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Honda Racing UK’s Andrew Irwin is hoping for the green light to compete at the final two rounds of the British Superbike Championship after missing most of this season through injury.

The Carrickfergus man suffered a broken right humerus after crashing during a test at Knockhill in Scotland at the end of May.

It was a significant blow for the 29-year-old, who re-joined Honda this year in a bid to resurrect his BSB career after two tough seasons on the SYNETIQ BMW.

Irwin made his return to the track in a test at Oulton Park on Saturday on a Pathway specification CBR1000RR-R Fireblade along with Superstock 1000 riders Dan Linfoot, Richard Kerr and Joe Talbot.

The Fireblade used in the test was built to National Superstock specifications but fitted with BSB Motec electronics to assess new technical regulations designed to make the British Superbike class more accessible.

Irwin, who replaced his brother Glenn in the Honda Racing UK line-up this season, said the arm injury he sustained at Knockhill over three-and-a-half months ago was more problematic than most people realised.

“It’s just been about waiting and there’s been nothing for me to gain by coming back early,” he said.

“People didn’t realise how bad my arm was and I never really went into any detail about it, but I knew that it was quite bad and the injury wasn’t straightforward.

“It was a pretty bad break and as soon as it happened and I went into the gravel, I knew that it was going to be a long period before I’d be back again.

“I always said I’d love to be back for Cadwell and that was the target I had set in my head; to be honest I probably could have raced at Cadwell, but I’d have been riding for the sake of it – I wouldn’t have been competitive.

“I’m not saying I’m going to come back and win races when I do get to come back this season, but I want to be able to come back, be strong on the bike and start to build towards 2024,” he added.

“The goal has changed, the target has changed, so hopefully now I can come back at the final two rounds.”

Irwin began the season strongly at Silverstone in April when he was third fastest in the opening free practice session.

However, a fast tumble stifled his progress and he was unable to improve over the rest of the weekend, claiming a best result of eighth in the Sprint race.

He sealed a strong fourth in race two at Oulton Park in the next round but endured a miserable weekend at Donington Park – failing to register a finish – prior to fracturing his arm during a private test at Knockhill a week later at the end of May.

Irwin said: “At Silverstone I had a massive crash – I crashed at 180mph or something like that – on the Friday. We had been really fast up until that point and then I didn’t really improve for the rest of the weekend.

“We got onto the podium at a track that wasn’t really the strongest for our package and at Donington I was really fast, but I just made silly mistakes and crashed in all the races.

“When I tested at Knockhill I was fast again, so everywhere I’d been I was fast – it was just about being able to put the package together.

“For sure the Honda, as Glenn showed at the end of 2022 and I think I showed at the start of 2023, is fast, but it’s just about putting it all together; Danny Kent throughout the year has been fast too.

“We’ve had to put things on hold but hopefully it will be a really strong package for 2024,” added Irwin, who expects to be Honda-mounted again next season.

“I know what my job is for 2024. I know what I’m doing but it’s probably something I can’t talk about at the minute. It’s pretty straightforward but I’m looking forward to 2024 on a Honda as my goal and that’s where I am.

“Nothing is announced but I don’t plan on anything changing – that’s probably the easiest way of putting it.”

Irwin was given his break in British Superbikes by the late Paul Bird, who passed away earlier this month aged 56.

The Northern Ireland man was brought into the PBM Ducati team alongside his brother Glenn as a replacement for the injured Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and says he will be ‘forever grateful’ to Bird for the opportunity.

“Paul was a fantastic person and from the day and hour when I first contacted him and we had a conversation when ‘Shakey’ got injured in 2018, I always got on with him,” he said.

“We never had any arguments and I always spoke to him each year about rides for the future, and we never really came to an agreement in the end to do another season, but I will always remember him as the person who gave me the opportunity to come into British Superbikes on a factory bike – on the championship-winning bike.

“He gave Keith Farmer a very similar opportunity, he gave Glenn his first opportunity in Superbikes – he was very good to Northern Irish riders and it’s something I’ll forever be grateful for.

“You think of all his family as the season ends and hopefully they will be able to continue in 2024,” added Irwin.

“I would love to see them come back and for Paul’s name to continue, but that’s a decision for his family.

“Hopefully Glenn is able to do the job and win the title for Paul Bird, but also a first British Superbike title for Northern Ireland.”

Irwin sealed his maiden BSB victory in his first season as a Honda Racing rider at Thruxton in 2019.

He secured another three wins during a shortened six-round championship in 2020, which was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, finishing sixth in the standings.

After his switch to TAS Racing to ride the SYNETIQ BMW, Irwin was 14th in 2021 and 13th last year, when he finished the season strongly with three podiums in the final four races.

The penultimate round of this year’s championship takes place at Donington Park National (September 29 to October 1) before the season concludes at Brands Hatch from October 13-15.

Honda Racing's Andrew Irwin hoping for BSB return at final two rounds after missing most of season through injury