Glenn Irwin is gearing up to win his first podium of the season at Oulton Park this weekend (4^th to 6^th May) following a productive test last week. 

Glenn managed to end the day in 9th place despite being one of the few riders not to use the soft-option tyre.

The Cheshire circuit, which is notoriously challenging for Superbikes with its dramatic undulations and blind peaks, has proved to be a good hunting ground for the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki team in the past.

Glenn, who is a three-time North West 200 Superbike race winner, will be hoping he can emulate Leon Haslam’s double race win at the revered track last season and put the team at the top of the table.

Similarly, teammate Ben Currie will be looking to bag some crucial podium points and build on the progress he made during his Superbike debut at Silverstone. He’s been concentrating on improving his stamina and fitness following a bout of illness earlier in the year which hampered his pre-season training.

Oulton Park will also host the opening round of the Molson Group British Sidecar Championship. The new season promises to be the most strongly contested to date, as all the teams are now under the new ‘600cc rule’.

In line with the FIM World Championship, the 600cc formula is irrespective of chassis style, and is therefore open to long and short outfits alike.

For the first time Bournemouth Kawasaki will have two teams vying for victory: 2015 and 2016 British Sidecar Champions Ricky Stevens/Ryan Charlwood, who were runners up in the 600 Cup last year, and Ben Holland/Lee Watson.

Glenn Irwin said: “The Kawasakis have been notoriously strong at Oulton Park in the past and so we’re hoping to be at the sharp end.

“The circuit suits my style of riding as you need to be strong on the brakes and we should have an advantage over the other teams as the ZX-10 has a great chassis which is an important aspect to this track.

“Purely from a results point of view Silverstone didn’t look great for me, but I was riding injured in the second race following my earlier crash and still managed to finish just outside the top 10.

“During testing last week, we were much higher up and there are still a lot of things we can try. I know I’m asking a lot of the team but in return I’m working hard to adapt and learn. I want to be on the podium week in and week out, but I need to be realistic; I’ve got to keep improving and I’ve got to be consistent.  

“Being a Bank Holiday, we’re expecting a good crowd and there’ll be a lot of fans travelling over from Ireland so I want to make it worth their while!”

Ben Currie said: “We really had a great weekend at Silverstone and kept taking steps forward so it’s about building on that momentum. It will no doubt be a challenging weekend but if we can keep making progress, we’ll be in good shape leading up to the Showdown.

“The undulations are quite extreme at Oulton Park and difficult to manage on a Superbike, so my aim is to relax and not do anything stupid; I want to move forward but in a calculated manner!

“I think we’re just about there with the set-up but we’re always making tweaks and learning new things – I just need more time on the track but I’ve certainly got a lot more feeling with the bike than I had previously.

“I’m continuing to work on my strength and fitness; if I hadn’t been ill and we’d had a better pre-season, things could have been different – but we just have to do the best we can under the circumstances and keep chipping away.”

Ricky Stevens said: “After a really positive test in France in March, when we broke the 600cc lap record at Val de Vienne, we’re raring to go!

“Over the winter we’ve modified the suspension at the front end of the bike, and it’s made a huge difference so we’re feeling confident that we can get back to winning ways and we’ll be aiming for podiums at every round.  

“Having said that we’re aware that this season is going to really competitive as all the teams are now under the new ‘600cc rule’, but hopefully the experience and team we’ve got behind us give us the edge.”

Ben Holland said: “Pre-season unfortunately didn’t go as planned after breaking my collar bone during the five-day test in March, but I’ve been working really hard to get fit and I’m looking forward to the season opener.

“Oulton Park is undoubtedly going to be challenging for us as it’s a very physical course, but it’ll be good to get some more track time under our belts. Fortunately, there’s a five-week gap between the first and second rounds so that will give me more time to recover.

“We’re delighted to be part of a championship-winning team this season and stablemates with two-time champions Ricky and Ryan. Hopefully we’ll be able to support each other with bike preparation and set-up which will give both outfits an advantage over our competitors.”

Team owner Pete Extance said: “It was a very tough round at Silverstone with new riders and a new team, but the guys tested at Oulton Park last week and set good times.

“Glenn’s feeling a lot happier on the bike, especially after the opening round when we encountered lots of different issues. This weekend he’ll be looking to stick the bike at the front and hopefully get the first podium of the season on a track that’s done well for us in the past.

“Meanwhile Ben is looking forward to getting some more track time on the Superbike, although it’s a very demanding circuit and will be a very steep learning curve. For him it’s all about going faster each session and hopefully finishing in the top ten by the midway point in the season.

“And of course, I’m looking forward to seeing Ricky and Ryan and team newcomers Ben and Lee back in action in the sidecar class. This is going to be a really competitive opening round and hopefully Ricky and Ryan can make strides in their bid to claim their third championship title.”  

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