Team IWR will make a welcome return to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship grid this weekend at Donington Park, as they feature on the grid to test the new BSB Pathway specification technical regulations with Kent’s Alex Olsen for the final two rounds of the season.
IWR were multiple Superbike Cup winners earlier in the team’s history and after recently returning to racing in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship, the team are now targeting a return to the Superbike class full-time in 2024 with the Honda in the new BSB Pathway specification.
Olsen said: “I am really excited to be stepping up to Superbikes in the new Pathway class for the final two rounds. It will be nice to be back on the Superbike grid as I haven’t been back in BSB since 2020 and my big crash at Silverstone, so I am looking forward to being back in the premier class. We know that there is a lot of work that needs to be done with the bike, so we have realistic expectations and for myself to get back up to speed in Superbikes, but I am looking forward to it.
“We just need to take each session as it comes, work on the bike and continue to learn. I am really looking forward to it and I need to thank IWR for giving me this opportunity to step up for the final two rounds and hopefully we can then get everything together to step up full-time together next year.”
Team Manager James Buckingham said: “This year, the plan was to obviously try to win the Superstock Championship, which started off well with a race win, but since then we have been plagued with bad luck. Alex has been fast week in week out, but our run of bad luck has left us out of championship contention.
“With the introduction of the Pathway class for 2024 and Team IWR keen to get back into BSB, we feel this is a great opportunity for us to use the last two rounds as testing to prepare for next season in the BSB Pathway class. Alex was still nursing an injury at Oulton Park from his Thruxton crash and hopefully will be much fitter for this weekend.”
Team Owner Ian Woollacott concluded: “We returned to racing after a seven year break in this year’s Superstock Championship and we had a great start to the season, but we have also been hit with some bad luck too and Alex has been carrying an injury so the title is out of reach.
“We have been looking to return to the Superbike class as that is where our team has previously had success and after finding out more about the BSB Pathway class, it has made the move back more easily achievable. After some discussion with myself, James, Alex and our partners Mark Cummins and Steve Cross, we are excited to return this weekend ahead of a full-time return in 2024 with the opportunity to complete in the BSB Pathway class. We are all very much looking forward to the new challenge.”