Jason O’Halloran finishes BSB season with podium

Jason O’Halloran back on the podium at Brands Hatch

Honda Racing’s Jason O’Halloran returned to the podium at Brands Hatch aboard the all-new Fireblade as the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship drew to a close.

Finishing the final race in second place, O’Halloran also finished fifth in the overall championship standings.

Jason O’Halloran - Image by Jon Jessop — Jason O’Halloran – Image by Jon Jessop

O’Halloran meant business from the start of Sunday’s opening race and with strong pace over the 20 laps, the Aussie battled with the group for fourth place, eventually taking the line in fifth.

With his sights on the podium for the final race of the day, The O’Show lined up on the grid in sixth place and it wasn’t long before he was hunting down the front group.

British Superbike 2017 Championship Finale - Brands Hatch - Race One - Jason O'Halloran — British Superbike 2017 Championship Finale – Brands Hatch – Race One –
Jason O’Halloran

Having made it into third place with only Ellison and Brookes ahead of him, and a blistering pace aboard the CBR, the Aussie easily made his way into the second place spot, where he crossed the line taking his fourth podium of the season.

The 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship has been a mixed season for the Honda Racing team, with O’Halloran securing a hard-fought place in the all-important Showdown, finishing fifth in the title and recording four podiums along the way.

Jason O’Halloran

“It’s been a bit of a taxing year, we started on a low level, everyone has worked hard to progress and get us to a place we all know we can be. Every single person in the team has given me the absolute max this year and I can’t ask for anymore from the Honda Racing guys, they’re all fantastic and I do have a great crew. We were pushing every single weekend and unfortunately during the last three or four rounds I have had crashes on the Friday and Saturday, with some small injuries and have given the boys some work to do. So coming into this weekend I was determined to have a strong one.

“Everything went smoothly really, we improved in every race and we gained momentum over the weekend, which was really refreshing. The last race I gave everything I had and with about four laps to go I thought to myself, I have a chance of winning this! I was pushing, folding the front and losing the rear, Josh and James in front were riding so well; to be honest everyone was! So to finish second and get back to podium for the final race I’m really happy with the result and it’s a good way to finish the season.”

Havier Beltran – Honda Racing team manager

“I’m really pleased with the strong finish for both riders today to end the season well at Brands Hatch. It was such a shame for Dan (Linfoot), in yesterday’s race with the damaged radiator, which forced him out and he was unable to restart after the red flag. In today’s first race both riders were able to push and get competitive times in order to secure a good starting position for the final race. I’m pleased for both of them, they have been strong this weekend and shown what we already know, that they can be competitive and at the sharp end. I’m happy for Jason finishing on the podium in second place, it was great to see him making passes and fighting with the front-runners. There are some areas where we need to be strong and we will work on those and come back stronger for next year.”