A strong WorldSBK Saturday at Jerez sees Bridewell qualify P7 and place P9 in Race 1

The 2026 WorldSBK season finale is underway at Spain’s Circuito de Jerez, where Saturday saw Superbike Advocates Racing secure ninth place in the first of the weekend’s races with rider Tommy Bridewell, who adds more valuable points to his championship tally.

In preparation for the afternoon’s race, Bridewell worked hard with his technicians during a final morning practice. Maximising the final stages of that short session to find the necessary pace over a flying lap, Tommy put in a 1’38.421. Improving by almost a second on his FP2 performance, the rider felt better prepared for qualifying.

Later in the morning, an intense Superpole phase saw Bridewell complete two brief exits. He initially set a 1'38.168 and was lying seventh before pitting to make a tyre change. Back out for a final push on the qualifier, Tommy was able to find another four tenths. His fastest time - a 1’37.753 - translated into seventh place on the grid for race 1. With this result, Bridewell equaled his best Superpole qualifying result of the season, having previously qualified seventh at the French round.

Race 1 ran over a distance of 20 laps at 3.30pm local time. Making the most of his starting position, Bridewell moved straight into sixth, part of a Ducati-dominant leading group. Slipping to ninth during the course of a hotly contested first few laps, Tommy worked to stick close to the riders immediately ahead. Lapping with times under 1’40 for more than half the race, the SBK rookie worked hard to manage the second half of his race once grip became more critical. Finding himself more or less alone through the final laps, Bridewell was nevertheless able to secure ninth across the line, for another seven championship points.

The Superbike Advocates Racing team will return to the track on Sunday, when the Superpole race and second full-length SBK race will bring this 2026 WorldSBK season to a close.

Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates Racing #46)
“I’m happy enough, and I’m also aware we need to be conscious of expectations based on some of our previous results. I didn’t have any issues with the front end when the race got underway, but once the front tyre dropped, I started to rely more on the back, even though I’d been lacking rear grip from the outset really. So, it was a tricky race to manage and once my times dropped to the low 1’40s, I knew I needed to do what I could to maintain that kind of pace to the line. Like I say, I’m happy enough. It’s another top ten finish and if we can find that little bit extra, then I’m sure we can be more competitive tomorrow.”