Tommy Bridewell has taken both himself and his new Superbike Advocates team to new heights in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship after a sterling Czech Round weekend at Autodrom Most. Bridewell made his WorldSBK debut back in 2008, and the British rider has performed faithfully as a test rider, replacement and wild card as needed. Now in 2026, the 2023 BSB champion has his full-time spot on the grid, and at Most, Bridewell soared to new heights at the World Championship level.
SUPERPOLE RACE STATEMENT
After appearances over the last two seasons on Honda machinery, Bridewell rides with the Superbike Advocates Ducati Panigale V4R in 2026, and it took him to a strong start to the weekend for his team, as after starting from P16, he finished Race 1 in P13, landing his newly-formed team in the point-scoring positions for the fourth time so far this season. The weekend hit its high point for the #46 and his team on Sunday morning, with a consistent pace in the low 1’31s, and no laps apart from the first and final times exceeding 1’31.4s. That pace, coupled with his successful attack up the order through the tricky first chicane, saw him into 8th place. Bridewell defended attacks from a posse of star riders, including Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), his teammate Alex Lowes, Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), and went on to seal his and his team’s best-ever WorldSBK race result.
REALIZING POTENTIAL: “I also knew that we potentially had pace for the top nine if it went our way, and it did!”
Race 2’s jump off the line wasn’t quite as fruitful for the #46 at lights out, dropping one position to P9. This time, Bassani made his way through on Lap 8 to send Bridewell to P10, and on Lap 16. Later, Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) crashed out of the race ahead of him, sending him briefly to P9, before Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) found a way through to move Bridewell to a P10 finish. The result is no small feat for the team competing in their first WorldSBK season since joining from Australian Superbikes.
On his Sunday, Bridewell said: “I feel great, this is a testament to the Superbike Advocates team and the support we’re getting from Ducati. I struggled a bit with qualifying and getting the most out of the tyres, so I knew starting from 15th would be difficult, but I also knew we potentially had pace for the top nine if it went our way, and it did! I got a great start through Turn 1 and Turn 2, and from there I was just set for the run. It was a really positive day, and to be honest, Race 2 and the 22 laps around here were tiring, mentally and physically. The distances in WorldSBK are tough; that little bit longer makes it a little bit tougher, and I knew there were some fast guys behind me like Axel, Alex and Sam, many more, everyone is incredible on this grid, so I knew it would be hard to hold my position. I went into T1 a bit too aggressively; it wasn’t the cleanest of mine, but I got through without taking anyone out. From there, I settled into the race and tried my best to stay with the group in front of me. The plan was to match Balda’s Saturday pace in the mid- to high-1’31s range, which we did, but they went faster yet again. I’ve never been here, and there were some areas where I struggled with track knowledge, but I hope for progress here next year.”
A CLEAR PROGRESSION: “These results mean we’re working in the correct way”
The British rider had competed in 20 WorldSBK races after a debut wild card back in 2008, but now in 2026, the #46 is making the most of his first season as a permanent rider on the grid. He has landed in the points with growing consistency so far this season, and if he can continue to earn results like these, the already hotly contested battle for the top ten will see another hat thrown into the ring.
On his progress this season, Bridewell said: “These results mean we’re working in the correct way, we’re not starting last, then getting up to tenth, then crashing, we’re just chipping away. We’re analysing every single session. My crew chief and I look over all the data that Ducati gives us and seeing where we’re losing time and where we’re strong. We’re looking at what other Ducati teams are doing and just copying that, really. We’re a bit ahead of where we anticipated this season. We’ve had no silly little mechanical issues; the bike and our speed have been incredible. This is a brand-new team, and yes, we have WorldSBK experience, but some guys have never worked with the Ducati, and what I’m learning a lot as a rider is spectacular. The progress we’ve made after five rounds is so far ahead of what we thought we’d be. We didn’t think we’d be top eight to top ten, but as a rider, you always have the vision of being farther forward. I’m focused on closing the gap to P3. I’m not focused on catching Iker or Nicolo as I don’t think that’s realistic for us.”
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