The first of the weekend’s WorldSBK races at Motorland Aragón saw an unwavering Tommy Bridewell put in his strongest performance of the season so far. Having qualified a strong P8 with his Panigale V4R in Superpole, the Superbike Advocates Racing rider ran an almost perfect Race1 to finish fifth.

Earlier in the day, a final practice ran on a cooler track with respect to Friday’s sessions, allowing the entire field to improve on its previous best. Bridewell took well over a second off his FP1 time, completing 8 laps and setting a fastest time of 1’48.465 to consolidate his place inside the top ten.

During the subsequent 15-minute Superpole, Tommy went all out to achieve the best possible grid position for the first of the weekend’s races. Completing a total of four fast laps during this brief qualifying phase, the British rider’s best lap came in the final seconds. A time of 1’47.940 was enough to see the Brit qualify a very strong eighth, for a spot on row three of the grid for Race 1. A subsequent penalty for another rider meant that Bridewell actually started the race from seventh position.

Bridewell made a lightning start when the lights went out on Race 1, the British rider moving straight up into fifth place. While the three frontrunners quickly built a small gap, Tommy focused on sticking close to fourth-placed Alex Lowes. Maintaining a consistently quick pace, the Ducati rider was able to manage the central phase of the race effectively, taking care to conserve the Pirelli tyres in preparation for the delicate final phase on very hot asphalt. During the final laps, Bridewell did well to defend himself from a fierce attack by fellow Ducati rider Baldassarri. Intent on a top five finish today, the steadfast Superbike Advocates Racing rider held firm to secure P5, just 0.065 of a second ahead of “Balda”.

With this result, Bridewell boosts his points tally to 30 and moves into sixteenth place in the championship standings. And the weekend is not over yet, as tenacious Tommy and his team have two more opportunities on Sunday, when they will be back out at Motorland for the Superpole Race and second 18-lap SBK race.

Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates Racing #46)
“A very positive day! Much of the hard work was done by qualifying P8, which gave us a fighting chance. That became P7 on the grid following a penalty for another rider, so that put me on the outside as the race began. I made a great start and was lying around fifth out of turn one, and then I basically just held my position. I felt great on the bike and the only thing that was a concern was the tyre life – I wasn’t sure if we might struggle with that, but the tyres held out pretty well, just a small drop in the last few laps but not too bad. So, a really positive day; for the team and I to finish top five in the world is a big statement. We just need to keep our feet on the ground, keep building, and take results like this when they come our way. A big thank you to the team for all their fantastic work.”

The sixth WorldSBK round draws to a close for Superbike Advocates Racing, and what a race weekend it’s been for the Anglo-Australian squad! After finishing top five in Saturday’s Race 1, category rookie Tommy Bridewell crossed the line seventh and ninth in Sunday’s races at Spain’s Motorland Aragón.

The day began with a brief warm-up, which allowed the team to carry out some final technical checks ahead of the day’s two races. Thanks to his strong qualifying result on Saturday, Bridewell again lined up on row three of the grid, in eighth place, for the morning’s Superpole race. This ten-lap sprint took place in much cooler conditions with respect to yesterday’s Race 1. Making a clean start, Tommy was lying ninth through the opening stages before gaining one position on lap four. Part of the chasing group in what was a very close fought ten-lapper, Bridewell remained within three seconds for the entirety of the race. Progressing to seventh in the final stages, the British rider completed another strong race well inside the points zone.

P7 in the Superpole race meant that Tommy lined up in seventh place on the grid for the weekend’s second and final long race. Starting well when the lights went out, Bridewell positioned eighth through the initial stages of this 18-lap race. Part of a fierce group of around six riders, the British rider worked to maintain a consistently fast pace. Struggling a little more with grip in the second half of the race, Tommy was not going to miss out on another top ten finish today. Pushing hard all the way to the line, he powered his Ducati Panigale V4R to final ninth position, rounding out what has been an extremely positive sixth championship round in style.

Having scored a total of 21 points across the weekend’s races, Tommy now lies sixteenth in the general standings (40 points). Superbike Advocates Racing will remain at Motorland Aragón for a two-day test on June 1-2, before preparing for round seven, set to take place at Italy’s Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli on June 12-14.

Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates Racing #46)
“A really good, strong weekend. I’m super proud of the team’s work, my riding, and the way we continue to approach this season. I think this weekend was the first real showing of exactly where we are. Ultimately, for me to come away from this round with a career best of P5, plus a P7 and P9, is an incredible result for me and the team. I’m very conscious that we need to keep our feet on the ground, but we of course take the positives! A great weekend, the team’s done an unbelievable job and the bike’s worked phenomenally well. Now we just need to keep progressing and doing what we’re doing. Let’s see how we fare in Misano.”