Glenn Irwin

Last updated

Glenn Irwin
Glenn Irwin - geograph.org.uk - 4939705.jpg
Irwin at Oulton Park in 2016
NationalityNorthern Irish
Born (1990-03-21) 21 March 1990 (age 34)
Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland
Current team PBM Racing Ducati
Bike number2
Motorcycle racing career statistics
British Superbike Championship
Active years2016–present
Manufacturers Ducati, BMW, Kawasaki, Honda
Championships 0
2023 championship position2nd (454.5 pts)
StartsWinsPodiums Poles F. laps Points
1801137125

Glenn Irwin (born 21 March 1990 in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland) is a professional road racer of motorcycles, and the brother of racer Andrew Irwin. For 2023, he raced for the Paul Bird Motorsport Ducati team in the British Superbike Championship, losing the championship by half-a-point, and in road racing events such as the North West 200 aboard a Ducati Panigale V4 R. [1]

Contents

Irwin was confirmed in March 2024 to be continuing with his former team, renamed as PBM Racing following the death of Paul Bird, as a single rider entry in British Superbikes. [2]

Irwin has experienced success on both short circuits and the roads, with runner-up spots in the 2022 British Superbike Championship, 21 points behind champion Bradley Ray, [1] and again in 2023 by a half-point to teammate Tommy Bridewell.

Irwin also has allied eleven wins at the North West 200, all in the superbike class including doubles at the 2018 and 2022 meetings. [3] Irwin also holds the lap record for the fastest newcomer at the Isle of Man TT, set in 2022 with a lap clocked at 129.85 mph. [4]

Career

Irwin secured his first title in 2008 by taking the Irish Clubman 125 championship, which was backed up the following year by victory in the Ulster Supersport Championship and Supersport Cup. [5] The following year, he made his debut in the British Championships, with a runners up spot in the 2011 National Superstock 600 Championship to fellow Northern Irishman Keith Farmer seeing him secure his status as top rookie in the championship that year.

2012 saw Irwin compete in the 2012 British Supersport Championship where he finished the season in 9th place, winning the privateer's championship over Luke Jones. He would return the following year in the Supersport Championship for the Mar-Train Yamaha Team alongside Stuart Easton, [6] where he would again finish the season in 9th place. For 2014, Irwin would return in the Supersport Championship but for a different team and manufacturer, as the off-season had seen him switch to the Gearlink Kawasaki team alongside Ben Wilson. [7] His season got off to the best possible start by taking his maiden victory in British Supersport at the opening round on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. [8] This would be added to with four further victories across the remainder of the season, seeing him end the season in 4th place. [8] He extended his stay with the Gearlink Kawasaki outfit during the off-season for the 2015 season, [9] where he would score another 4th-place finish, taking 3 victories and 10 podiums on his way.

2016 would see Irwin step up to the British Superbike Championship with PBM Ducati, where he would race alongside Shane Byrne. [10] He would finish the season in 12th place, picking up a podium apiece at Thruxton and Brands Hatch as teammate Byrne won the title. [11] The 2016 season would also see him make his debut at the Macau Grand Prix, where a technical problem cost him a potential podium finish. [12] Irwin returned with PBM in 2017 after signing a new two-year deal with the Cumbrian team, [13] where he would take his maiden win in British Superbike with victory in the first race of the Silverstone round, [14] ending the season in 12th place once more. [15] He made his debut appearance at the North West 200 that year, where he would take a debut win in the superbike class ahead of Alastair Seeley by just 0.172 seconds. [16] He was also victorious at the Macau Grand Prix, taking victory over Peter Hickman. [17] 2018 would see a sharp upturn in form for Irwin in British Superbikes, as top 10 finishes in all but four of the races that year - including a win at the Brands Hatch finale [18] - saw him make the showdown for the first time and ultimately take 3rd place in the standings behind Jake Dixon and champion Leon Haslam. [19] He would also experience success at that year's North West 200, taking a double victory in the superbike class. [20] Irwin departed the PBM team upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2018 season.

