Number-one Ducati rider Glenn Irwin says he’s planning to seize the opportunity to be the A-rider in the PBM camp as he takes on his first weekend without Shane Byrne.

The Northern Irishman stuck his Be Wiser PBM bike on the front row for tomorrow’s first race with a third-place qualifying today, and admitted it took a significant effort to get there.

But Irwin, who welcomes his younger brother Andrew into the team to stand in for Byrne, says the pressure of being the top rider in the camp is only helping push him.

“The team don’t come racing to not battle for wins and championships,” he said. “This [Shakey injury] is an awful circumstance, but it’s a window of opportunity for me.

“So far as a team and myself, we’re grabbing that and I feel confidence in myself. You can look at it like pressure, but I thrive when I’m in a situation where I believe I can win and the others around me put the eggs in my basket. 

“It’s really really nice that my younger brother is in the team, he’s just done fantastic on his first day of qualifying so hats off to him. I was just saying to the guys, to do 46s around here you’re bloody committed, we’ll put it like that.”