BSB: Rider of the Year - Third

MCN’s Sports Desk rank the five riders who have impressed them most in the MCE British Superbike Championship during the 2017 season.

Number 3 – Jason O’Halloran

Best result: 1st
Wins: 1
Podiums: 7
Championship position: 5^th

With Honda’s Fireblade in its final racing year, nobody knew what to expect from Honda duo Dan Linfoot and Jason O’Halloran this season, but both impressed aboard their aging steed.

For most of the season, O’Halloran was very much ‘best of the rest’ behind Shakey and Haslam’s battle at the front and on occasion, the Aussie would get close enough to challenge the leading duo.

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He took his debut victory at Snetterton, beating team-mate Dan Linfoot after the Yorkshireman suffered an enormous two-wheel slide at the final corner, but weekend in weekend out O’Halloran would be in podium contention.

His final championship ranking of fifth wasn’t at all reflective of his season, two DNFs, one of which wasn’t his fault, hurt him hard in the showdown as he slipped from third to fifth in the championship standings.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Aussie’s season was that it came off the back of a badly broken femur which ruled him out for the second half of 2016. He didn’t ride a bike between August and January so to come back and enjoy his best ever season in the BSB class was an incredible feat.  

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