The 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Showdown kicks off at Oulton Park this weekend (24/25/26 September) as the eight Title Fighters gear up for the final crucial phase of the season.
After 24 races and a total of seven different race winners and a total of 12 podium finishers, the final Title Fighter positions were decided at Silverstone, and now the leading contenders get set for the first Showdown clash in Cheshire.
Jason O’Halloran holds a 30-point advantage in the standings as the McAMS Yamaha rider bids to go one better this season after finishing runner-up last year. However, first he has to hold off his teammate Tarran Mackenzie after a dramatic last round at Silverstone where the pair crashed out of race one and bounced back to share the victories in the next two races.
The Yamaha pairing lock out the leading two positions in the standings ahead of this weekend’s three races, 25 years after another historic Yamaha duo took the title down to the wire as Tarran Mackenzie’s father Niall went head-to-head with Jamie Whitham on the iconic Cadbury Boost Yamahas.
However, there are a further six riders bidding to cut their advantage at Oulton Park, led by the defending championship-winning team VisionTrack Ducati. Christian Iddon holds third place ahead of the opening round of the Showdown, but with only a narrow two-point lead over Ducati rival Tommy Bridewell.
Bridewell has been victorious in previous seasons for the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team at Oulton Park and he only has a nine point edge over FHO Racing BMW’s Peter Hickman ahead of the final nine races of the season, so will be aiming to overhaul him this weekend.
Danny Buchan and Glenn Irwin are separated by just two points as they hold sixth and seventh respectively with Josh Brookes completing the top eight. The defending champion secured his place in the Showdown by just four points as he made a podium return last time out.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings ahead of the Showdown:
- Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 1071
- Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 1041
- Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 1026
- Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 1024
- Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 1015
- Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) 1014
- Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 1012
- Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) 1002
For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Jason O’Halloran – McAMS Yamaha
Championship leader
“I have always enjoyed Oulton and have had a good run of wins there, it’s a difficult circuit and there are plenty of us that go well here – it always produces close racing. Even though I have won races here, it has always been tight and I haven’t won by a lot!
“I expect it to be as tight as ever this weekend as everyone is going to be excited that they have got some points back and in a position to have half a chance, so I expect them to come out swinging.
“For me, nothing changes and it is business as usual. I am quite confident from a sense we have done a good job at every round this year, we don’t need to change our mentality because it is the Showdown.
“I think everyone is looking at me and Taz as we are first and second in the championship, so for sure everyone will be thinking that they need to beat the McAMS Yamahas, then they will have half a chance.
“Oulton is a place I enjoy and the bike works well and we will certainly be in the fight for the victories, it just whether or not we can get them – we will have to wait and see! I need to try and build my lead back up. I had a good lead and that obviously changed for the Showdown, so we have to start the second phase fighting.”
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