Glen Irwin

Carrick brothers and Honda Racing British Superbike team-mates Glenn and Andrew Irwin were back in the saddle last week for the first time since March.

It was a welcome return to action for the Northern Ireland siblings, who had the chance to ride the brand new CBR1000RR-R Fireblade for only the second time this year at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire following the recent easing of lockdown restrictions.

The British Superbike Championship is set to get under way at Donington Park from August 7-9, which hosts the first of six rounds featuring three races each as part of a condensed 2020 calendar.

Andrew, who won his maiden BSB race at Thruxton last year - finishing eighth overall in the standings - is entering his second stint with the official Honda team.

His older brother Glenn is a new face at Honda Racing and will be eager to put a disappointing 2019 behind him, when his move to the title-winning JG Speedfit Kawasaki team did not yield the results he had hoped for in BSB.

Glenn was also contracted to contest the international road races this year, which included his debut at the Isle of Man TT, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the event along with the North West 200.

Reflecting on the Cadwell test, he said:

"We did lots of work throughout the day testing new components and we had a lot of things to try - it was good to dive back in. I was really rusty in the first session - I don't know if it's down to riding so much motocross and playing on our mini-bikes - but I enjoyed myself and enjoyed riding my motorcycle again, and I look forward to our next test and working on the new Honda Fireblade."

Although it is still very much early days with the development of the new Honda Superbike, Andrew was already impressed with the progress made since the March test in Spain.

"The team really made big steps, it's only really our second test with the all-new Fireblade since we tested in Spain in March," he said.

"We took it step by step and the bike just keeps getting better and better and the team is working really hard to give us a competitive package."

The Irwins were joined at Cadwell by Honda's National Superstock 1000 riders Davey Todd and Tom Neave.

North West 200 winner Todd was also signed for the international road races this year but may have to wait until 2021 for the opportunity to race the new Fireblade on the roads.

An official BSB test will be held at Donington Park on July 28.