Haslam a hat trick hero to lead the Title Fighters into the Showdown
Leon Haslam claimed his first triple victory in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park to emerge ahead of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne in the standings, with just three points separating the arch rivals ahead of the opening round of the Showdown at Donington Park next weekend (16/17/18 September).
After a JG Speedfit Kawasaki 1-2-3 in yesterday’s opening race of the weekend, the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team were ready to fight for their positions in the Showdown, with the two races today deciding the final three Title Fighter places.
In the second race of the weekend Haslam hit the front from pole position ahead of James Ellison and Dan Linfoot. The fight for the front was intense from the start and as the pack streamed across the line for the second lap Ellison was leading from Linfoot and Haslam.
Ellison was holding his ground at the front of the pack, but as Byrne pushed to move forward from his ninth place he slid out of contention unhurt at Hizzys chicane.
Haslam was on the attack though and he pushed through into second place with a determined move at Lodge on the tenth lap and then had his sights set on his JG Speedfit Kawasaki team-mate. Three laps later and the Pocket Rocket went for his move on Ellison with a repeat performance at Lodge to hit the front.
Haslam held on to take the lead and with Ellison claiming second place he confirmed his position in the Showdown with one race of the Main Season remaining with Linfoot completing the podium ahead of O’Halloran, Mossey and Bridewell completing the top six.
There was more drama for the Tyco BMW team as Michael Laverty crashed out of the race on the final lap, putting him closer to the danger zone with one race remaining.
The final race of the weekend decided the final top six and with two places up for grabs five riders were in contention into claim the positions – Linfoot, Laverty, Peter Hickman, Mossey and Cooper.
O’Halloran hit the front of the pack and with his place already confirmed in the Showdown, the Honda Racing rider was determined to add to his tally of Podium Points.
Ellison was focused on scoring his first race win of the season and he hit the front of the pack by the end of the opening lap, pushing O’Halloran back to second with Haslam in third and Showdown contender Mossey in fourth place.
As the pack jostled for positions Jake Dixon suffered a huge crash which bought out the Nissan GT-R Safety Car with O’Halloran, Haslam, Mossey and Bridewell stacking the pack up before the race resumed.
Haslam hit the front of the pack again, but there was drama for Honda Racing as Linfoot crashed out of contention. He was forced to watch from the sidelines in despair as Mossey held third place on track, but with Laverty in fourth place, he had a marginal buffer of just four points.
Haslam held off Mossey to claim the third and final victory of the weekend, with the Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki rider celebrating second and with it a place in the Showdown for the first time in only his second season.
Bridewell claimed a podium finish but it was too late for the Bennetts Suzuki rider who missed the cut for the Showdown, holding off Laverty in fourth who also narrowly missed out for Tyco BMW and Byrne who finished in fifth.
Broc Parkes scored a 14th and a 1oth place across the final two races of the weekend while countryman Billy McConnell carded 17th and 12th place finishes.
Josh Hook had a trying weekend with two DNF results but finished the weekend on a high note with 16th in the final bout.
The six Title Fighters – Haslam, Byrne, O’Halloran, Ellison, Linfoot and Mossey now look ahead to the opening round of the Showdown next weekend at Donington Park.
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Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) – Triple race winner
“It’s been a dream weekend! To have a front row start in all three races was brilliant, and then adding the fastest lap in the first race and then claiming my first ever triple victory is incredible. I want to say a huge thanks to the team for giving us a bike we can fight for the Championship on, they’ve worked non-stop to solve the problems we were experiencing and to make history yesterday with a podium lockout is mega. I’m so excited for the Showdown now, we’re leading the standings again and Donington is one of my favourite tracks so I’m so glad we don’t have to wait long to get going again!”
Shane Byrne – DNF in race two – 5th in race three
“That was a difficult weekend and we’ve left without the results we wanted or deserved. From setting the fastest ever lap yesterday to not scoring a race win or even a podium is disappointing but that’s racing. The slip yesterday cost us a podium and then a crash today in the second race really put us on the back foot for the third race so it was always going to be tough given the pace this weekend. Although I’ve surrendered a lot of Podium Points to Leon here, I’m in the Showdown and now going to three tracks I love so I’ll be going out all guns blazing to get back to winning ways starting at Donington next weekend. Thanks to my team as ever for doing a great job.”
Tommy Bridewell – 6th in race two – 3rd in race three
“We’ve had a bike capable of finishing on the podium in all three races this weekend to be honest, and it’s a credit to the team who have put so much effort in and built a brand new bike for today after yesterday’s crash. It’s been a real struggle for me on the bike today as I’ve been really sore and stiff. It was difficult to move around and difficult to get the bike to turn. I really struggled in the first race today but I was a little better in race two and a bit more relaxed, and it was good to give the team a podium after the effort they’ve put in. We’re not in the Showdown, and now we can just enjoy riding our bike in every session before the end of the season, but I want to put the bike on the top-step of the podium before the year’s out.”
