Brands Hatch success for NI’s Irwin brothers

Northern Ireland racer Glenn Irwin claimed his first victory of the British Superbike Championship season at Brands Hatch on Saturday, while younger brother Andrew finished fourth.

The Be Wiser Ducati-riding teammates, from Carrickfergus, enjoyed a great day of racing – with Glenn qualifying second for the opening 20-lap race.

And the 28-year-old took the lead off the line and was never caught, taking the win just under two seconds ahead of Kawasaki’s Jake Dixon.

The result gives Glenn a firm grip on third place in the overall title race, 13 points ahead of nearest rival Josh Brookes in fourth with just two races left on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a strong performance from 24-year-old Andrew saw him take fourth - equalling his best BSB result to date.

“When I was running in second behind my brother, it was unreal as the dream would have been to get a 1-2 - as it’s something that’s never been done before,” he said.

“I tried a bit too hard in the last few laps though and made a few mistakes and it was enough for me to lose a podium place.”

Big brother Glenn added: “I didn’t want him behind me as he’s pretty mad, but I knew with his lack of experience he’d be harder on the tyre than me, so pushed hard in the final third of the race.

“It allowed me to pull away and it’s the best way to finish my time with the team as Paul Bird has given me so much over the last three years.”