Andrew Irwin eyes British Supersport title charge in 2017

Irwin joined the team midway through last season and became a frontrunner on the ZX-6R.

Now, the 21-year-old from Carrick intends to raise his level further next year, when he lines up alongside Australian Ben Currie in the team.

“I'm really excited to be going into my first full season with the Gearlink Kawasaki team in the Dickies British Supersport Championship. I learnt a lot in the last half of the 2016 season, I didn't get the podium I wanted but I gained a huge amount of knowledge which will help massively towards my 2017 season,” Irwin said.

“I feel like now is the right time to make that step to be consistently fighting for podiums and wins and if we can do that then we'll certainly be championship challengers, that is my goal.

“I'm very thankful to Michael and Norma de Bidaph to have given me another chance and I'll be giving 100 per-cent on and off the track to repay them for the faith they've shown in me by keeping me on the Gearlink Kawasaki next year,” Irwin added.

“A huge thank you to all my personal sponsors and the team sponsors for making this happen, for me to be able to chase my dream.”