Irwin made the switch to Kawasaki machinery ahead of the 2019 season, where he would line up for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team. [21] The switch failed to repeat the previous year's successes, with Irwin and JG Speedfit Kawasaki splitting by mutual consent in the aftermath of the Snetterton round, which he had missed with a virus. It was subsequently announced that Irwin had signed a deal to race with the Tyco BMW outfit alongside Christian Iddon to replaced the injured Farmer. [22] However, he would fail to see out the year with the team, as it was announced after the Assen round that Tyco BMW had parted company with Irwin. [23] The year did bring some success, as he took another win at the North West 200 with a final lap overtake on Quattro Plant Wicked Coatings Kawasaki teammate James Hillier. [24]

For 2020, Irwin would line up alongside brother Andrew Irwin for the Honda Racing Team, where he was scheduled to compete in his first Isle of Man TT, which was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [25] He enjoyed a much better season than the previous, with a number of top 5 finishes seeing him collect fourth place in the standings [26] as well as a third win in British Superbikes at Snetterton. [27] Irwin would make the showdown once again in 2021, taking his fourth win in the series in the series at Silverstone [28] on his way to 8th in the standings. [29] Irwin would return in 2022 with Honda [30] where he would enjoy by far his most successful season to date in British Superbikes, taking second place in the standings [31] including an opening weekend hat-trick of victories at Silverstone [32] along with a double at the Brands Hatch finale. 2022 also saw a return to road racing action, as he took another double victory in the superbike class at the North West 200. [33] He also made his long-awaited TT debut, with a best finish of 8th in the Superbike TT. [34] Irwin also clocked the lap record for a newcomer with an average lap speed of 129.85 mph [4]

Irwin would return to the PBM Ducati outfit ahead of the 2023 season, where he would team up with Tommy Bridewell. [1]

On 8 July 2023, Irwin finished in second place in the final British Superbike race at Snetterton, narrowly missing out on a win to his teammate Tommy Bridewell, who secured a hat-trick in the competition. [35]

Career statistics

British Superbike Championship

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearMake123456789101112PosPts
R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3R1R2R3
2016 Ducati SIL
14
SIL
13
OUL
13
OUL
7
BHI
13
BHI
Ret
KNO
11
KNO
Ret
SNE
Ret
SNE
7
THR
11
THR
3
BHGP
Ret
BHGP
4
CAD
5
CAD
7
OUL
Ret
OUL
9
OUL
11
DON
13
DON
10
ASS
11
ASS
12
BHGP
3
BHGP
7
BHGP
17
12th143
2017 Ducati DON
6
DON
3
BHI
6
BHI
Ret
OUL
9
OUL
2
KNO
DNS
KNO
DNS
SNE
SNE
BHGP
16
BHGP
14
THR
20
THR
11
CAD
11
CAD
9
SIL
1
SIL
Ret
SIL
Ret
OUL
11
OUL
12
ASS
14
ASS
14
BHGP
Ret
BHGP
7
BHGP
13
12th132
2018 Ducati DON
6
DON
7
BHI
7
BHI
2
OUL
Ret
OUL
5
SNE
2
SNE
Ret
KNO
4
KNO
4
BHGP
2
BHGP
2
THR
5
THR
9
CAD
4
CAD
5
SIL
2
SIL
3
SIL
4
OUL
12
OUL
6
ASS
5
ASS
4
BHGP
1
BHGP
7
BHGP
Ret
3rd588
2019 Kawasaki SIL
Ret
SIL
11
OUL
Ret
OUL
22
DON
9
DON
Ret
DON
14
BRH
10
BRH
10
KNO
10
KNO
9
SNE
SNE
15th84
BMW THR
11
THR
DNS
CAD
8
CAD
6
OUL
7
OUL
15
OUL
5
ASS
Ret
ASS
15
DON
DON
BHGP
BHGP
BHGP
2020 Honda DON
2
DON
2
DON
2
SNE
4
SNE
2
SNE
1
SIL
4
SIL
4
SIL
4
OUL
5
OUL
Ret
OUL
6
DON
Ret
DON
7
DON
2
BRH
6
BRH
12
BRH
11
4th226
2021 Honda OUL
6
OUL
9
OUL
10
KNO
12
KNO
11
KNO
Ret
BHGP
11
BHGP
8
BHGP
6
THR
Ret
THR
3
THR
6
DON
2
DON
Ret
DON
2
CAD
4
CAD
6
CAD
6
SNE
Ret
SNE
14
SNE
11
SIL
1
SIL
13
SIL
9
OUL
8
OUL
Ret
OUL
7
DON
Ret
DON
10
DON
10
BHGP
9
BHGP
9
BHGP
Ret
8th1055
2022 Honda SIL
1
SIL
1
SIL
1
OUL
11
OUL
9
OUL
7
DON
5
DON
Ret
DON
Ret
KNO
7
KNO
8
KNO
6
BRH
Ret
BRH
10
BRH
3
THR
4
THR
6
THR
4
CAD
9
CAD
9
CAD
8
SNE
9
SNE
4
SNE
4
OUL
4
OUL
4
OUL
2
DON
5
DON
3
DON
3
BRH
1
BRH
3
BRH
1
2nd1171
2023 Ducati SIL
5
SIL
3
SIL
1
OUL
3
OUL
2
OUL
1
DON
DON
DON
KNO
KNO
KNO
SNE
SNE
SNE
BRH
BRH
BRH
THR
THR
THR
CAD
CAD
CAD
OUL
OUL
OUL
DON
DON
DON
BRH
BRH
BRH
2nd*130*

