Brands BSB Final: Race-three win and runner-up goes to Irwin

Honda’s Glenn Irwin took his fifth win of the season as he bagged the final British Superbike Championship race of 2022 ahead of brother Andrew with Danny Buchan finishing third to make it two Synetiq BMW’s on the podium. Glenn Irwin grabbed the holeshot from pole position but Buchan went ahead at Stirlings and he led at the end of the opening lap from Glenn Irwin, Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW), Andrew Irwin, Danny Kent (Buildbase Suzuki) and Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Ducati) although Hickman quickly went into second at the start of lap two. Jason O’Halloran was missing though with the McAMS Yamaha being wheeled off the grid after the sighting lap.

The top six remained the same for the next couple of laps but the front four were edging away from Kent and, indeed, the Suzuki man had to yield fifth place to Bridewell on the fourth lap, the gap to the leading quartet now a second. Lap five saw Andrew Irwin take second from brother Glenn having slid up the inside at Paddock Hill to make it a BMW 1-2-3.

Meanwhile, further back, champion Bradley Ray was fighting his way through the pack and was up to seventh on the Rich Energy OMG Racing Yamaha. Andrew Irwin made it a Synetiq 1-2 on lap 2 having again chosen Paddock Hill to make his move but the front four were still close, just a second covering them after seven laps.

The battle for fifth was now between Bridewell, Kent and Ray as Josh Brookes (MCE Ducati) made his way up to eighth ahead of Christian Iddon and Kyle Ryde. Buchan continued to lead the way from Andrew Irwin but Glenn Irwin got back into third at the start of lap 12 having overhauled Hickman at Paddock Hill and the four remained close together, Bridewell now running almost two seconds adrift in fifth.