BSB Navarra test: Ducati’s ‘an absolute weapon!’ - Irwin

Glenn Irwin was back in PBM colours as Bennetts British Superbike testing headed to Spain last weekend.

After putting the Panigale V4R Ducati through its paces over three days at the 4km Navarra Circuit, Irwin was openly enthusiastic about the coming season having placed third in the combined times thanks to a 1’38.638 lap on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s been really enjoyable to come back to PBM and finally sample the V4R Ducati,” Irwin confirmed from the track.

“Raced against it for many, many years and the bike’s a weapon, absolute weapon!

“Some very clear strengths on it, some areas where I suppose maybe quite weak but I think if you adapt to avoid that area as such… I feel the adaptions went really, really good, coming from the Honda which is maybe a bike more similar to the riding style of this. Thankfully, I wasn’t complacent coming here, but I hoped it would be like that adaption and it sort of was what I hoped.

“The boys have worked really, really good,” he continued of his ‘new’ team. “We had a brilliant first day, was above all expectation and the second day, I think, was very much above expectation. No time attack as such. Today I planned on doing a run on some race tyres before a time attack at the end, but we exited the pits and it felt really strange at the front. Maybe you get the odd dodgy tyre so we pit in.

“We talked about ‘maybe change a tyre, maybe change the setup’ but we opted to change the set up and I was losing the front out there. Still felt good. I was enjoying with it but it just caught me out. Bike had minimal damage, it’s just ended the test a wee bit early.

“No time attack but we don’t need to,” he affirmed. “The important thing was to leave here with a nice feeling and I think I’m leaving