If he can repeat that performance this weekend, he’ll take valuable points from Bridewell and Irwin and, perhaps, play a pivotal role in team-mate Ryde’s title bid. Even if he doesn’t, he can still play the perfect role of wingman.
Although Yamaha-mounted, Kent is in no way obliged to help Ryde at Brands and he’ll only be interested in himself at the final round. He’s enjoyed a strong season with the McAMS/Mar-Train Racing team but is getting fed up with seconds and thirds so will be going all out to take a victory at the Kent venue. Both him and Vickers, whose secured a World Superbike ride for 2025, can be serious spoilers at the weekend.
Points to prove
As always, the final round of the year will see many riders have points to prove, some simply wanting to end the season on a high, others keen to put themselves firmly in the shop window for a new ride for the following year.
Youngsters Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda) and Max Cook (Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki) have both featured prominently at times, the former having a strong end to 2024, with Nesbitt’s team-mate Lee Jackson as consistent as ever,
He’s rumoured to be switching to a new Honda team in 2025 with Josh Brookes set to be alongside him. The former double champion has been a regular top ten finisher but at the wrong end, enduring a disappointing second year on the FHO Racing BMW with only four top six finishes to his name.
That’s a far cry from the eight podiums he took last year, and he may well miss out on finishing in the top ten of the championship this year. Quick over one lap, Brookes has turned the BMW upside down to try and find a good race set-up but to no avail as the 2024 Pirellis simply don’t suit the M1000RR.
Nevertheless, he’ll want to end his tenure with FHO on a high and go into the off-season in a positive frame of mind as he new team/machine wait in the wings.
Painful end
Two of the expected front runners, and at the beginning of the season expected title contenders, will be missing from Brands with both Christian Iddon and Jason O’Halloran suffering season-ending injuries at Donington Park last time out.
Both were taken down by Billy McConnell’s wayward Honda in the final race of the weekend at Donington, Iddon suffering a fractured foot and O’Halloran a damaged shoulder. Both went to the operating table with the former requiring considerable reconstruction work on his foot.
That’s certainly not the way they wanted their respective seasons to end and although out of title contention some time ago, particularly O’Halloran, they could still have played a major role at the final round.
Iddon had a strong first half to the season on the Oxford Products Racing Ducati, winning at Knockhill and taking seven more podiums. His last rostrum appearance though came at Brands back in July and he hasn’t been the same threat in the second half of the year as, like fellow Ducati rider Irwin, he’s struggled with the rear Pirelli, particularly at Thruxton and Cadwell Park. His team are rumoured to be focusing on British Supersport in 2025 so will be in the hunt for a new ride next year.
O’Halloran, meanwhile, will no doubt admit his move from Yamaha to the Completely Motorbikes Kawasaki hasn’t panned out as he would have hoped. A perennial race winner on the R1 Yamaha, it’s been an uphill battle with the less favoured ZX-10RR this year and aside from victory at Donington in May and a podium at Thruxton he hasn’t really figured.
He’s tasted the tarmac far more often than he would have liked and injuries saw his season unravel, particularly the hand/thumb injuries suffered in a morning warm-up crash at Thruxton.
The Australian has been racing in the UK since 2008 but has subsequently announced his time in the BSB series has now come to an end with a move to the World Endurance Championship and the YART Yamaha squad expected to be his next destination.
Having started watching motorcycle races all over the world form childhood, Phil Wain has been a freelance motorcycle journalist for almost 20 years and is features writer for a number of publications including BikeSport News, Classic Racer and Road Racing Ireland, as well as being a regular contributor to MCN and MCN Sport.
He is PR officer for a number of teams and riders at both the British Superbike Championship and International road races, including PBM Ducati, John McGuinness, KTS Racing and Jackson Racing. He is also heavily involved with the Isle of Man TT Races working with the race organisation, writing official press releases and race reports as well as providing the TV and radio broadcasting teams with statistical information.