BSB leader Bridewell hails Oxford Ducati after ‘mega weekend’

Tommy Bridewell has described his start to the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship as ‘better than we could have ever dreamt of’ after a brace of podiums lifted the Oxford Racing Ducati rider to the summit of the points’ table.

Having joined the Moto Rapido-run team during the latter half of the 2018 season, where four podiums in the final seven races earned him a full-time position for 2019 aboard the team’s new Ducati Panigale V4 R, Bridewell has continued to impress into this season.

After scoring a pair of top five results at Brands Hatch, Bridewell was in contention for vitcory at Oulton Park, proving the only rider capable of taking the fight to double winner Josh Brookes come race day.

Though he couldn’t quite get the measure of the Australian, Bridewell was delighted to make his mark at this stage in the year.

“My plan was to get away and lead from the start but Josh set a good pace so I thought he’d let him drag us away from the rest,” he said after race one. “There were two corners on the track where I was a lot stronger than him - I tried and I nearly made it work and then I hit a fourth where I needed a second - if I had carried on I’d have wiped us both out!

“In race two Josh set a stronger pace in that race and in the final six laps my tyre went so then I had to let him have it.”

Results that lift him to the head of the standings alongside Tarran Mackenzie, Bridewell says he is enjoying a stronger start to the season than he expected.

“All in all, a mega weekend, a phenomenal bike and I’ve got to be honest we started on the back foot this weekend but the way we have started the year is better than we could have ever dreamt of. Credit to the PBM team, they have done a great job all weekend.”