BSB Rider of the Year: 1st - Leon Haslam

After another epic season of racing, MCN’s sports team of Michael Guy (Sports Editor), Simon Patterson (MotoGP Reporter) and Oli Rushby (Superbike Reporter) sat down to discuss who impressed them the most in each race series we cover to establish MCN’s top five riders in each category.

And after this year’s dramatic British Superbike championship, it wasn’t an easy call to decide who deserved what spot in our top five riders of the year in the class. Here’s what we think –  but feel free to disagree with us in the comments!

British Superbike Rider of the Year: 1st – Leon Haslam 

Only one rider could be named our 2018 British Superbike Rider of the Year and that is, of course, Leon Haslam, after a dominant season saw him finally clinch that elusive Bennetts BSB crown.

After losing out in such devastating circumstances 12 months ago, Haslam fought back to decimate the opposition in 2018, taking 15 wins on his way to his debut crown.

Finishing on the podium in 21 of the year’s 26 races, Haslam was in a class of his own this season.

One of the keys to Haslam’s success was cracking the secret to some of his most challenging circuits, taking victory at Snetterton, where he hadn’t so much as finished on the podium before and then clinching his first ever victory at Thruxton and first win on a Kawasaki at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on his championship-winning weekend.

After such a strong year, it’s only right he got the chance to move back to the world stage where he gets the opportunity of his career to ride alongside Jonathan Rea in the dominant factory Kawasaki squad.