Aussies sitting two and three in the standings with two rounds left to run.
The British Superbike Championship has two rounds left to run and we have two Australians in the hunt for the Superbike title. So far, the series has completed four of the six scheduled rounds, with the most recent being at Oulton Park. Only Donington Park and Brands Hatch remain, both on the Grand Prix circuit layouts.
As we approach the pinnacle of the season, there a number of Australians well in title contention across multiple classes. Cycleonline gives you a run down on who to watch.
Image: Supplied
Superbike
No one rider has dominated the Superbike class this year with wins spread through the field. With no ‘Showdown’ format in this year’s COVID adjusted season, consistency is key. The season is made up of six rounds, all ‘triple-headers’, spanning 18 races.
Of the twelve races completed so far, there have been eight different winners. Early breakaway Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) has now come back to the field with only a two point gap to Jason O’Halloran with Josh Brookes in striking distance only a further eight points back. The 2020 Honda Fireblade is an all new machine for Irwin and the Honda team to develop – whereas his rivals O’Halloran and Brooks already have a season on the R1 and V4 R respectively.
BSB Superbike Championship Standing
1. 178 Glenn Irwin
2. 176 Jason O’Halloran
3. 168 Josh Brookes
4. 166 Christian Iddon
Jason O’Halloran – McAMS Yamaha – Championship position: 2nd
O’Halloran, from Wollongong, is in his second year on the McAMS Yamaha R1. Prior to 2019, the thirty-two year-old spent four seasons with the factory Honda squad. During that period he picked up fifteen podiums and a race victory, switching to the Yamaha in 2019 (the seat vacated by Josh Brookes as he moved to the PBM VisionTrack Ducati V4 R). After an injury hit 2019 (which included a fractured humerus and a broken shoulder), this season has been consistent, finishing every race in the points and standing on the podium five times. After a double victory at Oulton Park last round, O’Halloran finds himself in the best position of his career to claim the BSB title.
Image: Supplied
Josh Brookes – VisionTrack Ducati – Championship position: 3rd
Having clinched the title in 2015 on the Milwaukee Yamaha, Brookes knows exactly what it takes to win the British Superbike Championship. Runner up in the title chase no less than four times makes him one of the most seasoned competitors on the grid, and he has often been cast as the villain in front of British fans. The Paul Bird Motorsport team is also one of the most experienced in the paddock, with the title being a two horse race between Brookes and teammate Scott Redding last year. This season, Brookes is as strong as ever having tasted victory at Snetterton and Oulton Park. Brookes’ teammate for 2020, Christian Iddon, looms as the other main title challenger.
Junior Supersport
Seth Crump – MSS Performance – Championship position: 2nd
Crump currently sits second in the Junior Supersport category, 36 points behind leader Owen Jenner. Having moved to England this year as dad Jason resumed his racing career in Europe, Seth has scored five podiums in his maiden BSB Junior Supersport season riding a Kawasaki Ninja 400 for the MSS Performance team. The category only has two races left to run at the Donington Park round so his title chance is slim, but either way it has been a great season so far.
Ducati TriOptions Cup
Levi Day – BPS Racing – Championship position: 2nd
Day scored a double victory at Oulton Park to take his 2020 win tally to three – but still sits in second spot in the standings, 26 points behind Josh Day. The TriOptions Cup is a one make series revolving around Ducati’s middleweight sportsbike, with both the V2 and Panigale 959 eligible for competition. Like Junior Supersport, there are only two races left in this category, to be held at the Donington Park round, so it will be a big ask for Day to overhaul his namesake.
Other Australians in action in BSB
Ben Currie – Currie has endured a tough season to date and sits ninth in the standings, well out of title contention. As told to Cycleonline in a previous Conversation, Currie has been running a Kawasaki ZX-6R with a 636 engine, causing setup and reliability issues all year.
Tom Toparis – Toparis, racing a Yamaha R6 for Benro Racing, had his BSB campaign cut short after a massive highside at Donington Park National Circuit in August where he broke his wrist and has not been able to race since.
Billy McConnell – McConnell sits in fifth place in the Superstock 1000 class, riding a BMW S1000RR for the OMG Racing outfit. He has scored two podiums this year but a DNF at Silverstone and a 7-7 result at Oulton Park severely limit his title aspirations.
Brayden Elliot – Elliot is an experienced campaigner in the ultra-competitive Superstock 1000 class and posted his most successful BSB results to date at Oulton Park – picking up a well-deserved podium. He currently sits in 11th spot in the standings.
Source: CycleOnline.com.au