Tommy Bridewell got a race to remember for his 400th start as race three at Donington Park went down as an instant, dra🍷ma filled classic.

The Honda rider h൲ad taken the advantage out front, but tyre management and pressure from behind meant the defending champion was sure he w🉐as going to be given a battle, with Glenn Irwin the first to show his cards:

“I got the holeshot and I felt really good sat out front, but immediately I knew I had to try and preserve or conserve my tyre - 20 laps around here in this tempera꧙ture is hard work so I was q𝕴uite cautious going down through Craner Curves because those sort of corners is what, you know, destroys the tyre.

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Then I saw Glenn maybe try and put a bit of a hammer down but then he didn’t have the pace, obviously, to go away. So I managed to get the run on Jase coming onto the back straight and do him down into Foggy’s and then I ♚set about attacking Glenn.

Using his Honda’s advantages and being well aware of what the Ducati is capable if after winning the championship on it in 2023, the ba🌳ttle between the pair was constant with passes coming thick and fast, mostly at either the Old Hairpin, Foggy Esses or the Melbourne Loop, though no corner was off limits. All the while both race winner Jason O’Halloran and Danny Kent were coming in to play:

“I kept passing into🎀 the Old Hairpin and I kind of knew it would bring the pack﷽ you, know, together.

The all of a sudden this green Kawasaki appeared! Jase got to the front and then, in truth he timed it perfect, I can’t fault him for it, he timed it perfect because me a𒁏nd Glenn just kind of knocked ten bows out of each other. Jase kept his nose clean and got enough of a gap that on the last lap when I was in front of Glenn I Just couldn’t get past him.

I knew he (Irwin) was gﷺoing to attack me, then when he did - down into Foggy’s  - he obviously ran really wide and then I done him down into Melbourne, but🍨 I honestly was never going to stop for the corner. I could see he was stuck on my outside and then the next minute when I turned into the corner I just saw this blue Yamaha”!

The #1 manag𓂃ed to keep Kent at bay - an achievement as the trio behind came out of the last corner three abreast:

“I managed to keep him into second but then I knew I had to defendౠ in the last corner but I had to defend so, so defensive that obviously I was quite slow in and then I saw Danny then - on the outside all the time this is going on Jason’s out front”.

The result built on the work Bridewell and Honda UK have done𒁃 since the start of the season, with success not instant for the team, with a podium finish in every race at Donington:

“That was a battle I felt we could have potentially won, but again, points on the board isꦯ crucial for me, a really, really strong positive w🍰eekend”.