A CHAT WITH THE CHAMP...
With a day in the saddle done and dusted, we sat down for a natter with BSB champ and Honda’s new recruit, Tommy Bridewell…
“It’s weird, really, because I race for Honda now and you’d almost think I’ve done a million laps on the bike, but today was the same for me as it was for you guys; my first day on the new Fireblade. I’m impressed – really impressed. I knew where I wanted to go for this year. I was in a position where I was winning races and fighting for the championship, and because of that, without wanting to sound cocky, it put me in a position where I knew I could go where I want, within reason, and I knew I wanted to ride for Honda, mostly because Honda’s the only factory team in Britain and it’s always nice to know you’re riding for a factory team. They do things very differently, and I think it was just a no-brainer for me. I knew I wanted a change, and I didn’t want to feel like I was staying stagnant.
“Obviously, I was with Ducati for five years and had a phenomenally fantastic time, making lifelong friends within the factory and Ducati UK, but that fresh start for me was exciting. I know when I had a chat with Havier Beltran (team manager) at Donington. I messaged him and he said, ‘Yeah, meet me in my car’. And literally, I sat in his car, out of sight’s way. Anyway, I said to him, ‘Is there a position for next year?’ and he said, ‘Well, we’ve signed Andrew and Dean, but why? What are you thinking?’ ‘Long story short,’ he said, ‘we’ll make a position’, and as soon as he said that, I was just happy; positive vibes from thereon in. The funny thing is that for me, the way Honda does things, I was like, give me an idea of the new Blade – good, bad, whatever. And he was like, ‘No, I can’t tell you’, but I didn’t let that stop me. I just knew I wanted to be with Honda, and here I am.
“I think, as stupid as it sounds, there’s an element of me passing some pressure to Honda. I’m arriving as a rider with the number one to stick on that new Fireblade, so the conversation I had was, ‘Look, I want to defend my British championship… am I going to be able to do that with the new bike?’ Coming off Honda’s 2023, I think the firm’s going to be extramotivated to perform, and without boring everyone to death, I think it’s really exciting. I also believe this new bike is going to be the package I need. I did a test here in Portimao in December with the 2023 Honda superbike. I jumped on it and I thought, ‘This is good’. Lots of positives; the engine felt strong, and I thought I’d actually do well on this bike, but I knew the coming new bike was where the focus needed to be and riding it today for the first time has made me realise Honda’s made a big step. It’s mad to think I’m comparing the 2023 BSB Fireblade, a well-developed race bike with no expense spared, to this road bike which is straight out of a crate. The truth is, the 2024 bike is a step ahead already... that’s with standard brakes, standard suspension, a standard engine. The thing that surprised me most was just how strong the engine is. There are going to be a few shocks around the paddock, that’s for sure. With any package, there are always pros and cons, but another thing I was blown away by was the entry speed of this thing. Today, I couldn’t pull the brake any harder and it was just stopping so nicely. The entry in a corner was good, and the mid-corner was good, especially because of the punch you get out of the corner from this new engine. This thing’s got so much going for it and I can’t wait to get out on my proper race bike.”