Tommy Bridewell: "I was fired up and I wanted to take someone’s head off!"
Getting fired up was key to title leader Tommy Bridewell staying ahead as rival Kyle Ryde picked up a timely win at Donington Park in the Showdown.
Tommy Bridewell was sat in right behind race one winner Kyle Ryde for almost all of the duration of the opening race of the Donington Park Showdown round, with a determined attitude and not being afraid to get angry playing their part in the result.
The Honda UK rider had put in plenty of work to improve his chances, even taking in a WSBK appearance between rounds in Cremona to gain extra data to help his cause.
- 2024 British Superbikes: Donington Park (Showdown) - Qualifying Results
- 2024 British Superbikes: Donington Park (Showdown) - Race Results (1)
The #1 rider found the going tough as he could not get the bike to work how he wanted, which he found mentally straining, rather than physical:
“It was tough. It’s a weird word to say really because tough, for me, is normally like physically hard, whereas I feel like I could ride around ‘til it’s dark tonight.
"That pace is such, weirdly because we’re struggling in some areas and at the minute my hands are slightly tied, that I’m not able to ride to the way I want to be able to ride. I’m having to just ride with the bike instead of me sort of perhaps being bit stronger, but in truth I’m happy.
"I’m happy that we’re still able to do what we’re doing, we’re working hard, and we’re losing in some areas and I’m struggling to find a solution, how to make it better, in them areas, but, you know it’s not for the want of trying”.
Out front Kyle Ryde had a pace that was hard to match, with Bridewell employing the best tactic when behind and piled on the pressure, hoping for a error which never came:
“Kyle rode a great race, I put him under as much pressure as I could, but if I’m honest, I knew quite early in the race that I was relying on a mistake.
"Normally stopping the bike in breaking is my stronger area but it seems to be probably my weakest area at the minute.
"So, the 20 laps gives us a direction for tomorrow for sure, and ultimately, yes, I’d be lying if I said I’m not frustrated, but we have to pick our battles and I can’t force something that doesn’t want to be forced, sometimes, if that’s the case I have to yield three points, that’s what I have to do, I have to be realistic to be honest.”
From fifth on the grid, but soon into second, another key element employed by Bridewell was getting angry behind, which helped him stay in touch and not be afraid to push for longer as the grip dropped at a cold Donington Park:
“Even after qualifying I wasn’t too happy with the bike, so I didn’t know what to expect going into that race, I just knew I was fired up and I wanted to take someone’s head off! So yeah, I knew my aggression would definitely get me so far, but then I had to try and tame that a little bit, so I’m happy”.
