Christian Iddon relishes first 2025 BSB podium at Thruxton

Thruxton finished on a positive note for Christian Iddon, who after several races in a row just missing out on a rostrum visit, got to stand on the third step and collect silverware at Thruxton.

Beaten to the podium by AJN Steelstock Kawasaki teammate Max Cook, who was third in the opening race, Iddon had been fourth for three races in a row as he built into the season, with a competitive fifth in the earlier sprint, only just losing touch with the Yamahas in the closing stages.

• 2025 British Superbikes: Thruxton - Race Results (3)
• 2025 British Superbikes: Thruxton - Race Results (2)

Race three saw Iddon start from fifth, with a flying start his green machine pierced through the pack and to the front of the race, applying pressure to then race leader Bradley Ray:

“It was a great race. I got a good start, which helps. You can pass quite easily around here, so it’s not like it’s desperately important for the start and stuff, but you just make sure you don’t use tyre - if you start at the front, then you don’t have to.

Every time you pass someone, you basically burn a match. You know that you’ve used a bit of tyre.

Brad was setting a really good pace and about mid-race, I looked at my board, but it still looked on my board like there was a reasonably sized group.

I wanted to get in front, to be honest. I thought I could stretch a little bit.”

Iddon was capable of running at the front while managing his tyres, but the Kawasaki was not as smooth as the Yamaha on the back straight, with the #21 using the parts of the track that suited his bike to stay in the mix:

“I was really struggling up the back straight - I could get the run really easily - in fact, my back was like cheating out the back. It was so good.

All the way though T8 I think it is, and down to Church, it was honestly - I had so much more grip than anyone else. The guys did an amazing job setting the bike up.

The run towards the last chicane, I just didn’t have the speed up the straight. I could pull alongside but then not really do a great deal with it.  And Brad was super good on the brakes.”

Iddon was comfortable over the longer twenty lap distance sat in behind Ray, with his one push to lead igniting the pace up front:

“So I got past one lap and then I think it was only once and he just got me straight back past the next lap down the straight. So that was kind of that gone. But then actually I think he kind of upped the momentum a little bit. He dropped a couple of tenths of lap time which I was quite happy with because I thought ‘mint, that will stretch the group a little bit’ , especially at the point where the tyres come into play.”

Eventual race leader Danny Kent had been waiting in the wings and once past Iddon, his chances of the win faded, but the Kawasaki rider was full of praise for his rivals and their tactics, all building into the drama of the race:

“I struggled a bit with the front tyre. The first complex should I say, I was really struggling with the front, could have done with Danny not passing me because I think I would have had a good go at Brad, but you know Danny rode a superb race, so did Brad, pace setting like that is really difficult on a track like this.”