By Contrasting fortunes, battling performances, tenacious racing endeavours were just some of the terms to describe International roads stars third and final day of competition at the Brands Hatch GP BSB meeting.
For five times International road race winner Glenn Irwin, his momentous first season with the works Honda Racing team and the new CBR1000RR-R Fireblade concluded with a brace of top 12 finishes.
Championship leader throughout 2020, Irwin’s final series points total of 226 placed him ultimately 62 points behind new two times British Superbike Champion, 2017 Senior Classic TT winner Josh Brookes.
Fourth within the final Championship standings, whilst the season finale may not have gone to plan, nothing can take away from what has been an extremely impressive 2020 BSB campaign for the much liked Northern Irishman, who’s keen to tackle the fabled, mythical Mountain Course in 2021.
World’s fastest road racer Peter Hickman final race outings under the Smiths Racing, concluded with a brace of creditable eighth place finishes.
In his four years with Smiths Racing, Hickman has chalked up no less than 21 International road race victories, five TT wins, 13 Ulster GP victories, truly one of the great roads rider/team combinations of modern times.
Fellow roads giants, frequent North West 200 front runners, Ashcourt Racing’s Lee Johnston, Quattro Team ABM Racing’s Alastair Seeley ended their British Supersport/GP2 Cup season tenures in productive fashion.
Photo by Tommy Vennard
Twice Steve Henshaw Gold Cup winner Johnston sixth place finish in this afternoon’s middleweight class encounter, was enough for him to place fifth in the final British Supersport Championship standings.
Whilst all time NW200 wins record holder Seeley ninth overall, second place finish in class, also sees him secure a top five Championship finish in terms of the GP2 Cup category.
Tim Reeves/Kevin Rousseau took second in the final Molson Group British Sidecars race of 2020 whilst others concluding their race seasons in accomplished style included:
Ian Hutchinson (10th National Superstock 1000 race), Craig Neve (3rd Ducati TriOptions Cup Race 2), Lewis Blackstock/Patrick Rosney (5th British Sidecars Race 2) and Lee Crawford/Scott Hardie (10th British Sidecars Race 2).
Added renowned roads courses exponents securing solid, respectable finishes included:
23 times TT winner John McGuinness (13th Ducati TriOptions Cup Race 2), Gary Johnson (19th British Supersport Race 2), Davey Todd (12th National Superstock 1000 race).
Michael Rutter (16th National Superstock 1000 race), Conor Cummins (22nd National Superstock 1000 race) and Dafabet Devitt Racing’s Rob Hodson (26th National Superstock 1000 race).
Words by Stevie Rial
