BSB: Tommy Bridewell Snetterton summary

SENSATIONAL SNETTERTON VICTORY FOR BRIDEWELL...!

After more than a season away from the ViSK.com British Superbike Championship, Wiltshire rider Tommy Bridewell returned in style with a sensational victory at Snetterton today.

Aboard the Team NB Suzuki GSX-R1000K6, the 20-year-old from Etchilhampton near Devizes took the win in the mirror.co.uk Cup class in the opening race at the Norfolk circuit and just for good measure, took the final point in the main series for finishing a battling 15th overall.

The result was in stark contrast to the early part of the meeting which saw the Bridewell Racing Team struggle to get to grips with BSB after a season and a half away racing in Europe and Tommy could only manage 28th place in qualifying.

However, the team dialled in some speed and coupled with Bridewell's lightning start, he circulated with factory TAS Suzuki rider Atsushi Watanabe and the Hawk Kawasaki of Tristan Palmer before beating Peter Hickman and Matt Bond in the Privateers battle to top the podium for the first time since Brands Hatch in 2005.

Tommy couldn't quite manage the same heroic feat in race two as a minor handling problem thwarted his hopes but he still brought the four-year-old bike home in fourth place in the mirror.co.uk Cup and 20th overall.

With the loudest cheer of the day still ringing in his ears from the podium, a delighted Tommy said: "We've had a bit of a rough time on the racetrack over the past couple of seasons but to get a result like this is fantastic. We only decided to put this team back together a couple of weeks ago and we have worked like hell to make this happen. Thanks to mum, dad, my sister Charlotte and my friend Jason for their help, and of course Ollie, it looked like we were not going to do very well at the start but we battled on and sorted the problems as best we could and here we are. Racing with Watanabe was great but his bike was so fast on the straights, it was unbelievable, and whilst we weren't planning on going to Knockhill, we'll have a copper up and see if we can make it somehow."

Bridewell's results have already elevated him to eighth place in the mirror.co.uk Cup and a repeat performance in two weeks time at Knockhill (July 4/5th) could see him as high as fifth.

-credit: tb