BSB Oulton: Jason O'Halloran secures the treble in race three

Jason O’Halloran pipped Christian Iddon once again in the final race of the weekend at Oulton Park to secure a sensational hat-trick.

O’Halloran took the lead away from pole man Peter Hickman going into turn one at the start of the race, before Iddon hit the front on the following lap. Like race two, O’Halloran stalked Iddon for most of the race before making his move on the final lap at Island.

Race Two: Jason O’Halloran pips Christian Iddon on the final lap

It means that O’Halloran leads the championship with the maximum 75 points available this weekend. Iddon secured his third runners-up spot of the weekend and is 15 points behind the Aussie.

Tommy Bridewell held off Tarran Mackenzie so secure his second podium of the weekend, whilst Peter Hickman completed the top five. Hickman was involved in the battle for the lead but dropped to fifth on lap 11 after his arm pump issue appeared cause problems once again.

Josh Brookes fought his way through the order once again to take sixth spot ahead of Lee Jackson and Danny Buchan, whilst Ryan Vickers and Glenn Irwin completed the top 10. Irwin ran wide on the opening lap at Cascades and dropped down the order.

Gino Rea and Kyle Ryde were 11th and 12th respectively, whilst Rory Skinner scored points for the third consecutive race in 13th.

Bjorn Estment crashed out at Cascades on the opening lap of the race, with his bike being sent flying into the air. Bradley Ray also retired on the first lap with a second bike fault of the weekend.

Andrew Irwin’s tough weekend with SYNETIQ BMW continued when the Northern Irishman was forced to stop with a bike problem on lap five. Rookie Joey Thompson returned to the pits on the following lap.

Danny Kent suffered his second crash of the weekend on lap seven. The Buildbase Suzuki rider fell at Shell Oils. On the following lap Josh Owens was forced to stop with a bike problem after exiting the chicane in 14th spot. Moments later, Dean Harrison returned to his pit box.

Joe Francis and Storm Stacey also returned to their respective garages and retired from the final Superbike race of the day.

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BSB Oulton: Jason O’Halloran steals victory away from Christian Iddon in race two

First published: 27 June 2021 at 14:32 by Josh Close

Jason O’Halloran produced a last lap masterpiece to secure his second victory of the weekend at Oulton Park.

The McAMS Yamaha rider had been tailgating Christian Iddon for several laps, eyeing up a number of possible overtaking manoeuvres in the process. On the final lap, O’Halloran lunged down the inside at Lodge and, despite it looking like he may have gone in too hot, O’Halloran was able to steady his R1, get the power down early and beat his rival to the line.

Race One – Jason O’Halloran wins the 2021 BSB season opener

It’s O’Halloran’s fourth victory from the last five races at Oulton Park and he keeps his 100% record for the season after two races. Iddon stays within 10 points of O’Halloran after clinching another second.

Peter Hickman overcame his arm pump issues to take the final spot on the podium. Hickman was fighting O’Halloran and Iddon earlier in the race but eventually dropped off their pace. It’s BMW’s first BSB podium since Hickman’s third spot in race two at Thruxton in 2019. It’s also FHO Racing’s first podium in BSB – achieved in the team’s second race.

Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) and Bradley Ray (Rich Energy Racing BMW) completed the top five, proving further that BMW are contenders once again in the Superbike class.

Tarran Mackenzie ended the race sixth after fighting back from a coming together with Tommy Bridewell on the entry to the chicane earlier in the race. Bridewell’s chain came off the Ducati V4 R as a result, causing him to run on, and he was forced to retire.

Josh Brookes found some late-race pace to finish in seventh spot, with Lee Jackson, Glenn Irwin and Kyle Ryde completing the top 10. Ryan Vickers narrowly missed out on a spot in top 10 after dropping back down the order. Vickers was as high as fourth in the opening few laps.

Rory Skinner collected more points on his maiden weekend, finishing ahead of Buildbase Suzuki duo Gino Rea and Danny Kent. Andrew Irwin was 15th on the second SYNETIQ BMW.

Newcomer Ryo Mizuno crashed out at Island Bend (T4) on the opening lap of the race. The Japanese rider was able to walk away from the incident but appeared to be in some discomfort.

On the following lap Brad Jones returned to pit-lane and retired from the race, whilst Storm Stacey also retired from the race in similar circumstances. Joe Francis retired from the race with three laps remaining.

The third and final Superbike race of the weekend at Oulton Park is scheduled to begin at 16:45.

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BSB Oulton: Jason O’Halloran wins the opening race of 2021

First published: 26 June 2021 by Josh Close

Jason O’Halloran secured victory in the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike season opener at Oulton Park.

The McAMS Yamaha rider started fourth on the grid after suffering a bike issue during Q2 earlier in the day. However, O’Halloran launched himself into second on the opening lap and dove down the inside of Christian Iddon at turn one on the eighth lap of the race.

