Honda fields an awesome foursome for Oulton Park showdown
There will be a new look for the Honda Racing garage at Oulton Park this weekend (October 3-5), for the tenth and penultimate round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) and supporting classes.
Honda’s regular BSB contender and 2023 series champion, Tommy Bridewell, will be joined on the sister Honda Fireblade by the team’s five-time Isle of Man TT winner, Dean Harrison. Bridewell returns to BSB action after riding for Team HRC in the World Superbike Championship last weekend at MotorLand Aragón, replacing the injured Iker Lecuona.
After a positive weekend of competing in the Spanish sunshine, Bridewell now returns to his primary Honda role in pursuit of more victories to add to this season’s tally. Harrison meanwhile steps up from the Supersport class to make his BSB return in place of the injured Andrew Irwin.
Irwin suffered a significant elbow injury at Donington Park in last month’s Round 8, undergoing surgery before the series went to Assen a fortnight ago for Round 9.
Giving an update, the Northern Irishman stated: “I went to see Professor Adam Watts, who did my surgery in Manchester. Two-and-a-half weeks later, although I am not fit to race in the next two weeks, I am on my way to a full recovery sooner than expected.”
Giving an update, the Northern Irishman stated: “I went to see Professor Adam Watts, who did my surgery in Manchester. Two-and-a-half weeks later, although I am not fit to race in the next two weeks, I am on my way to a full recovery sooner than expected.”
Harrison’s return to BSB duties - after seven seasons in the series prior to 2025 - mean that Jack Kennedy will be campaigning a solo Honda CBR600RR entry in the Quattro British Supersport Championship. The five-time champion is seeking to defend his title in arguably the most competitive series on the BSB calendar, in which six riders are still mathematically in with a shout of the title.
Kennedy currently holds third place in the rankings, and will be doing his best to force the hands of his rivals in the two races at Oulton Park in order to give himself the best possible tilt at the title at the grand finale at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time.
Finally, returning to the Honda Racing garage will be none other than 23-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness MBE, who will compete in a factory-supported entry in the British Superstock class. McGuinness has enjoyed a strong season on the roads and in short circuit racing in 2025, with his last Superstock appearance coming in July at Brands Hatch, where he claimed valuable points and set a new personal best lap time.
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Tommy Bridewell
“Aragón ticked the boxes that I needed to tick and we made the sort of progress through the weekend that I was aiming for. Now it’s back to Oulton Park and the weather’s looking a bit iffy but the challenge with a wet race is if a dry line starts to appear. It’s tricky because unless it rains consistently through the race you can need full wets for the first ten laps and then need intermediates once the standing water clears, and in the meantime you’ve got to keep the bike the right way up! It’s the same for everyone, ultimately, but it’s certainly a challenge. I’m looking forward to Oulton Park because I’ve got a much better handle on the bike, we’re working in a better window and in a better direction, so I have a lot higher expectations from when we were there in May. It’s not notoriously the strongest circuit for Honda and we’ve got to be realistic, but we’re setting achievable goals to maintain the same work ethic and focus as we had in Assen. If we can maintain that positivity, who knows, wet weather may help us.”
Dean Harrison
“I haven’t ridden a Superbike on a short circuit since March - obviously, I’ve raced it on the roads, but comparing the TT and Oulton Park is a bit like chalk and cheese! It’s going to be an eye-opener because the team’s done so much development work in the last six months. I’ve got a lot of things to learn with the team. Oulton Park is one of the BSB tracks that I enjoy the most, and I’m really looking forward to the experience.”
Jack Kennedy
“We’re going back to a track that I really like and that I’ve enjoyed quite a lot of success at as well. I feel like there’s a bit of unfinished business. Weather is going to be an issue, wind and rain is the forecast, but I feel like we’re ready. I’m still annoyed about having to back off so much at Assen when the rain came down so hard, but I just didn’t have the feeling to push on and when the rain stopped I had the pace but the gap was too big. So we need to find a good wet setup for the weekend. I have to go for it. I have to make the difference. My rivals are in a position where they can’t take so many risks so I need to capitalise.”
John McGuinness MBE
“We were in the points last time out at Brands Hatch and to be honest, at that level, the Superstock championship is really strong, so you’re not hanging about. Oulton Park is my local track, I love it, and I’m looking forward to coming back to the ‘mother ship’ and working with everyone on the team. If I want to race next year, which will be my 30th anniversary at the TT, I’ve got to keep chipping away to keep my speed and my fitness up where I need to be. Being a local who’s been at the job for a while, it’s always good to be at Oulton and see the sport being well supported by a great set of hearty fans from that part of the world!”
Team Principal Neil Fletcher
“I’m sure that the transition back to BSB for Dean and his crew will be a seamless one, and that both Fireblades will be firmly in the mix throughout the weekend. It’s certainly good to see both bikes back on the entry list and the riders in a positive place at this stage in the season. Honda Racing still has a title to win with the CBR600RR in Supersport this year, and Jack will of course have the whole weight of Honda Racing behind him. Meanwhile, John’s extraordinary performance this year in setting personal bests at every BSB track could well continue, and his presence in the garage is a treat for fans that lifts the team in equal measure.”