Beaming Glenn Irwin on why runner-up finish in British Superbike opener ‘feels like a win'
Irwin's qualifying hopes were blown when he crashed on the Hager PBM Ducati, but the Carrickfergus man scythed his way through the field before getting the better of former champion Leon Haslam (Moto Rapido Ducati) for second place.
Bradley Ray, the 2022 BSB champion, made a winning return to the series after racing in World Superbikes for the past two years.
The Raceways Yamaha rider also smashed the lap record as he wrapped up victory in the opening race by just under two seconds from Irwin, who is concentrating on winning the BSB title in 2025 after announcing his retirement from road racing.
Irwin will start Monday's 12-lap Sprint race (1.15pm) from second place on the front row and says he will 'take the fight' to Ray.
'It feels like a win, and I know Brad won the race and fair play because he did a great job… he knows he's very fast over one lap and used that strategy and broke the guys,' Irwin said.
'I don't have much to say other than a huge thanks to the team.
'We arrived here after three great tests, and some new parts – the same parts but just fresher – were put in for this weekend and the bike yesterday was so hard to ride.
'It was very slow, we tried to give it more power and then it was a monster – really couldn't understand it.
'So, then they changed the engine, they changed nearly everything they could change and then I threw it down the road in qualifying, which was completely my fault.
'The first thing I did was apologise to Jordan (Bird, team co-owner) when I came in, but we got the head down.
'I changed my training programme this winter and I feel very fit, very calm on the bike in that race, and we look forward to tomorrow.
'This guy (Ray) has done a great job to win the race and it's nice he's back in from World Superbike, but we will take the fight to him tomorrow.'
Honda Racing's Andrew Irwin has been withdrawn from the rest of the Bank Holiday meeting after suffering a shoulder injury in a crash in qualifying on Sunday.
Scott Swann, making his BSB debut for the Send My Bag by IWR Honda team, finished 12th, with Richard Kerr from Co Donegal in 16th on the ROKiT BMW.
After the Sprint race on Monday afternoon, the final 18-lap race of the weekend is set for 4.15pm.
In the Supersport class, Eugene McManus from Randalstown finished third on the MMB Racing Ducati in the Sprint race on Sunday. Luke Stapleford took a narrow win ahead of reigning champion Jack Kennedy from Dublin.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Rea was left empty-handed as he made his return to the World Superbike Championship following injury at Cremona in Italy.
The six-time champion has been out of action since sustaining multiple fractures to his left foot in a crash during testing at Phillip Island in Australia.
Rea was 19th on Saturday, 16th in the Superpole race yesterday and 18th in Race Two.
The 38-year-old said his comeback was more challenging than he had expected.
'It's been a tougher weekend than I expected, but I knew we had to start somewhere,' said Rea.
'The target of the weekend in my own mind was just to try and commit to racing, get passed fit and do my best to complete all three races with no mistakes.
'We completed that target. Of course, I wasn't as competitive as I wanted to be, but considering I was only fully weight-bearing and walking without my air boot three weeks ago, I can accept that.'
Italy's Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Ducati) won all three races from Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW) to increase his lead in the Championship to 34 points ahead of the Fifth Round, which takes place at Most in the Czech Republic from May 16-18.
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