* Season still in progress.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Byrne (motorcyclist)</span> British motorcycle racer

Shane Byrne, often known as Shakey, is a British professional motorcycle road racer. He is a six-time champion of the British Superbike Championship, the only man in the history of the series to win six titles. He has also been a race winner in the Superbike World Championship and has competed in MotoGP. Byrne's significant controversy is a video from 2013 which shows him celebrating his victory by shaking a bottle of champagne and then aiming a spray up the podium model's skirt. Byrne made a public apology in 2021 on Instagram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Walker (motorcyclist)</span> British motorcycle racer

Chris Walker is a British motorcycle road racer and former scrambler with the nickname The Stalker. He is a four-time runner-up in the British Superbike Championship, and a former race winner in the Superbike World Championship. For the 2015 season Walker signed for Tommy Hill's Be Wiser Kawasaki Team aboard a Kawasaki ZX-10R in the British Superbike Championship, following his 2014 season with Lloyds British GBmoto squad. Team manager Hill left in August, 2015, and the team folded in September, leaving Walker without a ride for the final two race meetings of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Haslam</span> British motorcycle racer

Leon Lloyd Haslam is a motorcycle road racer based in Derbyshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Rutter (motorcyclist)</span> British motorcycle racer

Michael Karl Rutter nicknamed "The Blade", is a British motorcycle racer. He races in the National Superstock 1000 Championship aboard a BMW S1000RR. He has a reputation for being at his best in wet conditions and his favourite circuit is Oulton Park. He won 29 British Superbike Championship races with the most recent being at Silverstone in 2010, and finished as series runner-up twice. He has also contested MotoGP and World Superbike Championship events. He also cameoed in Coronation Street in 2008 as an extra, who put money in a slot machine and sat by the fire place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Harris</span> British motorcycle racer (1979–2014)

Karl Harris was a three-time British Supersport champion. In 2010 he switched to the British Superstock Championship on a GR Motorsport Aprilia. Harris was killed when racing during the 2014 Isle of Man TT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Superbike Championship</span> British road racing superbike competition

The British Superbike Championship (BSB), known for sponsorship reasons as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, is a road racing championship for superbike class machines in the United Kingdom, and is acknowledged to be the premier domestic superbike racing series in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Brookes</span> Australian motorcycle racer

