By the second half of 2020, Jason O’Halloran had proven himself to be the most consistent and incisive driver in the world British superbike, Although he was close to winning the title, he wanted to emphasize once again today that the crown is a real dream and that it will be difficult for everyone else to beat him. If yesterday’s result hadn’t been very convincing, on Sunday in Oulton Park (home of the first of the eleven scheduled laps on the calendar) “O’Show” continued his extraordinary performance with a sovereign double victory and complete an almost perfect weekend. Two strategic races in which he ousted Ducati’s Christian Iddon on the last lap. This is what happened.
Race 2: tough duel, BMW on the podium
In the BSB, spectacle is guaranteed and the second race delivered an unbelievable battle between the aforementioned protagonists, which was only resolved in the penultimate corner. When the lights went out, the VisionTrack PBM Ducati man shot off perfectly and headed for victory for much of the race. However, the Australian did not take full advantage of the pole position and was forced to chase after him. After defeating Peter Hickman on round six, From that moment on, the McAMS-Yamaha rider studied when and where to start the decisive attack in Lodge on the 18th of 18 laps (cover photo): a crucial move, with its YZF-R1 sideways but just clean enough to keep its rival from striking back. At the finish line O’Halloran was 103 thousandths from Iddon.
Though seven seconds behind the leading pair, Hickman (back in the top 3 two years after Thruxton 2019) brought the new M1000RR and the newly founded FHO Racing Team of Faye Ho the very first podium in their history. Side note: three different brands at the top of the table demonstrating the balance that reigns in the British Championship. The eighth sprint (!!) for fourth place rewarded Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW by TAS) in front of his brand colleague Bradley Ray (Rich Energy OMG Racing), both coming back from behind, and Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS) Yamaha). Reigning champion Josh Brookes (VisionTrack PBM Ducati) limited the damage to seventh place, just ahead of Lee Jackson’s 2021 Ninja ZX-10RR (FS-3 Racing), Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing UK) and Kyle Ryde (OMG Racing), who complete the top 10. A worse fate befell Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing MotoRapido Ducati), who was eliminated after contact with Mackenzie in the Hislops chicane with a broken chain.
RACE 2 RESULTS:
Race 3: O’Halloran made it onto the podium on three or two Ducatis
In the last race of the weekend, the values on the track remained unchanged: “O’Show” assumed exactly the same “modus operandi”, this time even in anticipation of his overtaking maneuver on the left-hand bend Island Bend. Despite the tough time his opponents gave him with (for the most part) a group of five riders battling for victory, it didn’t stop O’Halloran from taking home his third straight win, seventh at the BSB (four of them at the Cheshire circuit) and the first hat trick of his career. Iddon had to be content with another second place and at the same time collect valuable points for the championship (and especially podium places for the showdown) while Tommy Bridewell completed the podium and made up his zero in Race 2. Tarran Mackenzie landed in fourth place ahead of Peter Hickman (FHO Racing), who fell behind in the closing stages due to a significant drop in his Pirelli tires. In sixth place was 2020 champion Josh Brookes, ten seconds off the top, in the middle of a crisis and never really competitive this weekend. Behind them came – one after the other – Lee Jackson, Danny Buchan, Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular and Reserve Kawasaki) and Glenn Irwin, tenth after a furious comeback after a mistake at the start.
The BSB protagonists will be back in action on the weekend of July 10th to 11th on the 2,039 km long Knockhill Circuit in Scotland. Another exciting event is expected on paper, completely in the BSB style. Thanks to this feat, O’Halloran will be the center of attention even if the 2021 season is still very long (plus with the return of the playoffs towards the end of the season …) without forgetting the return of the Ducatis, Josh Brookes, first …
Drivers’ standings: O’Halloran 75 points, Iddon 60, Hickman 40.
Photo credit: Jamie Morris.
RACE 3 RESULTS: