British Superbikes: Andrew Irwin loses title lead after Donington disqualification
- Published
Andrew Irwin has two wins from two races this weekend
Andrew Irwin has had his second-place finish in the third British Superbikes race of the season chalked off, being disqualified for "avoidable/unfair contact" with Josh Brookes.
Ducati rider Brookes, second in last season's championship, had been in contention for a strong finish before crashing following the incident on lap 24 of the 26-lap race.
The penalty means that Andrew's brother Glenn replaces him at the top of the BSB standings, having finished third in the same race.
The Irwin brothers had dominated proceedings at Donington, with Andrew winning the first two races and Glenn coming in as runner-up.
Andrew Irwin crossed the line second after Ducati's Tommy Bridewell on the weekend's final race, but was later disqualified and given six penalty points, which means he will start the next BSB race from the back of the grid.
Ducati's Bridewell produced a controlled performance to win the final race of the triple-header on Sunday.
Jason O'Halloran, Christian Iddon and Danny Buchan made up the top six.
Pole-sitting Bridewell settled into a rhythm early on and secured a comfortable victory to cap a drama-packed weekend at Donington.
Andrew Irwin's disqualification means brother Glenn now leads the standings on 56 points.
Earlier on Sunday, Andrew Irwin secured a thrilling double by pipping Glenn to victory.
As he did on Saturday, Andrew overtook Glenn on the final lap to seal the win, with Jason O'Halloran finishing third.
It was the second successive one-two finish for the Irwin brothers and the Honda Racing team's new Fireblade machine.
The 25-year-old is aiming to finish higher than the eighth place he managed last year in his first full season in the championship.
Donegal's Caolan Irwin was second and Simon Reid fifth in the Superstock 600cc race.
The next round of the BSB season takes place at Snetterton on between 21 and 23 August.