Hager PBM Ducati rider Glenn Irwin scored a fourth and eighth place finish in today’s opening two rounds of the 2024 Bennetts British Superbike Championship to get some solid points on the board at Circuito de Navarra.

The Carrickfergus rider showed good pace in testing prior to the races at the track in northern Spain and followed that up with fourth place in the Omologato Superpole qualifying session to place him at the head of the second row of the grid for race one.

In the opening race today, Irwin got a good start and was circulating in the leading bunch throughout the 20-lap race but couldn’t make a move for the podium and in the end, had to settle for fourth place behind the Yamahas of Ryan Vickers, Kyle Ryde and Danny Kent.

The nine-times title-winning PBM Racing Team made a few improvements to the Hager PBM Ducati for the second race of the day where Glenn lined up on the front row. However, an uncharacteristic poor start saw him mired down the order and had to battle his way through from a lowly 14th place.

The double runner-up in the series for the past two years was making good progress in the 20-lap race and was up to fifth at one point but in the end had to salvage an eighth place at the chequered flag to ensure a solid points-scoring start to his 2024 campaign.

Today’s results see Glenn hold fifth in the standings, just a single point behind Christian Iddon and 16 points off the series lead going into the next round at Oulton Park in two weeks’ time

Glenn Irwin: “A tough weekend. We had a great test during the week but after putting a new motor in afterwards, the whole dynamic of the bike changed. It did not feel like my bike whatsoever but all in all it’s solid points on the board and we know how to solve it which is an easy fix. We always knew the Yamahas would be strong in the races here, and so it proved, but I’m still disappointed we couldn’t get on the podium in race one and eighth in race two was the best I could do. It’s been a frustrating weekend but thanks to the team and it’s great to get the new era for PBM underway.”

Jordan Bird, Team Owner: “That’s round one done and dusted for the Hager PBM Ducati team. Overall it has been a little tougher than we anticipated and the results definitely don’t show the effort we put in and potential of both the team and bike. Saying that we have plenty of positives to walk away with, points on the board and the first weekend of our new era under our belts. We head to Oulton Park for round two now,  it’s our local track and one we have had plenty of success at in the past. We hope to see as many of you trackside as possible.”

Bennetts British Superbike Race 1 (20 laps)
1. Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)
2. Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
3. Danny Kent (Yamaha)
4. Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)
5. Rory Skinner (BMW)
6. Christian Iddon (Ducati)

Bennetts British Superbike Race 2 (20 laps)
1. Ryan Vickers (Yamaha)
2. Danny Kent (Yamaha)
3. Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
4. Leon Haslam (BMW)
5. Christian Iddon (Ducati)
6. Jason O’Halloran (Kawasaki)
8. Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati)

Bennetts British Superbike Championship Points (after Round 1)
1. Ryan Vickers (Yamaha) 36 points
2. Danny Kent (Yamaha) 30
3. Kyle Ryde (Yamaha) 30
4. Christian Iddon (Ducati) 21
5. Glenn Irwin (Hager PBM Ducati) 20
6. Leon Haslam (BMW) 17