British SuperBikes The Showdown Brands Hatch 2023

13 - 15 October 2023

The final round of the British SuperBikes 2023 Championship is historically one I don’t attend for a few rather weak reasons. Living up north it’s a bit of a drive to get to and the weather in October is not usually good. Brands Hatch is not one of my favourite tracks and it’s usually packed for the final BSB races of the year with the resulting traffic chaos. This is usually enough to keep me at home watching the racing from the comfort of my sofa.

So why did I go to Brands Hatch last weekend to photograph the best domestic motorcycle race series in the world? Well I have just answered that question with that question. After the amazing penultimate round at Donington I wanted to see and experience the final round in person.

Choosing Saturday as there would be fewer people trackside but still some racing, I was quite excited on the long trip down south. I only usually go to Brands once or twice a year, and this was my first and only trip for 2023. A quick look at the PistonClick Brands Hatch photography guide (which we will update over the winter) and I was happy I could get some decent shots for my 2023 BSB portfolio.

After a quick chat with my shooting buddy about where to capture the action, we headed for the pits for the morning session. Usually the pits are not accessible but as a Bennetts Insurance customer (Bennetts are the title sponsors) a wristband was acquired and off we went.

Once we had got into the pits, to say I was a little disappointed was an understatement, not with the access as that was amazing but with the light. The weak low October sunshine didn’t quite get into the pits so it was dark and drab.

Watching the bikes scream down the straight bathed in sunshine I so wanted to be at Druids or any brightly lit corner. However, I had made my bed so stuck with it and will be updating the photographic guide with my results so that other photographers can make a considered decision on if it’s a good spot for taking a snap.

With the pits ticked off I headed for Druids which has loads of good spots to watch and therefore capture the action with a camera. As the clouds had now rolled in and the sun was hidden behind them I went for the inside.

However, those clouds held a nasty surprise. It seems to be standard for BSB that as soon as the riders are due out it rains. It did this at Donington. Brands had a bit more of a surprise, the temperature dropped and hail started to hammer down.

This delayed the start of qualifying and when the riders came out it was on full wets and with cold damp air and not even Peter Hickman’s BMW, which usually doubles up as a flame thrower, could produce the action pictures I was after. I did what I could, moving around the corner to try and capture some interesting shots and avoid shooting into the sun which did pop out from behind the clouds on occasion.

Besides the Superbikes there were the usual support races which I do like to watch. The BMW Cup however, is my least favourite. #47 Richard Cooper has been dominant all season and it was no change at the Kent track where he sealed the championship. 

What made this weekend’s BMW Cup races a little more interesting was the surprise addition of two times World Superbike Champion Troy Corser. Riding as # 111 he came a creditable 8th in the main race in tricky conditions that saw a few riders slide off into the kitty litter.

As the sun started its downward journey to the horizon the first of three races, and the only BSB race on Saturday, saw the riders lined up on the grid. With #22 Jason O’Halloran on pole for the sprint race the championship would be decided this weekend, with Tommy Bridewell 7.5 points ahead of his BeerMonster PBM Ducati team mate Glen Irwin.

The next closest was #77 Kyle Ryde 35 points adrift, not an unassailable gap as it would be 35 points for a win in each of the three races. Sitting a little further back, Leon Haslam, Lee Jackson and Jason O’Halloran had an outside chance if there was a repeat of the shenanigans at Donington.

In the end it was an uneventful race compared the last few outings, with Kyle Ryde first and Jason O’Halloran second having a battle at the front. The BeerMonster PBM Ducati boys fought hard over the 12 laps of the sprint race with Tommy Bridewell coming in third to extend his lead over Glen Irwin in fourth.

The slim chance of taking the championship slipped away from Leon Haslam on lap 8 as he lost the front at Surtees. Lee Jackson had, coming into this round, been putting together some excellent results but in the tricky conditions a 9th was all he could do.

So it was down to three riders left in the championship challenge, Bridewell, Irwin and Ryde. O’Halloran could make it four if Bridewell, Irwin and Ryde failed to finish the last two races - unlikely but after Donington all bets on that happening were off.

The two races on Sunday, which I would watch from my sofa, would now decide who would be crowned 2023 Champion. Heading home over the Dartford Crossing I reflected on my visit to Brands Hatch.

I pride myself on being in the right place at the right time, but the weather got the better of me when it came to taking photographs. However, it’s not all about photography. I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, the tension in the pits and the excellent clean but hard racing.

In the end the final race of the year was one of the best, and we have seen some great races this season. The commentators were kept busy with the calculations trying to work out the championship leader which swapped around at least 7 times during a very close race. In the end it was the same result in both of the Sunday races, Irwin, Bridewell and Ryde in third. 

Tommy Bridewell did enough with two second places and was crowned British SuperBikes Champion 2023 by half a point from Glen Irwin who could have done no more, winning both races.

The friction between the two BeerMonster PBM Ducati teammates faded away during the celebrations in front of the large crowds, with both congratulating each other on a great season and an epic final race.

The final race of the 2023 season will be remembered as one of the classics in the annals of BSB history. 

British Super Bikes 2024

Next years provision BSB race dates are now out. The image takes you to the PistonClick BSB page where you can find out more about British Super Bikes and our previous reports from 2018 to 2023.