Tommy Bridewell: "The Biggest Achievement Has Been Our Progress"

British rider Tommy Bridewell looks back on the first half of Superbike Advocates Racing's maiden WorldSBK season, reflecting on rapid adaptation, life away from the tracks and the team's objectives for the final four rounds.

"I think without a shadow of a doubt, I'm most proud of the progress that I've made as a rider and that we’ve made collectively as a team. I've always been a bit like a sponge, an open book let’s say. But me being able to adapt to the bike the way I have and as quickly as I have, that's solely down to the team, my crew chief Mick Shanley, and Ducati, just helping me to understand the bike and learn. I’d say adapting to the bike, to the WorldSBK regulations, the electronics, those have certainly been the biggest things and, with that, have come some amazing results."

For many riders, the summer break is a chance to escape the pressures of racing. For Bridewell, however, it simply means swapping the race bike for a tractor while maintaining his demanding training routine.

"I've got a very different lifestyle to most other racers, I imagine. I come home and the next day I'm either out in my tractor or feeding the sheep, cutting grass or doing manual labour. My tractor has needed quite a lot of work doing to it, so as soon as we came back from Donington, I was straight into the barn, stripping it down. I’ve just finished that in fact, and then I’m obviously still flat out training every day. I get up in the morning and train, whether that's the gym or running, cycling, swimming... I do a lot of different things; I’ve been out rock climbing recently, which was quite good fun."

With the foundations laid during the winter months, the summer break is less about building fitness and more about maintaining performance while continuing to work on the finer details that can make all the difference on track.

"I’d say my training schedule changes a bit through the summer because normally your hard work is done over winter where you really beast yourself. You are mentally and physically broken and then you need to recover and recharge before the start of the season. Once the race season begins, I follow more of a maintenance programme, where instead of really high intensity sessions on the push bike or fast runs and hill sprints, I'll do more endurance style stuff because my fitness is already at the level I need, so it's just a case of maintaining that level of fitness.

I’m also out riding of course. I’m fortunate to have a V4 R that I use for training and for track days and, when I ride, I focus on where I feel I need to improve. Right now, that's my riding position, as I want to get my body lower, mid-corner. And I want to stop covering the rear brake mid-corner. Different things, and I'm never too proud to watch videos, learn, listen and see how I can take a step forward."

For Bridewell, confidence isn't something that appears on race day - it's earned through the work he puts in long before the lights go out.

"I've been quite fortunate that I've never lacked self-confidence. I've always believed that if you put in the physical preparation, then the results will come. It's when you don't put in the physical preparation, if I don't go training, then I feel lazy and I don't feel deserving of success. So, in terms of mental preparation, I don't go and sit with a mental coach or anything. I just know in my own self that if I work hard enough and I never stop, then I'm deserving of success. And ultimately, if that success doesn't come, then I also know that there's nothing more I can do from my side."

Away from the demands of WorldSBK, Bridewell keeps himself busy with a range of hobbies, including one that might surprise many fans.

"Flying. Not many people know this, but I first started flying back in 2015. I wanted to get my private pilot's licence but then things got crazy with the pandemic, my racing and various commitments. I hadn't flown since maybe 2022, but I’ve recently got back into it and is something I really enjoy. We also do property renovations and stuff like that – there’s always something going on!"

Looking ahead to the final four rounds of the season, Bridewell is focused on maintaining the team's upward trajectory while keeping one eye firmly on an ambitious, yet realistic, target. 

"I would say the main objective is to keep building. We seem to be lying somewhere around the top ten at circuits I've never been to, and then at circuits I know better, like Aragon or Donington, I can ride a bit freer and make a little bit more of a difference on the bike.

As for the next tracks, I think Magny-Cours and Cremona will be potentially quite strong for us and can suit my style quite well. I went to Magny-Cours a few weeks ago on my practice bike. Jerez is another one I enjoy, but it's a very European track. Pretty much every rider on the grid knows Jerez like the back of their hand, so it's quite hard to separate the field there. And then we have Estoril, which I've never been to. As for goals, I think I would be absolutely ecstatic if I could get a little bit closer to the podium. We’ve finished top five, but we've got to be realistic. I know I'd need a bit of luck to fight for a podium. But I also need to make sure I put myself in a position to capitalise if that opportunity comes along.

Basically, I’m just looking forward to getting back on track and racing again. I miss working with the team at the minute, but we just need to stay focused, fit, healthy and then hopefully come back a little bit better than before."