Joshua Brookes is a professional road racer of motorcycles with experience of Superbike and Supersport racing, both domestically and internationally. For 2023, Brookes joined FHO Racing aboard a BMW M1000RR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Camier</span> British former motorcycle racer

Leon Stuart Camier is an English former solo motorcycle racer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Sykes</span> British motorcycle racer

Thomas Edward Sykes is a professional motorcycle racer who first competed in World Superbike Championship during 2008. For the 2022 season, Sykes rejoined his former team Paul Bird Motorsport riding a Ducati in British Superbikes, finishing in 12th place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Easton</span> British motorcycle racer

Stuart Easton is a British former professional motorcycle racer. He announced his retirement from racing in December 2016.

British Supersport Championship is a support series to the British Superbike Championship (BSB) for engine capacities smaller than Superbike. British Supersport runs one or two rounds per weekend at each BSB event. The BSS championship is seen as a stepping stone for the younger talent to progress to the British Superbike Championship or to World level classes. Riders such as: Tom Sykes, Cal Crutchlow, Sam Lowes, Alex Lowes, Jonathan Rea and Leon Camier all raced in this championship during their early careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Westmoreland</span> British motorcycle racer

James Westmoreland, also known as 'Westy', is an English motorcycle racer. In the 2024 season, he will ride a Honda CBR 1000RR in the World Endurance Championship for Honda Viltais Racing.

Chris Martin is a British superbike rider who is currently competing in the British Superbike Championship for the Gearlink Kawasaki team. Martin is a previous British Superbike Privateers Cup Champion in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Bridewell</span> English motorcycle racer

Thomas George Bridewell will race for Honda Racing UK in the British Championship during 2024.

Paul Bird Motorsport are a British motorcycle road racing, car racing and rallying organisation. From 2024, following owner Paul Bird's death in 2023, the motorcycle road racing operation was renamed Paul Bird Racing with Glenn Irwin as sole rider in British Superbike class. Paul Bird had competed as a rally driver and a solo-rider in motocross. His son Frank is a car racer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Mackenzie</span> British motorcycle racer

Taylor Mackenzie is a former Grand Prix motorcycle racer based in Leicestershire, England. In late 2021, Mackenzie announced his intended retirement from racing at the end of the season. Shortly afterwards, it was announced that from the 2022 season, Mackenzie would be team manager for VisionTrack Honda Moto3, a new team in Moto3 headed by ex-racer Michael Laverty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Ryde</span> British motorcycle racer

Kyle Brandon Ryde is an English motorcycle solo road racer. For 2022 he rode in BSB with OMG Racing, switching to Yamaha machinery as used in 2021 by the McAMS team. For 2023, Ryde continues with the same team and machinery – the first time in Superbikes that he has continued for a second season on the same machine.

The 2022 British Supersport Championship season was the 34th British Supersport Championship season, incorporating the 2022 British GP2 Cup. Jack Kennedy started the season as the reigning champion.

The 2023 British Superbike Championship season is the 36th season of the motorcycle championship. Bradley Ray was the reigning champion, but chose to compete in the 2023 Superbike World Championship. The championship was won by Tommy Bridewell, winning the closest-ever BSB season, defeating teammate Glenn Irwin by just half a point.

The 2023 British Supersport Championship season is the 35th British Supersport Championship season, incorporating the 2023 British GP2 Cup. Jack Kennedy is the reigning series champion, but did not return to defend his title as he moved up to the 2023 British Superbike Championship. The season was marred by the sudden death of rider Damon Rees following a short illness.

