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Tommy Bridewell and Honda Racing UK are ready to test themselves in the World Superbike and will do so by taking part in the 9th round of the championship, which will be held in Cremona over the weekend of September 20th to 22nd.
A wildcard that will allow the defending champion and current BSB leader and his team to follow up on the successful test held on the Lombardy track in May where they worked closely with the HRC team.
Bridewell will be in action on a Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP prepared and managed by Honda Racing UK, suitably modified to comply with World Championship regulations, and he'll be making his return to the championship five years after the last time. In fact, the British champion's last appearance in the World Superbike was in 2019, when Tommy was called upon by the Go Eleven team to replace Eugene Laverty (after his injury) on the Ducati in Imola and Jerez, scoring points in both rounds.
"I’m here to race. It’s what I love doing ,so I’m really looking forward to it, to be honest. We had hoped to join the WorldSBK race at Donington but, unfortunately, the stars didn’t quite align for this to happen," Tommy commented. "I really enjoyed the Cremona wildcard assessment a few months ago, so it’ll be great to have the opportunity to put into practice some of the things we learned from this and keep on building the momentum ahead of the final few races of the BSB season."
Thse are crucial rounds for the 36-year-old who, with three to go in the national championship, leads the standings by 19 points over Kyle Ryde. This was the result of two wins and 13 podiums scored on the Honda Racing UK team's Firblade, which he rode after winning the 2023 title on the Ducati Panigale V4 R of the Paul Bird Motorsport team.
"We're delighted to have this opportunity to participate in the World Superbike race in Cremona next weekend. The prospect of continuing to work closely with our HRC colleagues in the WorldSBK paddock was a chance we didn't want to miss out on," Havier Beltran, Team Manager of Honda Racing UK, added.
OMG Racing UK in Jerez with Kyle Ryde and Ryan Vickers
But Bridewell won't be the only rider from BSB to try his hand at a World Superbike round this 2024. In fact, the two OMG Racing UK team riders, Kyle Ryde and Ryan Vickers, will be at the start in Jerez.
They'll be in action on the Andalusian track with the World Championship-spec Yamaha R1s fielded by the British team, which will work closely with Yamaha Motor Europe Motorsport Racing & Development for the occasion.
This will be a return to the World Superbike paddock for both. While Vickers was called by Team Pedercini Racing in 2022 to replace the injured Leon Haslam in the Superbike round at Most, Ryde boasts a third-place finish in the World Supersport, pulled off in the wildcard round held in 2015 at Donington Park.
"It’s obviously really exciting to hear that the team will be going to compete in the final round of the FIM Superbike World Championship at Jerez, and it's something I’m incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to do. I love Jerez. It's such an awesome track," Ryde commented. "I did a few laps there on my R6 earlier this year, and I really like the circuit, so I’m already itching to get out on the World Superbike-spec R1. The team is working hard behind the scenes now to get it all ready, and I just can’t wait. Thank you to Alan, Paul, and all my guys for giving up their time and efforts to give us the chance to ride on the world championship stage."
His teammate, Vickers, reiterated: "I’m really excited to have the opportunity to race at Jerez for the final round of the WorldSBK. I’m eager to get out there and give it a shot with the same team and bike, just upgraded to the World Superbike-spec. I think it’ll be a good indication as to where we are as a team and how our bike is compared to the world championship bike. Kyle and I both feel really good on our R1 in Britain, so it’ll be interesting to see how it feels when we introduce the World Superbike electronics. Jerez is one of my favorite tracks. I did a test there on a Superbike back in 2019, and I’m excited to go back there this year."
