HOLMFIRTH’S trio of racers enjoyed, or endured, a thrilling end to the British Superbikes Championship in the final round at Brands Hatch.

Teenager Joe Irving went to Kent with high hopes of strong finishes to both the Motostar Championship and Motostar Cup campaigns, while James Lodge was pushing for a top five slot in the National Superstock 600 section and his brother Jonathan was looking for the best possible finale in the British Supersport Championship and Cup competitions.

And it was arguably Jonathan who left the Kent circuit happiest as the ANR-TSS Racing team Triumph rider pulled out all the stops.

While his 17th place finish overall left him level on points with Netherton racer Josh Caygill, still out through a serious shoulder injury, in the championship, he was fourth home of the Cup riders and duly earned himself a third place finish in the final standings – ending on 230 points to pip Matt Layt by three points for the bronze medal slot.

For Irving the meeting turned out to be frustrating as for long periods of the race he looked perfectly placed to ensure a top three championship finish.

However, he struggled to match the race pace in the closing laps and his seventh place overall saw him finish in fourth in the championship standings – just one point off third – but the e3motorpsort Honda rider still took third place in the 125cc category’s cup competition’s final rankings.

For James Lodge the mission had been to come out on top in a three-way battle to take fifth spot in the final Superstock 600 rankings.

With Alex Olsen out of the race on lap two, it opened the way for Moto-Breakers team Yamaha rider Lodge and Josh Wainwright to try and move ahead in the championship.

It proved to be a real battle with Lodge pitched into a number of duels, but it was Wainwright who found enough clear air to finish third, while Lodge had to settle for seventh in the race and seventh in the standings – Olsen having enough points in the bag to hold on to fifth.