Irwin injured in FP1 off at Donington Park

Glenn Irwin is set to miss the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike championship season opener after suffering a neck injury during the first free practice session at Donington Park.

The Be Wiser Ducati rider suffered a high-side off at Goddards during the closing minutes of the opening free practice session and was left stricken on the track which triggered a red flag stoppage.

After being attended to by the trackside medical team, Irwin has been transported to Queens Hospital for further assessments after suffering neck pain.

Irwin is expected to sit out the opening races due to the injury but is already focusing on a quick comeback once a recovery timetable can be decided.

“I’m okay, got a broken neck on way to hospital to check my neck and back. I’ll be back ASAP,” Irwin tweeted.

In cold and wet conditions, Irwin’s Be Wiser Ducati teammate and defending BSB champion Shane Byrne topped the opening session by over a second from Jake Dixon on the RAF Reserves Kawasaki.

Last year, Byrne missed the opening round after suffering concussion during morning warm-up on race day which left Irwin to battle alone for the PBM-run Ducati squad with the Northern Irish rider securing a podium finish in race two.

Update:

After undergoing a scan at hospital, Irwin has not suffered any new fractures with an older fracture discovered that was sustained from his nasty crash last year at Knockhill. Irwin will aim to pass a fitness test on Sunday morning with the focus on returning to action at Donington Park.

Turns out when I broke/dislocated my elbow / shoulder at knockhill last year I also broke my neck .
Old fracture - stiff as a bored but I’ll be passing the fitness test tomorrrow pic.twitter.com/NNeYftm1Bj

— Glenn Irwin (@GIrwinRacing) March 31, 2018