The 2023 Bennetts British Superbike season came to an end at Brands Hatch circuit on Sunday the 15th of October in epic fashion, with the championship being decided by half a point.
BeerMonster Ducati rider Tommy Bridewell edged out teammate Glenn Irwin to win the championship on the final lap of the final race of the season. Irwin went into the final race needing to put a rider between himself and Bridwell to win the championship. The BeerMonster Ducati pair secured a second 1-2 finish of the day (meaning the teammates finished first and second) as Bridewell clinched the championship.
Lincolnshire’s teams saw a steady end to the season with two-time British Superbike champion and FHO Racing BMW Motorrad rider Josh Brookes securing three top-10 finishes. His teammate, and Isle of Man TT lap record holder, Peter Hickman securing two top-10 finishes but didn’t finish the final race of the season.
Honda Racing UK didn’t fair quite as well, with 2021 Pirelli National Superstock champion Tom Neave securing three top-15 finishes. However, this saw him score championship points in all three races.
Teammate Andrew Irwin, who is still recovering from injuries suffered at Knockhill circuit in a test session in May, scored points in race two with a 13th place finish, but failed to score in the other two races.
FHO Racing BMW Motorrad are a very unique team. Set up by female Macanese entrepreneur Faye Ho, with the aim of pushing women and girls into motorcycle racing, they have bikes in junior categories and their roster of young riders grows year by year. However, it was a season of what could’ve been for them.
The start of 2023 saw Australian Josh Brookes join the team after a difficult period at Ducati and the an updated aerodynamic specification from BMW being added. The Australian hit the ground running with wins at Silverstone Circuit and Oulton Park in the first two weekends of the season, but this form had quickly disappeared by mid-May at Donnington Park.
Other than a podium finish in race 2, Brookes had a very difficult round at Donnington Park, and similar form followed him to the Knockhill circuit in Scotland. The Snetterton circuit weekend in July saw Brookes return to the podium, but he would not stand upon it again until October 1st at the penultimate weekend of the season.
2023 was a struggle for Peter Hickman from start to finish. From a strange crash on the exit of Luffield corner during the first weekend at Silverstone to struggling for front-running pace all year and not finishing the final race of the year at Brands Hatch circuit.
Isle of Man TT living legend Hickman could only manage one top-five finish in 2023 and seemed unsure of why he was struggling. Where Hickman’s fortunes turned around was on the roads of the Isle of Man, at the 2023 Isle of Man TT. He claimed four wins at one of the world’s most famous motorcycling races and set an all-time new lap record.
It was all change for Honda Racing UK at the start of 2023, from running four bikes in 2022 to two in 2023. Last season’s riders Ryo Mizuno and Takumi Takahashi left the championship and eventual championship protagonist Glenn Irwin moved to Ducati machinery.
Only 2021 Pirelli National Superstock Champion (the series below British Superbike) Tom Neave kept his place in the team’s line-up as Andrew Irwin (brother of Glenn Irwin) moved back to the team after a spell with BMW. Honda have won many titles across the motorcycling world, but their have dipped in form since their last win in 2013.
After a troubled and turbulent first year in the championship in 2022, 2023 was an improved year for Neave. He scored points at every weekend and achieved his best British Superbike Championship finish to date, securing 7th place at Knockhill.
In contrast, after a strong start and good showing at Oulton Park with a best finish of 4th, teammate Andrew Irwin had a disappointing year. After three DNFs at Donnington Park in May, the Northern Irishman suffered a nasty arm injury, crashing during a test session at Knockhill. This kept him out of action until the penultimate weekend of the year, at Derby’s Donnington Park.
Once he had returned, due to not being at full fitness and having been away from the bike for four and a half months, Irwin could not show his promising early season form. It left him hoping that he can convert his early form into good results in 2024.
Overall, it was a mixed bag for Lincolnshire’s two teams, as BeerMonster Ducati stole the headlines with its riders finishing first and second in the 2023 British Superbikes season.