References

  1. 1 2 3 GLENN IRWIN COMPLETES PBM DUCATI LINE UP FOR 2023 BENNETTS BSB Archived 2 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine British Superbike, 2 November 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  2. BSB: PBM Racing Ducati confirm 2024 grid spot with Glenn Irwin Archived 8 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine Motorcycle News , 6 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024
  3. North West 200: Glenn Irwin extends unbeaten Superbike streak to six races with 2022 double Archived 6 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Motorcycle News, 16 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  4. 1 2 2023 IOMTT: Fastest Newcomer Glenn Irwin Says He's Not Running Next Year Archived 2 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine RideApart, 2 November 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  5. Glenn Irwin 2 Archived 19 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine Honda.Racing, No date given. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  6. Irwin joins Easton at Mar-Train Yamaha Archived 21 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine Crash.net, 15 November 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  7. GEARLINK KAWASAKI SET FOR MCE BRITISH SUPERBIKE DEBUT WITH WILSON Archived 25 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine Road Racing World, 23 November 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  8. 1 2 Brands BSB: Irwin storms to first Supersport victory BikeSportNews, 20 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  9. Irwin remains with Gearlink Kawasaki for 2015 BikeSportNews, 28 October 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  10. PBM switch to Ducati for 2016 with Byrne and Irwin Archived 28 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine BennettsBike, 16 October 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  11. British Superbike Championship Standings 2016 Motorsport Stats, No date given. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  12. 2016 Macau GP: Last-lap heartbreak for ‘gutted’ Irwin BikeSportNews, 19 November 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  13. British Superbikes: Glenn Irwin to continue with PBM Ducati team for 2017 BBC Sport, 2 November 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  14. BSB: Irwin storms to debut win in dramatic Silverstone opener Archived 28 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine Motorcycle News, 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  15. British Superbike Championship Standings 2017 Motorsport Stats, No date given. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  16. 2017 NW200: Rookie Irwin takes titanic North West 200 win Archived 23 February 2024 at the Wayback Machine BikeSportNews, 13 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  17. 2017 Macau GP: Irwin takes maiden win in red-flagged race BikeSportNews, 18 November 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2023
  18. GLENN IRWIN SCORES HIS FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON AND TAKES 3RD IN #BSB CHAMPIONSHIP Archived 6 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine Motorsport.ie, 17 October 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  19. British Superbike Championship Standings 2018 Motorsport Stats, No date given. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  20. 2018 North West 200: Saturday times and race results Archived 21 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine BikeSportNews, 19 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  21. Glenn Irwin Confirmed as riding for Kawasaki in 2019 British Superbike Championship Archived 25 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine Kawasaki, 26 September 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  22. Glenn Irwin Joins Tyco BMW for remainder of BSB season Archived 5 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine Motorcycle News, 30 July 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  23. TYCO BMW SPLITS WITH GLENN IRWIN AFTER JUST FOUR ROUNDS TOGETHER Archived 9 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine Visordown, 25 September 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  24. 2019 North West: Last-corner Irwin denies Hillier Superbike win BikeSportNews, 18 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  25. Glenn Irwin joins Honda Racing team for BSB and international road races Archived 8 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine BBC Sport, 20 November 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  26. British Superbike Championship Standings 2020 Motorsport Stats, No date given. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  27. BSB: Glenn Irwin wins race three at Snetterton to extend championship lead Archived 17 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine Motorcycle News, 24 August 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  28. HIGH DRAMA AT SILVERSTONE: GLENN IRWIN WINS AS MCAMS YAMAHA TEAMMATES CRASH OUT Archived 16 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine British Superbike, 11 September 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  29. British Superbike Championship Standings 2021 Motorsport Stats, No date given. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  30. Glenn Irwin confirmed with Honda Racing for 2022 British Superbike Championship Archived 31 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine British Superbike, 17 November 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  31. British Superbike Championship Standings 2022 Motorsport Stats, No date given. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  32. Hat-trick for Honda Racing UK at Silverstone Archived 3 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine Honda.Racing, 17 April 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  33. 2022 NW200: Irwin makes it six consecutive Superbike wins Archived 30 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine BikeSportNews, 14 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  34. 2022 Superbike TT - Database Archived 7 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine Isle of Man TT Races, No date given. Retrieved 10 May 2023
  35. Robinson, James (9 July 2023). "Glenn Irwin 'really happy' with Snetterton weekend despite team-mate Tommy Bridewell's treble". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.