Wiltshire rider Tommy Bridewell claimed his first British Superbike championship in dramatic fashion after a fabulous final race at Brands Hatch.

Bridewell, who comes from Etchilhampton near Devizes, has claimed his maiden title by 0.5 points over his BeerMonster Ducati teammate Glenn Irwin in the tightest championship in BSB history.

Irwin won the final race at Brands Hatch, meaning that the 35-year-old had to come second to hold onto the lead in the overall standings, and he passed Kyle Ryde on the final lap and resisted his attempted fight back to claim the championship trophy.

During the scenes of jubilation after the end of the race, Bridewell took the time to dedicate his win to his late brother Ollie, who was killed in an accident in 2007, as well as team owner Paul Bird, who died in September.

Wiltshire Times: The rider from Etchilhampton celebrates on the podiumThe rider from Etchilhampton celebrates on the podium (Image: Tim Crisp)

Speaking to Eurosport, Bridewell said: "I'm getting a lump in my throat now. I've rehearsed this for a brave few years, I can tell you that.

"Firstly, I want to say thank you to Glenn. He brought the worst and the best out of me this year. I absolutely think he is an unbelievable rider.

"I want to say this is for my brother. Everything I do in my life, I promised him I would become British champion. My life is complete. Whatever happens for me now, I'm complete.

"We also want to dedicate this to our loved boss [Paul Bird], who we lost this year. He took a risk on me. I told him I would give him everything I had got."

 

 

The final race was an enthralling affair as Irwin started sixth on the grid and came from there to win the race as the top step on the podium changed hands on multiple occasions between the two Ducati riders and Ryde, who himself had an outside shot at winning the title.

On one particularly feisty lap, the lead changed hands on three occasions, before Irwin eventually got to the front of the pack on the penultimate lap and stayed there until the chequered flag.

Knowing he needed to get beyond Ryde if he was going to win the championship, Bridewell went for a risky manoeuvre down the inside into turn two on the final lap, before holding off the incessant charge of the LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha rider the rest of the way and finishing with the points he needed to be crowned champion.