Racing fans at Brands Hatch were treated to a thrilling title finale on Sunday as the British Superbikes Championship was settled by the smallest margin in the series’ history.

Tommy Bridewell beat BeerMonster Ducati team-mate Glenn Irwin to the crown, won last year by Lydd’s Bradley Ray, by just half a point.

Needing second place in the second of Sunday’s two races, Bridewell was third on the final lap. But what followed will stay with those lucky enough to be at Brands for a long time as he got past LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde at Druids, leaving race winner Irwin empty-handed in dramatic fashion.

Irwin had also won race one, with Ryde first home in Saturday’s sprint race.

“Firstly I want to say thank-you to Glenn,” Bridewell told Eurosport. “He brought the worst and the best out of me this year. I absolutely think he is an unbelievable rider.”

An emotional Bridewell went on to dedicate the win to his brother, Ollie, also a rider, who died after an accident at Mallory Park in 2007 aged 21.

“I want to say as always this is for my brother,” he added. “I dedicate everything I do in my life for my brother. The day I Iost Ollie, I promised him I will become British champion.

“Thank you to BeerMonster PBM Ducati. I also want to dedicate this to our loved boss that we lost this year, Paul [Bird]. He took the risk in me.

“I told him ‘you sign me and I’ll give you everything I’ve got’.”

Kent riders had the best seats in the house for the title battle - on track - as Maidstone’s Louis Valleley, competing for Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki, was 23rd in race two after failing to finish the sprint and race one, and Alex Olsen, from Sittingbourne, was 19th in race one and 20th in race two for Cumins by Team IWR Honda.

Olsen, too, did not complete the sprint race. Valleley ended the season 25th in the standings with Olsen 26th.

In the support races, Faversham’s Finn Smart-Weeden, the newly crowned British Supersport champion, was 13th and 19th racing for Wrapped Racing by Club 74 as a wildcard in the Pirelli Junior Superstock series and Sittingbourne’s Rob McNealy was 10th for McNealy Brown in the ABK Beer 0% BMW Motorrad F900 R Cup. He finishes his 2023 campaign 12th.