At the third race of the season British Superbike returns once again to the circuit that has marked some incredible chapters in the British domestic series. After driving across the border into Scotland, this weekend the BSB drivers and teams will be back at the historic Brands Hatch circuit where alongside the battle at the top, with three different brands sharing successes in the six races so far, the general public will (finally) be back as part of the UK Government’s planned easing of restrictions.
The fans are back
Historically one of the strengths of the British Championship, the six rounds of 2020 were held exclusively behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 emergency, while the opening two rounds of 2021 were held with a limited number of fans. In such situations you have to be brave and BSB had to line up. Nevertheless, more than a year and a half since the last time, Fans (who are expected en masse on the green grassy plains of Kent Circuit) can get up close and personal with their favorites over the weekend. A decision stemming from the so-called “Phase 4” desired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to come into effect, despite the sharp increase in cases due to the new Delta variant (44,104 positive yesterday).
Iddon at the top
Knockhill helped to further shake up the British Superbike table, which, thanks to its own technical regulations, is already prone to spectacle and general balance. After crashing from Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha), Christian Idon (VisionTrack PBM Ducati) is now at the top of the table. The gap between the two is minimal (6 points) but both have failed to win podium points for the Showdown in two of the last three races, making Brands Hatch a good opportunity to finish the job. On the other hand, there is no doubt that he wants to continue his excellent form Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW by TAS Racing) in the M1000RR, third at -20 and a Sunday double in Scotland.
Litmus test for Skinner… and Brookes?
Fans will be watching the young rookie along the 3.916km West Kingsdown circuit Rory Skinner (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki), absolute revelation from the previous round with his first two career podiums. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha), Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing MotoRapido Ducati) and Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) will also be looking to go into the race with the play-offs from the last three events in mind. All of the above riders have finished in the top-3 at least once, but that can’t be said of the reigning champion Josh Brookes (VisionTrack PBM Ducati), who only has 38 points to his credit, still looking for the right grip with the new Pirelli SCX tire: What better way to make up for a poor start to the season than at the venue where he has claimed 19 wins since 2011 and also holds the lap record. Similarly, Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing UK) is recovering physically considering he has tested positive for COVID-19 over the past few months, while Xavi Forés (FHO Racing BMW) is fresh from third place at Estoril Group will return 12H of the FIM EWC after being forced to miss Oulton Park and Knockhill.
The 28 British Superbike protagonists (CDH Racing Kawasaki is absent because Josh Owens dislocated his hand) will take to the track tomorrow for free practice, where the top 12 of the combination will head into the decisive Q2 the next day (at 12.45pm). enter. . Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 5:15 p.m., with the remaining two on Sunday at 3:10 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. respectively. The times mentioned refer to Italy.
Driver Rating (Podium credits in parentheses): Christian Iddon 111 points (14), Jason O’Halloran 105 (18), Danny Buchan 91 (11), Tarran Mackenzie 76 (2), Rory Skinner 61 (6), Tommy Bridewell 60 ( 2 ), Peter Hickman 57 (1), Lee Jackson 46, Ryan Vickers 45, Bradley Ray 42, Josh Brookes 38, Glenn Irwin 32, Gino Rea 27, Kyle Ryde 25, Dan Linfoot 10, Andrew Irwin 5, Danny Kent 4, Dean Harrison and Luke Hopkins 2, Bjorn Estment 1.
NOMINATION LIST BSB R3: