Glenn Irwin hoping for repeat of last year's BSB results at Oulton Park ahead of North West 200 record bid

The Carrickfergus man is aiming to get back on the right track after the opening round at Navarra in Spain, when he finished eighth in the second race on the Hager PBM Ducati after a solid fourth in the opener.

Irwin will also be eager to leave Oulton on a high as he heads straight to the North West 200, where he is bidding to extend his record of eight Superbike victories in a row.

The 35-year-old needs one more win to equal the record of nine Superbike victories held jointly by Michael Rutter and the late Joey Dunlop on the north coast, where practice gets under way on Wednesday around the 8.9-mile ‘Triangle’ course.

First, though, Irwin is focused on maximising his potential at Oulton after he topped the times during a two-day test on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend meeting at the PBM team’s home venue.

Irwin, who won three times in six races at Oulton in 2023, said: “It’s always great to go to Oulton Park which is the team’s home round and I also have many sponsors based in the area.

“It’s always a special time of year as we have a busy few weeks what with BSB and the North West 200.

“We lost our way a little in the second race at the opening round but I know we have a great setting for Oulton Park and can’t wait to get to work at the test this week.

“This track holds special memories for me with all the success I had last year, never finishing off the podium and winning three races,” added the 34-year-old, who was fastest in free practice on Saturday.

“I’ve been working really hard behind the scenes since Navarra so I’m sure we can take the fight to the opposition and hopefully come away with a repeat of last year's successes.”

Irwin is fifth in the standings after the first round, 16 points behind OMG Yamaha’s Ryan Vickers.

He has finished as the title runner-up in the past two seasons, missing out on becoming Northern Ireland’s first BSB champion last year by only half a point to his then team-mate Tommy Bridewell.

Irwin’s brother and Honda Racing UK rider Andrew will be keen to put a disappointing round at Navarra behind him this weekend after finishing outside the points in 16th in the first race before improving to 13th in the second encounter.

BSB qualifying and the first 18-lap race take place on Sunday (16:30 BST).

On Monday, the BSB Sprint race is at 13:15 BST with Race 3 at 16:15 BST.