Honda Racing delivers on Knockhill promise
Honda Racing enjoyed a double celebration on the final day of Round 4 of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) and Quattro British Supersport Championship at Knockhill.
The Scottish summer weather once again looked somewhat wintry when the team returned to the paddock on Sunday morning, but while the rain fell it did not dampen the performance of its BSB riders as they lined up for the 20-lap second race.
Tommy Bridewell’s Honda Fireblade started from fourth, dropped back to fifth but the former champion dug in to make two decisive passes and claim third on the podium. Bridewell’s team-mate Andrew Irwin meanwhile had a busy morning’s work, climbing to ninth and dropping back to 13th before making two critical passes of his own to take the flag in 11th place.
In the Feature Race for the Supersport class, Jack Kennedy’s Honda CBR600RR lined up on the front row in third place after his first visit to the podium on Saturday, while team-mate Dean Harrison sat on 13th after carving his way through from last place in the weekend’s opening encounter.
Kennedy got away cleanly to hold second place in the early laps, but disaster befell Harrison. The Yorkshireman lost the front end of his machine and fell, fortunately without injury.
Meanwhile, Kennedy had the pace to make his bid for the lead and, once ahead, pulled to almost a second clear of his nearest rival before they began to encounter backmarkers. It was to prove decisive as the gap opened and closed while the lead group made their way through, but the Irishman prevailed to claim his second win of the season.
Finally, the third BSB race of the weekend was halted twice by the deteriorating weather conditions. Irwin lined up sixth with Bridewell seventh based upon their respective fastest laps in the second race, but the forward progress of both riders was frustrated by the delays.
Eventually, the race restarted and, after circulating in formation, Irwin would finish in ninth position, with Bridewell in 13th.
Tommy Bridewell
“It was great for the team to be able to get another podium in the Sprint race. It was hard work and I was pleased with the way I was riding, for sure. That said, we’re still too far off the pace of our competitors, the Yamaha and Ducati, to really come away feeling completely positive. To say that I’m hungry for more would be a massive, massive understatement. We’re playing our hand as best we can, but I’m obviously frustrated, so we’ll have to see where we can get to at Brands Hatch”
Andrew Irwin
“It was a weekend that I felt I needed to have. I’m not really here to race in the bottom of the top 10 but for me, coming back from a weekend as difficult as Snetterton, it’s a good step and it’s much better. We need to keep working in a calm, mannerly way and continue to progress and to continue that work at Brands Hatch. This was a good step on from Snetterton, now we need to do the same again. I know how to get to the podium and to win races in BSB, and I’ve got to be patient and work with the team to get ourselves back and get in a position to challenge further up the field.”
Jack Kennedy
“It couldn’t have gone any better. I managed to get one of my best starts of the year, I wanted to try a new technique and it really paid off thanks to some wise words from John McGuinness, so thanks to him for that! I really didn’t want to get swallowed by the pack in the top six when visibility was going to be a problem from the spray being thrown up so I felt comfortable in second. But then I didn’t want to get picked off by the pack behind me if I was just sitting there so I made my move and it worked, so I was delighted with that. In a wet race there’s nowhere better to be than out in front, and then I knew we would have a lot of people we’d have to pass when we started lapping people so I wanted to be in the best position to get through cleanly. It was a tough race but I’m delighted with my performance and the CBR600RR, the team has been fantastic, I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Dean Harrison
“It started off okay, the weekend, but all in all it’s been pretty disappointing. It went downhill pretty quickly and we will just have to put this one down to experience. It’s frustrating more than anything because our pace really wasn’t too bad. This circuit, the weather, it’s just crazy, really, isn’t it? Everyone’s in the same boat, of course, so we’ll just have to try again next time.”
Team Manager Havier Beltran
“Two podiums, of which one was a fine win for Jack, is a satisfying end to the Knockhill weekend. Certainly it puts him right back in the hunt for a sixth Supersport title, which is exactly what he and the team deserve. Dean was in the wars this weekend, but while it is frustrating, the nature of competition is that every so often you have events where you’re on the back foot. In Superbike, Tommy did the job that we all know he can do and pulled a podium out of the bag in the Sprint race. Meanwhile in the final race I think Andrew laid a few things to rest and will look back on a significant step back to competitiveness.”
Bennetts British Superbike Championship 2025
Round 4, BSB Race 2 Results
Bennetts British Superbike Championship 2025
Round 4, BSB Race 3 Results
