Honda Racing UK Pulls Andrew Irwin After Brutal Oulton Park BSB Crash
Shock for Honda Racing UK as Andrew Irwin Sidelined by Oulton Park Crash
The Honda Racing UK camp faced a harsh blow at Oulton Park during the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) weekend. Their rider, Andrew Irwin, was forced to withdraw after a frightening accident during the Bandero Café Shoot Out Q2 session. On May 4, Irwin lost control mid-qualifying, slamming into the tarmac in a fall that left onlookers rattled and the session paused as marshals dashed to his aid.
The medical team wasted no time, tending to Irwin trackside before whisking him away to a nearby hospital. Early reports pointed to a suspected shoulder injury paired with wrist problems—hardly the news any racer or team wants to hear on a crucial race weekend. With uncertainty around the full extent of the damage, Honda Racing UK made the tough call to pull Irwin from the event entirely. Rider safety always comes first, even when the stakes are sky-high.
This left Tommy Bridewell as Honda’s lone warrior on the grid. Bridewell put in a gritty performance, managing a well-earned sixth place in the opening race. But the team’s garage didn’t hide the frustration; losing a teammate to injury shifts more than just the race strategy. It shakes up the paddock mood, too.
Irwin’s Ongoing Struggle and the Risks of Superbike Racing
For Andrew Irwin, this is another notch in a growing list of painful setbacks since he joined Honda. Back in 2023, he cracked his humerus—a long, grueling injury that already kept him off the bike once before. Add in a heavy crash at Cadwell Park that made him miss yet another event, and it’s clear bad luck has been riding in his slipstream.
Irwin’s situation highlights just how tough and unpredictable injury management is in top-tier motorcycle racing. Every rider knows the risks, but when injuries pile up it can knock their confidence and even shape the rest of their season. The Honda pit crew clearly remember these recent hits, with whispers about how much racers put their bodies on the line every time the lights go out.
The Oulton Park weekend itself was grimmer than usual. Apart from Irwin’s crash, tragedy struck during the Supersport Feature race when a multi-bike collision led to the loss of two riders and left another hospitalized. The somber mood in the paddock was palpable. Still, Honda’s move focused squarely on Irwin and their clear message: racing is secondary to a rider coming home in one piece.
It’s a long road to recovery for Andrew Irwin, and BSB fans will be hoping for a clean bill of health soon. Meanwhile, Tommy Bridewell is carrying Honda’s hopes solo, and the team is left figuring out not just how to regroup, but also how to protect their riders from the sport’s ever-present dangers. The Oulton Park incident puts the human cost of racing—something fans don’t always see—squarely in the spotlight.