TOMMY AND OLLIE RACK UP THE POINTS AT SUNNY BRANDS
29 March 2005 - Wayside Racing

Brothers Tommy and Ollie Bridewell made impressive debuts in their respective classes as a record 50,000 crowd turned out to witness the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship meeting at Brands Hatch in Kent yesterday.

From Etchilhampton near Devizes in Wiltshire, younger brother Tommy took to the track for the first time ever aboard a four stroke machine when he lined up for the opening round of the Virgin Mobile Cup.

Having qualified in an impressive tenth place, the pressure was on Tommy to perform and the teenager did just that with a mature ride beyond his years to bring the Wayside Racing R6 Yamaha home in 13th place, just 22 seconds down on the race winner. But more importantly, Tommy gained three valuable points which he was pleased with:

“Obviously, I wanted to finish much higher up but this has been a big learning curve for me. A four stroke 600cc bike on treaded road tyres takes some getting used to after a couple of seasons on a 125cc racer but I’m happy enough with the result. We can build on this and hopefully be a lot stronger at the next round at Thruxton” said the youngster.

Meanwhile, elder brother Ollie was making his debut in the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock Championship aboard the Vivaldi Racing Kawasaki and he too came away with a decent points haul.

Ollie posted ninth fastest time during two frantic qualifying sessions but a mediocre start saw him having to battle his way through the field. But Ollie – who finished runner up in the Virgin Mobile R6 Cup last season – proved he was capable of the task as he gradually caught and passed a number of riders throughout the 23 lap race to end up in a creditable tenth place at the chequered flag.

“It was very important for me to get some points in the bag and a top ten finish is a fair result” said Ollie. “Maybe if I can get a row or two higher up the grid and get a decent start, I can run with the leaders but we’ll have to wait and see what happens at Thruxton in two weeks time.”

Thruxton will be very much a local affair for the two riders given it is their nearest track and a big turn out once again is expected for the meeting which takes place on April 9/10. Last year, Tommy qualified in seventh before finishing eighth in the 125cc race whilst Ollie qualified in fifth place and took a podium placing with third in the Virgin Mobile R6 Cup.

Picture attached (courtesy of Pete Downing/Vivaldi Racing)- OLLIE BRIDEWELL IN ACTION AT BRANDS HATCH

2005 BSB Race Dates

R1: 26–28 March, Brands Hatch, Kent (Indy) www.motorsportvision.co.uk

R2: 8–10 April, Thruxton, Hants www.barc.net

R3: 22–24 April, Mallory Park, Leics www.mallorypark.co.uk

R4: 30 April–2 May, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk

R5: 13–15 May, Mondello Park, Co Kildare www.mondellopark.ie

R6: 3–5 June, Croft, N Yorks www.croftcircuit.co.uk

R7: 24–26 June, Knockhill, Fife www.knockhill.co.uk

R8: 8–10 July, Snetterton, Norfolk www.motorsportvision.co.uk

R9: 19-21 August, Silverstone, Northants www.silverstone-circuit.co.uk

R10: 27-29 August, Cadwell Park, Lincs www.motorsportvision.co.uk

R11: 9–11 September, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk

R12: 23–25 September, Donington Park, Leics www.donington-park.co.uk

R13: 7–9 October, Brands Hatch, Kent (GP) www.motorsportvision.co.uk

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