Mackenzie wins BSB Championship with perfect performance at Brands

2021 Bennetts British Superbikes
Round 11 – Brands Hatch

Images by Dave Yeomans

British Superbike Race Two

Massive crowds turned out at Brand Hatch yesterday witnessed Tarran Mackenzie celebrate the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship title with a stunning last gasp win in the second race of the weekend, the McAMS Yamaha rider taking it down to the wire against rival Tommy Bridewell on the final drag to the line on Sunday morning.

At the start of the race, Mackenzie launched off the line to lead the pack into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time, but by the time they reached Surtees, Bridewell had forged ahead on the Oxford Products Racing Ducati.

Bridewell was holding the lead, bidding to make a break but Mackenzie was soon piling on the pressure and it would go down to the chequered flag between the two title contenders.

Mackenzie needed to secure victory to seal the title with one race remaining and he made a pass at Paddock Hill Bend to regain the lead at the start of the twelfth lap.

Two laps later and the McAMS Yamaha rider had a huge moment on the exit of Stirlings, saving a near highside as Bridewell had to roll off the power to take evasive action and then had to regain the lost ground.

A lap later and Bridewell snatched the lead back at Stirlings, trying to keep his title rival at bay over the closing stages and it would come down to an epic final lap between the pair.

Bridewell led over the line by 0.127s and then Mackenzie made a move up the inside at Druids to take the advantage. But as the pair reached Surtees Bridewell was back ahead and it wasn’t until Clearways when Mackenzie could retake the positon, diving for the inside on the drag to the line to win by 0.087s.

Tarran Mackenzie

“I was in two minds whether to try and go for the win or not. I didn’t know what to do! That final move, I’ve done three times before in Supersport and I played it smart into that last corner. Tommy went defensive which is the right thing to do but I just cut back and got it! Honestly, I can’t believe it. It’s been a roller-coaster of a year. It’s nice to have all the fans back, especially at Brands Hatch so I thank everyone that’s come out to support me over the years. And to do it 25 years since dad won his title is amazing – it shows how old he is! I can’t thank everyone enough!”

Jason O’Halloran meanwhile had delivered an impressive performance to carve his way through the field from the fourth row of the grid to claim third. He goes into the final race equal on points with Bridewell for second in the standings.

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Christian Iddon was forced to settle for fourth after a final battle with O’Halloran in the closing stages, the VisionTrack Ducati rider holding an advantage over Peter Hickman and Josh Brookes, with Danny Buchan and Gino Rea completing the top eight.

Glenn Irwin and Kyle Ryde completed the top ten ahead of Sunday afternoon’s final race of the 2021 season.

British Superbike Race Two Results

British Superbike Race Three

Tarran Mackenzie won the final race of the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season following an intense contest with Tommy Bridewell throughout the final Showdown race on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

Mackenzie led at the start from Jason O’Halloran, but soon it was Tommy Bridewell into second position as the pair renewed their rivalry from earlier in the day.

Bridewell hit the front of the pack on the second lap and he was holding off the new champion, but in the closing stages, the McAMS Yamaha rider built his attack.

On lap 16, Mackenzie made a dive down the inside at Paddock Hill Bend to grab the lead, but Bridewell was instantly on the attack and he regained the position heading into Sheene Curve.

Mackenzie was determined to claim his first hat trick of race wins in the championship and on the final lap he again snatched the lead heading into Paddock Hill Bend.

Bridewell was defending hard, but as the pair exited Clearways, Mackenzie edged ahead and he then won the drag to the chequered flag for the final time in 2021. Bridewell’s second place awarded him second in the overall standings as he soared up the order this weekend.

There was drama for Christian Iddon on the final lap as he was tagged by Danny Buchan at Paddock Hill Bend, sending the pair crashing out of the action.

Jason O’Halloran claimed the final podium position to seal third in the overall standings, holding off the next group of Josh Brookes and Peter Hickman who completed the top five.

British Superbike Race Three Results

2021 British Superbike Championship

11 rounds and 33 races crammed into less than a fourth month period made for an exciting 2021 British Superbike Championship.

Tarran Mackenzie

“Honestly, I can’t believe it. It’s been a roller-coaster of a year!

“I’ve visualized coming round and seeing everyone there at Graham Hill Bend. When you watch BSB as a fan, you see Leon Haslam, Brookes and Shakey, and all those heroes over the years, pull up at Graham Hill to get their bib and gold helmet. As a rookie in 2018, that’s what I aspired to and I’ve made it happen!

“All credit to the McAMS Yamaha team and everyone involved. It’s just been an incredible four years for me, five including Supersport. The time, money and effort that’s gone in to try and win this just second to none from Steve Rogers and everyone. The team put in a lot of effort to get the bike where it is and now I’m sure we won’t remember much tonight! The whole team is staying, it is a bit of a party and hopefully we can all celebrate it.

“And to do it 25 years since dad won his title is amazing – it’s a bit of a fairytale. We never really talked about it all year until the Showdown. Going into the last round, a lot of people were talking about it but I just didn’t want to think about it really. I just wanted to get the job done and then we could talk about it. Dad won the first proper BSB championship when I wasn’t even one year old, so to do it 25 years on is great but also to do it on a Yamaha is just incredible.

“It’s nice to have all the fans back too, especially at Brands Hatch so I thank everyone that’s come out to support me over the years. I can’t believe it. It’s happened. And there are too many people to thank.”

Christian Iddon

“The plan was to become British champion this weekend, and not to end up in the medical centre but that’s how it goes sometimes. I honestly thought after the recent run of results and yesterday’s podium that I stood a really good chance, but I didn’t have the pace to take it to the leaders in today’s opening race and with Taz winning, that put paid to my hopes. And then it all ended in disaster in the second race when I was taken out and that was that. Thanks to the team and our sponsors for all their efforts this season, it wasn’t meant to be, and congratulations to Taz and the McAMS Yamaha team.”

Josh Brookes

“The weekend’s been a reflection of our year in that we’ve been aware of what the problems have been, but we’ve been unable to fully resolve them. We’ve made the best of it and seen progress in the last few rounds with some better results which was how this weekend went. It’s been a constant battle between front and rear end grip and when one’s better, the other’s worse but we’ve got to the end of the season and I can guarantee everyone, I’ll be back. This year hasn’t been a reflection of myself in terms of my motivation or my desire to win as that’s as strong as ever so I’m looking forward to the time off and coming back even stronger in 2022.”

Glenn Irwin

“I felt confident in the last race of the day and I felt strong but a technical problem put me out of the race, which wasn’t an ideal end to the season. But huge congratulations to Tom and the team, there’s a good vibe, he’s a rider with a lot of talent and deserved the title. It’s been a rollercoaster of a season and huge thanks to my team, we’ve come a long way this year from where we started and they turned it around. We made the Showdown, four podiums, a race win and a couple of Pole Positions in what I would call a difficult year, it could have been much worse.”

2021 British Superbike Championship Final Standings

Final Manufacturer Standings

Final Team Standings