BSB: Jason O'Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie remain at McAMS Yamaha for 2021

Jason O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie will both stay with the McAMS Yamaha team for the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike season.

Both riders have agreed a one-year extension to their current deals and will remain teammates for the third consecutive BSB campaign.

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O’Halloran enjoyed his best season yet in BSB, and with the factory Yamaha team, in 2020 and ended the year as runner-up to Josh Brookes.

The 32-year-old, who enjoyed an injury-free campaign after a tough 2019, was one of the most consistent riders on the grid. O’Halloran secured three victories, his first since 2016 and first for Yamaha, as well as seven further podiums.

“2020 was my best year in the Bennetts British Superbike championship, fighting for the title until the end and finishing runner-up in our first year with the new YZF-R1, so for me it was a no brainer to continue this project for 2021 as I feel there’s a lot more to come,” O’Halloran said.

“We were quite conservative with what we tried with the bike this year, with the season so short and sessions reduced we found something that worked and stuck with it, but there’s a lot we want to try so I am really excited to have a full testing programme and then a full season. This year I was on the podium at every track we went to except one, and with the full calendar back next year I feel this will really suit us, so I can’t wait to get going!”

Mackenzie, who remains with McAMS Yamaha for a fourth year, overcame a difficult start to the season to finish fifth overall. The 24-year-old with two victories, one at Silverstone and one around the GP circuit at Donington Park. He also recorded four further podiums throughout the season.

“I’m really happy to be staying with the McAMS Yamaha team in 2021 off the back of a great year; it was my strongest in BSB yet and the team had two bikes fighting for the title at the final round,” Mackenzie commented.

“We made some really big steps with the R1 for this year and closed the gap to Josh to fight at the front until the end and I am confident there’s more to come. All the guys and girls here are great and the last three years in the Superbike class have been amazing with a better result each year, so I want to continue that success.”

As things stand McAMS Yamaha are the only team to announce the exact same line-up as 2020 for next year. There will be at least one new rider at Honda and Kawasaki, whilst Rich Energy OMG Racing will have an all-new line-up. SYNETIQ BMW also have an all-new rider pairing following the signings of Andrew Irwin and Danny Buchan.

The Fleetwood-based team, who announced an extension of their title sponsorship deal with McAMS last month, will continue the development of the new YZF-R1 which was released this year.

“We’ve just had our best ever season in BSB in just our fourth year in the series, so keeping things the same for 2021 was the priority,” team boss Steve Rogers added. “After 2020, there is no doubt we have a package capable of fighting for the championship, so for everyone concerned, keeping everything the same for 2021 made perfect sense as we look to build on such a successful season.” 

The 2021 season is scheduled to get underway at Oulton Park on the first weekend in May after a series of tests on British circuits throughout April. Currently, 11 rounds appear on the 2021 calendar.