The Bennetts British Superbike Championship is back at Cadwell Park this bank holiday weekend (26-28 August) with the title fight wide open ahead of the final pre-Showdown races of the 2023 campaign. The Lincolnshire circuit’s summer highlight will have a real festival feel, and feature the venue's biggest crowds of the year!
The Bennetts BSB field will battle to be crowned ‘Pirelli King of the Mountain’ across three races (one on Sunday, two on Monday) around Cadwell Park's legendary twists and turns. Tommy Bridewell leads the pack on 263 points with his BeerMonster Ducati teammate Glenn Irwin in hot pursuit. The Italian bikes have been the class of the field for much of the year, with Bridewell winning six races to date including a stunning treble at Snetterton, whilst Irwin has triumphed four times.
Australian hero Jason O’Halloran has reignited his title hopes after winning all three races at the last round at Thruxton. The McAMS Yamaha ace, and Lincolnshire resident, had only won a single race at Donington Park prior to his treble, but now sits just over 50 points behind Bridewell with a huge tally still available.
"It was an incredible weekend at Thruxton for us from start to finish," said O'Halloran. "Pole position and three race wins was about as good as it gets!
"Now we look forward to Cadwell Park to try and take this momentum forward. It is a track that I love, a home track for me in the UK; I love everything about it, but it is difficult. It is a tough track and it is always a tough race. A lot of riders go fast there so I expect another competitive weekend.
“I haven’t ridden there since the race last year, so I am looking forward to getting up to speed and getting the feeling with the track to find a rhythm ready for the races. We have to get on the front foot and attack now and take every race as it comes to us. But more than anything, enjoy it and try to win some more races, that’s my life and that is what gives me the buzz.
"At Thruxton I won my 26th BSB race and my 25th for Yamaha which is a stat that is fairly incredible so hopefully now we can build on this for the rest of the year and get ourselves right back in the championship fight.”
Other challengers to look out for include teammates Kyle Ryde and Ryan Vickers, who’ve both won for the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha team this year. The popular Leon Haslam will be another to keep an eye on – the former champion has been on fine form throughout the season but is still chasing a first win for the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team.
Cadwell Park fan favourites, and FHO Racing BMW Motorrad teammates, Josh Brookes and Peter Hickman can’t be ignored either. Brookes has fallen further down the order following a bright start to his title challenge, but he’s famous for his impressive leaps over the iconic Mountain, whilst Hickman has always thrived on the old-school challenge of Cadwell Park.
The Bennetts BSB action will kick off with Free Practice sessions on Saturday and Sunday ahead of the final Omologato Superpole session of the year on Sunday afternoon. This will be followed by the BikeSocial Sprint Race before feature race double-header which tops the bill on bank holiday Monday.
There will be a full support programme across the weekend too, with the competitive Quattro British Supersport/GP2 Championship and Pirelli National Superstock Championship. There will also be racing from the ABK Beer 0% BMW F 900 R Cup and the Pirelli National Junior Superstock Championship.
A trade area will be in operation all weekend, with dealers and manufacturers present along with the Bennetts BSB Fanzone with rider and team merchandise. There will also be live commentary and interviews broadcast throughout the weekend as well as giant TV screens to help fans keep up with the action on race days.
Advance discounted tickets for the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park are available until 4pm on Thursday 24 August with discounted rates for 13-15-year-olds and free entry for children under-13. For more information and to book tickets, please visit www.cadwellpark.co.uk.