EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Irwin, Jack Kennedy vying for 2025 Honda BSB ride

Both current Honda Racing UK BSB rider Andrew Irwin and the team’s lead Supersport rider, Jack Kennedy, are in search of a Superbike ride with the team for the 2025 BSB season.

For Andrew Irwin, the second season of his return to Honda Racing UK has been almost a continuation of the first, with the humerus injury that kept him out for much of 2023 remaining an issue in the beginning of this year.

The result was a slow start for Irwin, but, despite returning to podium form at Brands Hatch in July, crashes at Thruxton and Cadwell Park slowed the momentum he was building.

As a result, Irwin’s future at the Honda Racing UK team is uncertain.

“Honestly, I’m not so sure,” Irwin said when speaking to Crash.net on Friday at the recent Donington BSB round.

“We still need to confirm, really. If you want my honest opinion, I’d love to continue here. I think my plan is to continue, but let’s see. I haven’t had anything concrete yet.

“Hopefully I continue at Honda, that’s what I want to do, I think it’s a fantastic team and I think also the Fireblade is probably the bike to be on in the championship at the moment.”

Another year at Honda would be the third in a row for Irwin on the Fireblade, a bike he says he likes and is being developed well.

“Last year I was really fast, I think probably faster than some people realise, before I got injured,” Irwin said. “So, people didn’t actually realise the potential that the bike had.

“Then, we got an updated model: we got split throttles, we have new aero, slightly different engine — for sure the bike has took a step, that’s what we needed.

“Now we have that, you look at the Hawk guys [Lee Jackson and Charlie Nesbitt], they’re fighting for the podium; you look at Tommy [Bridewell], he’s leading the championship.

“I think it shows that, not only have Honda brought out a new bike, but also the team has developed this bike really fast and it’s only going to get stronger.

“This is the first year, next year I think you’ll see a big step in the development of the bike.”

Continuing with Honda also presents opportunities to race in WorldSBK, Irwin says, should his results be good enough. Results, he says, are the reason he hasn’t wildcarded on the international stage in 2024, when his teammate, Tommy Bridewell, has.

“I think maybe it [a WorldSBK wildcard] potentially would have been possible if the results had been there,” Irwin said.

“I think you see the job that he’s [Bridewell] doing there, he’s doing a job as well as riding the bike there, I think.

“For me, it’s not part of the plan at the minute, but I think next year, if I can continue here and try to do a good job, hopefully it’ll open some doors like that.”

Kennedy: “Nothing has been ruled out…”

If Irwin is looking hold onto his Honda Racing UK seat, Jack Kennedy is looking to take it from him.

Kennedy joined Honda Racing UK for this season to return to the British Supersport Championship on the Honda CBR600RR in search of a fifth title in the class.

Leading by 20 points heading into the final round, Kennedy has shown himself once again to be capable of winning in the Supersport class, and a move to Superbike for next year remains a possibility.

“Of course, it’s [moving to Superbike] come up in conversation and we’ve discussed it quite a bit,” Kennedy told Crash.net at the Donington Park BSB.

“There’s still quite a few things that need to fall into place, and obviously our main focus at the minute is on trying to win the Supersport Championship.

“So, I feel like that’s what needs to be done first, before we can discuss the finer details of what class I’m going to ride in next year, and what suits the team for the dynamic of what riders they’re running next year.

“There’s still a lot of things that need to be finalised, but nothing has been ruled out so to speak, so it’s [moving to Superbike in 2025] still a possibility.”

Speaking at the end of 2023, Kennedy admitted that there was “frustration” to be moving back to Supersport for 2024 after stepping up to BSB with the Mar-Train in 2023.

“I can’t deny that it does come with frustration not to stay in the [Superbike] class, and not to stay in the team that I was with,” he told Visordown.

Kennedy added that the potential to move back up to the Superbike class with Honda Racing UK was also a part of the attraction of the move for him, even if it initially meant a step back to Supersport.

“There is the prospect of moving back up [to the Superbike class] with the [Honda Racing UK] team — there’s a lot of potential to progress with the team, and the two-year agreement was that if we do a good job for Honda and we win the championship then we can talk about riding a Superbike for the year after.”

Despite Kennedy’s clear desire at the end of 2023 to be back in the Superbike class quickly, speaking with Crash.net at Donington Kennedy said that another year in Supersport with the Honda team would also be acceptable to him.

“With this team, I’m enjoying the year so much,” Kennedy said. “The team is so professional and well-ran, and enjoyable to be a part of.

“I’ve enjoyed myself this year, so there’s no reason why I wouldn’t do another year in Supersport.”