TOMMY Bridewell reckons his third-placed finish in the British Superbike Champion- ship is a cast-iron rebuttal to the naysayers that have criticised his efforts this season.

The 26-year-old, from Etchilhampton, earned three top-six finishes in the final round of the BSB campaign at Brands Hatch last weekend, finished fifth, sixth and third respectively as he secured third place in the standings behind Ryuichi Kiyonari and champion Shane Byrne.

Despite admitting that the BSB title remains a dream that has thus far escaped his grasp, Bridewell, who notched up six podium finishes this term, including a race win at Cadwell Park in August, was left to reflect on a ultimately successful year with Milwaukee Yamaha.

“I’ve heard people say that I’m inconsistent and I think that’s a load of rubbish,’’ said the Wiltshire speedster.

“The only times that I’ve not done well have been when I’ve had problems with the bike and when that’s not happened, I’ve been successful.”

“When I had to DNF (did not finish) at Brands midway through the season because the brakes failed and when I had to jump off the bike at 140mph at Knockhill, I thought it wasn’t going to happen this year.

“I wanted to win but when I look at Shakey (Shane) Byrne, who is a four-time BSB champion, and Ryuichi Kiyonari, who’s been in the Moto GP, finishing third is no mean feat.”

Bridewell revealed he already knows where he’ll be riding next year and hinted that could be away from Milwaukee Yamaha.

He added: “I’ve had some conversations about it this week because I want to get it sorted early on and get ahead of the curve.

“It won’t be announced for a while but it gives me time to start going to sponsors early on – it’s no good when you say you don’t know who you’ll be riding for.”

And as part of his post-season celebrations Bridewell is also looking forward to toasting his wedding day this Saturday as he ties the knot with fiancée Stacey Marshall in Etchilhampton.