British Superbike

【2022 Season Review】Irwin wins five races, finishes second overall, a personal best

Four riders represented Honda Racing UK in the 2022 British Superbike Championship , contested over 11 rounds / 33 races. Glenn Irwin, who finished eighth in 2021, and Ryo Mizuno and Takumi Takahashi in their second year of competition, were joined by Tom Neave, 2021 British Superstock Champion.

【2022 Season Review】Irwin wins five races, finishes second overall, a personal best

Three wins for Irwin in Round 1

The season opener was held on April 16-17 at the Silverstone Circuit, a venue also known for hosting MotoGP and F1 grands prix. Honda Racing UK started the season with the CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP in white livery celebrating the CBR series’ 30th anniversary. Irwin took pole in Qualifying, and in Race 1, narrowly held on to the lead to win. In Race 2, he worked his way up from the second row and was in second position with ten laps to go. He kept the pressure on race leader Bradley Ray (Yamaha), took the lead when Ray crashed with two laps to go, and went on to win. In Race 3, Irwin started fifth but took the lead four laps in, and held on for the win. Irwin was off to a great start, dominating an event for the first time in his career.


Glenn Irwin in Round 1, Silverstone
Glenn Irwin in Round 1, Silverstone

Getting into The Showdown

Irwin struggled in Round 2 at Oulton Park, with a best finish of seventh in Race 3. He lost the lead to Ray, who had won two races in the event. He continued to struggle, dropping down to sixth overall, but was back on the podium with a third place in Race 3 of Round 5 at Brands Hatch. From rounds 6 to 8, he consistently finished within the top six in five out of nine races, moving up to fourth in the ranking. This earned him the right to enter "The Showdown," where the top eight contenders compete for the title in the final three events.


Glenn Irwin in Round 10, Donington Park
Glenn Irwin in Round 10, Donington Park

In the first round of The Showdown, Round 9 at Oulton Park, Irwin finished fourth in the first two races. In Race 3, he fought for the lead early on and finished second, just 0.089 seconds behind the winner. In Round 10, Donington Park, he finished fifth in Race 1 and third in Race 2. In Race 3, a footpeg broke in the final laps, and he lost footing but was still able to secure third place, on the podium. After putting up a good fight, Irwin moved up to second place on the leaders board, with the final round remaining.


Glenn Irwin in Round 11, Brands Hatch
Glenn Irwin in Round 11, Brands Hatch

In the final round at Brands Hatch, Irwin started Race 1 from pole, and went on to win. After finishing third in Race 2, he won Race 3 by 0.6 seconds over his brother Andrew Irwin (BMW), making it a 1-2 finish for the brothers. Irwin finished the season in the best possible way, a career-best second place.


Ryo Mizuno in Round 6, Thruxton
Ryo Mizuno in Round 6, Thruxton

Mizuno, Takahashi in their second season

Mizuno, in his second year in BSB as part of the Honda Superbike Challenge Program,  steadily developed his knowledge of the tracks, finishing within the points in all Round 3 and Round 6 races. He finished 23rd in the championship standings.


Takumi Takahashi in Round 5, Brands Hatch
Takumi Takahashi in Round 5, Brands Hatch

After overcoming a tough 2021 due to injury, Takahashi entered his second BSB season in perfect shape. He focused on bike development using his vast experience and knowledge. Takahashi finished 20th in the rankings with 28 points, bettering his 2021 results by ranking 20th overall with 28 points, including an 11th place in Race 1, Round 8 and points in six consecutive race in the closing stages.


Tom Neave in Round 7, Cadwell Park
Tom Neave in Round 7, Cadwell Park

Tom Neave finished his debut year in the class in 19th place, scoring 35 championship points from 14 races.



  • Standings
Pos. Rider Num. Team Constr. Pts
1 Bradley RAY 1 Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha Yamaha 1192
2 Glenn IRWIN 2 Honda Racing UK Honda 1171
3 Tommy BRIDEWELL 46 Oxford Products Racing Ducati Ducati 1141
4 Lee JACKSON 14 Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki 1095
5 Jason O'HALLORAN 22 McAMS Yamaha Yamaha 1087
6 Kyle RYDE 77 Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha Yamaha 1077
7 Tarran MACKENZIE 1 McAMS Yamaha Yamaha 1031
8 Rory SKINNER 11 Cheshire Mouldings FS-3 Kawasaki 1017
9 Peter HICKMAN 60 FHO Racing BMW BMW 283
10 Danny BUCHAN 83 SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad BMW 272
11 Leon HASLAM 91 VisionTrack Kawasaki Kawasaki 205
12 Tom SYKES 66 MCE Ducati Ducati 187
13 Andrew IRWIN 18 SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad BMW 181
14 Josh BROOKES 25 MCE Ducati Ducati 161
15 Christian IDDON 21 Buildbase Suzuki Suzuki 135
16 Danny KENT 52 Buildbase Suzuki Suzuki 77
17 Ryan VICKERS 7 FHO Racing BMW with Attis Sports BMW 65
18 Storm STACEY 79 Team LKQ Euro Car Parts Kawasaki Kawasaki 38
19 Tom NEAVE 68 Honda Racing UK Honda 36
20 Takumi TAKAHASHI 13 Honda Racing UK Honda 28
21 Charlie NESBITT 86 Buildbase Suzuki Suzuki 23
22 Chrissy ROUSE 69 Crowe Performance BMW BMW 18
23 Ryo MIZUNO 88 Honda Racing UK Honda 18
24 Josh OWENS 65 Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki Kawasaki 14
25 Dean HARRISON 5 DAO Racing Kawasaki Kawasaki 9
26 Dan LINFOOT 4 iForce BMW BMW 7
27 Jack KENNEDY 4 Mar-Train Racing Yamaha 2