Andrew Irwin will make his British Superbike Championship return at Assen after missing the majority of the season through injury.
For the second time in his career, Irwin sustained a fractured right humerus in a crash at the private Knockhill test in June. He suffered the same fate during the 2023 season , missing six rounds as a result.
The injury came just a few months after Irwin created his own Ducati team; MET fonaCAB Racing following his departure from Honda. The Northern Irishman purchased 2025 Ducati V4 Rs from Hager PBM Ducati, with the team later switching to the 2026 model.
Due to the injury, brother Graeme Irwin stepped in to ride the bike for five rounds, before Danny Buchan made a surprise return at Cadwell Park. In total, Andrew Irwin has missed 18 races.
“I am really looking forward to Assen after what feels like a really long four months since Donington Park,” Irwin said. “From being injured, I worked really hard to get back before the end of the season, which was always my goal. Honestly, when it happened I didn’t know how long it would take to recover, so to be back with three rounds to go is really good.
“I look towards Assen this weekend with the aim of just getting back on the bike again; I have absolutely no expectations. I know how big of an injury I have had and what I am coming back from, so I am just going to build over the weekend and enjoy it as much as possible. I am just looking forward to being back on my MET fonaCAB Racing Ducati.”
The trip to Assen this weekend marks the opening round of the Showdown, with the number of points available increasing. Race winners will now receive 25 points, with second and third claiming 22 and 20 respectfully.
Sports Reporter - Motorcycle racing enthusiast Josh joined the MCN team in 2019. He studied Sports Journalism at the University of Sunderland, leaving with a 2:1 and a Gold Standard Diploma in Journalism from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). Introduced to the world of motorcycle racing by his dad as a youngster, Josh became a fan of MotoGP, WorldSBK and BSB. Like many, Josh became a huge Valentino Rossi supporter…little did he know that years later he would ask a question or two to the man himself.
Sports Reporter and fan of all things motorsport