【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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 finished his debut year in the class in 19th place, scoring 35 championship points from 14 races.
Race Report
Rd.01 Silverstone:Hat-trick for Honda Racing UK at Silverstone
Rd.02 Oulton Park:Progress made at Oulton Park for Honda Racing UK
Rd.03 Donington Park:Donington Park delivers highs and lows for Honda Racing UK
Rd.04 Knockhill:A solid weekend at Knockhill for Honda Racing UK
Rd.05 Brands Hatch:Honda Racing UK back on the Brands Hatch podium
Rd.06 Thruxton:Thruxton points haul for Honda Racing UK
Rd.07 Cadwell Park:Showdown hopes still strong despite challenges at Cadwell Park
Rd.08 Snetterton 300:Glenn Irwin secures 2022 Showdown spot
Rd.09 Oulton Park:A sensational second place for Glenn Irwin at Oulton Park
Rd.10 Donington Park GP:Double podium delight for Glenn Irwin at Donington Park
Rd.11 Brands Hatch GP:Glenn Irwin and Honda Racing UK finish the BSB season in style with victory at Brands Hatch
- 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 |