BSB Brands Hatch: Glenn Irwin says North West 200-winning knowhow can propel him to maiden title

Irwin is locked in battle for the title with his BeerMonster Ducati team-mate Tommy Bridewell, who holds a slight advantage of 7.5 points ahead of the final three races of the 2023 Showdown at the Kent venue.

However, with a maximum of 105 points on the table, including 35 points for the winner of Saturday’s 12-lap Sprint shootout, Irwin says Bridewell’s slender lead is negligible.

The 33-year-old, third fastest in free practice on Friday with Englishman Bridewell in fifth, says he will adopt the same mentality he uses at the North West 200, where he has won a record eight Superbike races in a row.

“I’ve never heard of so many people from Northern Ireland and southern Ireland coming over to support me – and the support we have from the people already over there is great – but it’s just a bit of a switch in mentality and this is where the North West will help me,” he said.

“To win the North West, you have to win the race; there’s no championship – you have to win that race. You don’t win Superbike Race 1 or Superbike Race 2 with a second and a third – that’s not enough.

“There is no more pressure than riding at the North West, especially of late when you’re the person they all expect to win, but I can handle that.

“BSB is now that [same scenario] this weekend. It’s going to be an absolute dream.”

Irwin finished as the championship runner-up in 2022 behind Bradley Ray and says he will attain ‘complete fulfilment’ if he can go one better this weekend.

“It would be complete and sincere fulfilment as such,” said the Ulsterman. “Everyone has their own journey in life and mine has been much different than many, but everyone will have to go through something in their life.

“I was so lost as a person and in turn, I was quite lost as an athlete. It was talent that was still keeping me going and yes, I went to the gym and thought I was doing everything right, but mentally I was in absolute cuckoo land,” added Irwin, who has previously said he struggled particularly with his mental health in 2019 after a tough year in his career when his move to the BSB title-winning Quattro Plant Kawasaki team flopped.

“I was just lost but even before this championship is done, I already do feel like I’ve made a complete turnaround to be fair.

“But it [winning the BSB title] would be like writing those words down in bold writing; it would just be affirmation that I’ve fulfilled it, I’m back to the person I was as a happy kid, which I am now.”

Irwin, 14th in a wet FP1 after missing half of the session, climbed the leaderboard in dry conditions later in the afternoon.

He was 0.466s down on pacesetter Kyle Ryde on the OMG Yamaha. Ryde is third in the championship, 27.5 points adrift of Bridewell.

Peter Hickman was a surprise package in FP2 as the FHO Racing BMW rider finished second on the time sheets, three tenths down on Ryde.

Jack Kennedy was 10th on the Mar-Train Racing Yamaha with Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing UK) in 21st as he competes in his second meeting since returning from injury at Donington Park following a crash in testing at the end of May.

Qualifying on Saturday is from 12:30 BST with the 12-lap Sprint race due at 16:15 BST.

Sunday’s two BSB races are at 12:45 BST and 16:00 BST.