Bridewell: I followed my Tyco BMW head first into the tyres!

Tommy Bridewell recovered from a nasty crash to grab a creditable sixth place in race two at Brands Hatch but says Tyco BMW is still off the pace

Tommy Bridewell says he is on the absolute limit with the Tyco BMW after crashing heavily during race one around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

The Wiltshire rider feels the team has made impressive strides forward with the development of the BMW S1000RR but is still lagging behind the front pack of James Ellison, Shane Byrne, Josh Brookes and Ryuichi Kiyonari.

The Tyco team switched from Suzuki machinery to BMW during the winter and Bridewell says they are finding it tricky to challenge for race wins while still refining the bike.

The 26-year-old had been fighting with his S1000RR all weekend and suffered a nasty crash at Druids in race one but was able to dust himself down to claim sixth place in the second race.

"We've made massive steps forward this weekend but it has been difficult because we're still just off the front guys where we need to be," Bridewell said. "It was a negative to have a big crash in race one. On the data I was two miles per hour quicker into that corner and I crashed. It shows I'm absolutely on the limit.

"Still, I had a strong performance in race two and coming away sixth in the championship so we're in the hunt. Podium credits is obviously what we need but we need to keep working hard."

Bridewell, who finished third in the BSB championship last year, revealed after race two that he was unsure whether he'd be fit enough to make the starting grid after suffering from blurred vision in his right eye. The medical team gave him the all clear after passing safety checks.

"The bike was fine it was just cosmetic damage but I didn't know if I'd be able to race because I hit my head quite hard," Bridewell said. "I followed the bike really hard into the tyre wall and went in head first. I had a slight daze in my right eye up until the start of race two."

Bridewell left the Kent circuit joint-top BMW rider in the BSB riders' standings level with Buildbase BMW's Kiyonari.

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