Glenn Irwin and PBM Ducati "relationship strained" - "probably more to it..."

Glenn Irwin’s move to the Nitrous Competitions OMG Yamaha team mid-season in BSB has been described as “complicated.

Following an injury sustained at Snetterton, Irwin was replaced at PBM by Scott Redding at the Knockhill round. The 2019 BSB Champion returned to World Superbike the following week at Donington, but then announced he was moving to BSB full-time with PBM for the remainder of 2025.

Ahead of last weekend’s Thruxton round, it was announced that Irwin and PBM had parted ways, as the team felt Irwin should wait to make his return from injury while Irwin himself wanted to return at Thruxton.

Irwin was passed fit to ride on the Friday morning at Thruxton, ahead of FP1, having been announced as a second Nitrous Competitions OMG Yamaha rider shortly after his PBM departure was confirmed.

“There is probably more to it than meets the eye,” TNT Sports BSB analyst Shane Byrne said of the saga that led Irwin to OMG Yamaha at Thruxton.

“Lots has gone on.

“Glenn [Irwin] is incredibly headstrong and can really get a bee in his bonnet.

“I spoke to his dad at Knockhill after he’d had the accident. He said that Glenn wanted to come back at Cadwell Park. I thought ‘it’s so early for such a serious crash and so much damage done’.

“You won’t win the championship, why not come back later and be ready to go?

“He said to me: ‘You know what Glenn is like – when he wants to do something, he does’.

“Glenn thought he was fit to ride at Thruxton. The team thought ‘if you topple off here at a fast corner it could be a big problem’.”

Glenn Irwin and PBM Ducati 'relationship was strained'

Byrne’s fellow TNT Sports analyst James Haydon added that he thinks the relationship between Irwin and PBM was already “strained”.

“It’s complicated,” Haydon said. “One of the big things: if it was a month from now, they may have found him a motorcycle to get him back in the team.

“It feels like that relationship was possibly strained anyway, and coming to an end.

“Actually, they have parted ways and it’s ended up good for everyone.

“For [PBM Ducati], Glenn was out for months and months and they had to get someone.

“Suddenly, Redding is available. No-one planned it this way.”

Irwin’s first weekend aboard the OMG Yamaha R1 saw him take 16-15-17 finishes across the three races.