Irwins make BSB history
‘Paul Bird has been speaking to Scott Redding’
Be Wiser Ducati brothers Glenn and Andrew Irwin stole the headlines on Saturday at Thruxton by becoming the first siblings to share a front row in BSB.
With Glenn on pole and Andrew in third, the duo were looking strong ahead of Sunday’s two races but things didn’t work out as well as the brothers had hoped. Pole-sitter Glenn struggled with tyre life despite opting for Pirelli’s special harder compound option and crossed the line fifth in the opening race while Andrew crashed out.
And as the temperature rose for race two, it further hampered Glenn while Andrew faced a tough fight back from 18th on the grid.
“The important thing for me is that both sides of the PBM garage struggled last year,” Glenn said after the race. “That includes Shakey who went on to win the championship. I felt fast and was really confident with the bike, but I feel that maybe the gain in horsepower the team have found over the last two years is perhaps a bit too much for the tyres here. “That being said, we didn’t lose out too much in podium points so we are still in the fight.”
The disappointing end to an otherwise strong weekend for the Irwins comes amid rumours that team boss Paul Bird has been speaking to MotoGP star Scott Redding about a ride for 2019. While Bird admitted talks with the MotoGP podium finisher have taken place, MCN understands the move is unlikely with Andrew Irwin favourite to remain alongside his brother in the Penrith-based squad next year.