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MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, race two result
- Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
- James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.412s
- Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +2.906s
- Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +5.364s
- Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +9.941s
- Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +10.562s
- Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +13.766s
- Jake Dixon (Briggs Equipment BMW) +13.908s
- Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +14.109s
- Ryuichi Kiyonari (Smiths Racing BMW) +14.431s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, race three result
- Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
- Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +1.336s
- Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +2.654s
- Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +4.594s
- Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +4.657s
- Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW) +5.423s
- Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +8.784s
- Lee Jackson (Buildbase BMW) +8.880s
- Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW)+9.591s
- Broc Parkes (ePayMe Yamaha) +9.752s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings ahead of the Showdown
- Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 546
- Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 543
- Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 513
- James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 513
- Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) 511
- Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) 506
British Supersport
Brad Ray made it three wins from four races today at Oulton Park, taking victory in an enthralling 15 lap encounter. Launching off pole, Ray grabbed the holeshot ahead of sprint race winner Law whilst Championship rivals Tarran Mackenzie and James Westmoreland sat third and fourth.
Initially a seven rider battle for the lead, David Allingham moved up to third as the leading four riders began pulling away from Westy, who ran on at the chicane.
Law took the lead from Ray on lap seven, and the two set about setting fastest lap after fastest lap to break away at the front. Behind them, Allingham, Mackenzie and a regrouped Westmoreland battled it out for the final rostrum position. It was Law who held the lead at the start of the final lap but a determined move from Ray down Cascades saw him hit the front.
Crossing the line Ray took his third win as Law was able to nurse his Kawasaki home after a problem saw him slow. Westmoreland crossed the line third ahead of Mackenzie to retake the series lead.
Ben Currie failed to make the race and has slipped to eighth in the championship standings.
Mason Law
“This weekend has been great, a win and a second is a great achievement for us. I was disappointed today with what happened on the final lap as I felt like I could push for another win. I just lost so much power and I was lucky to get to the finish and secure second place. The dynamic was different to yesterday but the race was planning out how I’d hoped. I got to see where I was losing time and where I was strong. I got to the front and set a consistent pace to wind it up and try and break away from Brad, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
Yesterday was fantastic and I can’t thank all the Gearlink Kawasaki team and all my personal sponsors enough for continuing to stand by me through the season. It was a great feeling to take the win finally and we have been working hard all year to achieve that. This is where I want to be now for the final races of the year, I don’t have long to wait until Donington and I can’t wait to get back out there!”
Dickies British Supersport Championship, Oulton Park, feature race
- Brad Ray (FAB-Racing Yamaha)
- Mason Law (Gearlink Kawasaki) + 2.180s
- James Westmoreland (CAME BPT Yamaha) +5.041s
- Tarran Mackenzie (Stauff Connect Academy Kawasaki) +5.340s
- David Allingham (EHA Racing Yamaha) +5.572s
Dickies British Supersport Championship Championship standings after Oulton Park
- James Westmoreland (CAME BPT Yamaha) 254
- Tarran Mackenzie (Stuaff Connect Academy Kawasaki) 251
- Bradley Ray (FAB-Racing Yamaha) 209
- Andy Reid (Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki) 180
- Mason Law (Gearlink Kawasaki) 177
- David Allingham 164
- Luke Jones 156
- Ben Currie 145
- Joe Francis 135
- Andrew Irwin 102
British Superstock 1000
Reigning Champion Josh Elliott took his first Pirelli National Superstock 1000 win of the season at Oulton Park after title rivals Ian Hutchsinson and Taylor Mackenzie crashed out on the final corner. It was Mackenzie who grabbed the holeshot, however Elliott soon moved into the lead and held that position until lap 11 when Hutchinson moved into the front.
A tense five rider battle over the closing stages saw the leading trio swap places, however going into the final corner second place Mackenzie and leader Hutchinson came together and crashed out of contention, leaving Elliott to take the win ahead of Adam Jenkinson and Keith Farmer.
British Superstock 1000 Championship Standings
- Taylor Mackenzie 178
- Ian Hutchinson 155
- Keith Farmer 138
- Josh Elliott 134
- Michael Rutter 103
British Superstock 600
Jordan Weaving has made it three wins for the season after taking another victory at Oulton Park this afternoon, extending his lead in the Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship.
The NMT No Limits Kawasaki rider grabbed the early lead from pole, and soon had to hold off the attentions of Keenan Armstrong, who was chasing the South African hard for the lead.
Armstrong put in the fastest lap of the race in the dying few laps, but Weaving had enough left in the tank to fend off the Doncaster man’s challenge to take his third win of the season.
Lewis Rollo was in a strong position before running on at the chicane and had to fight back, eventually taking a well fought podium, crossing the line in third.
British Superstock 600 Championship Standings
- Jordan Weaving 162
- Carl Phillips 146
- Keenan Armstrong 112
- Bradley Jones 95
- Tom Ward 95