O’Halloran was unchallenged after taking the lead and crossed the line with a rather comfortable 0.630s advantage over Iddon. It’s O’Halloran’s fourth victory for Yamaha, and his third in four races at Oulton Park.

Polesitter Tommy Bridewell completed the podium after recovering from a slow getaway. Bridewell dropped to fourth on the opening lap but was able to regroup and stick with the leading duo for most of the race.

Peter Hickman clinched fourth spot in FHO Racing’s, and the BMW M1000RR’s, maiden BSB race. It’s a great start for Hickman who, like all BMW riders, endured a tough 2020 campaign on the old S1000RR.

Tarran Mackenzie crossed the finish line in fifth spot, ahead of Glenn Irwin and Kyle Ryde. Lee Jackson was eighth for FS-3 Kawasaki, whilst Ryan Vickers and 2020 champion Josh Brookes completed the top 10.

Gino Rea dropped outside of the top 10 in the closing stages of the race, whilst Danny Buchan was 12th for SYNETIQ BMW. Rookie Rory Skinner rode a sensible race in 13th spot.

Bradley Ray retired from the race with a bike issue on the second lap of the race. The Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW rider was inside the top six when the issue struck. On the following lap Joe Francis crashed out at Lodge, whilst Andrew Irwin hit the deck at Old Hall Bend.

At the end of lap five 2015 Moto3 world champion Danny Kent slid out of contention at Lodge. Kent was eighth and leading teammate Rea when he fell. Takumi Takahashi returned to the Honda garage after eight laps. The Japanese newcomer is still struggling with a shoulder problem after dislocating it during pre-season testing.

Josh Owens also returned to pit-lane and retired from the race. Owens’ bike had been damaged during a crash in Q1 earlier this afternoon.

Tomorrow’s BSB races are due to begin at 13:45 and 16:45.

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BSB Oulton: Tommy Bridewell takes pole position for race one

First published: 26 June 2021 at 14:13 by Josh Close

Tommy Bridewell will start the opening race of the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike season from pole position at Oulton Park.

The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider, who has been battling towards the front all weekend, posted a best lap-time of 1:34.494. That was enough to beat Christian Iddon by 0.173s. It’s Bridewell’s second ‘qualifying’ pole position in his BSB career.

Tarran Mackenzie completes the front row for McAMS Yamaha. It’s clear progress for Mackenzie, who struggled in free practice and qualifying last season. Teammate Jason O’Halloran, who topped two of the three free practice sessions, will head the second row in fourth. The Aussie’s qualifying session came to a premature end due to a problem with his Yamaha R1.

Peter Hickman led a trio of BMW riders in fifth spot, with Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW duo Kyle Ryde and Bradley Ray behind in sixth and seventh respectively. Glenn Irwin qualified eighth for Honda Racing UK. Irwin was forced to return to the pits towards the end of the session with a bike problem.

Reigning champion Josh Brookes and Gino Rea completed the top 10, ahead of SYNETIQ BMW’s Danny Buchan and Buildbase Suzuki’s Danny Kent. Row five is made up of Ryan Vickers, Andrew Irwin and Lee Jackson, with Rory Skinner and Joe Francis in 16^th and 17^th respectively.

Josh Owens made it through to Q2 however a crash at Cascades in the closing moments of Q1 brought an end to his session. As a result, Owens will start race one from 18th.

Storm Stacey was the quickest rider in Q1 not to make it through and will start 19th on the grid for the opening race of the 2021 season. He’ll be joined on the seventh row by Dan Linfoot and Bjorn Estment.

Dean Harrison, Ryo Mizuno, Brad Jones line-up on the eighth row, whilst Takumi Takahashi, Luke Hopkins, Brian McCormack and Joey Thompson complete the grid for race one later today. Xavi Fores has been ruled out of the remainder of the weekend after breaking his scaphoid 

The opening race of the 2021 season is scheduled to begin at 16:15 this afternoon.

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BSB Oulton: Tommy Bridewell beats Jason O’Halloran to top spot on day one

First published: 25 June 2021 by Josh Close

Tommy Bridewell got his 2021 season off to a positive start at Oulton Park today by posting the fastest overall lap-time.

The Oxford Products Racing Ducati rider posted a best lap-time of 1:35.067 in FP2, enough to beat Jason O’Halloran, who topped FP1 in damp conditions, by 0.369s. Christian Iddon was the leading VisionTrack Ducati rider in third.

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Bradley Ray was the leading BMW rider (Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW) in fourth spot, ahead of fellow BMW riders Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW) and Peter Hickman (FHO Racing). It’s another positive sign for the all-new BMW M1000RR.

Tarran Mackenzie was seventh on the second McAMS Yamaha R1, ahead of Lee Jackson and Danny Kent. Reigning champion Josh Brookes was 10th overall, just ahead of Honda Racing UK’s Glenn Irwin.

Gino Rea secured the all-important final automatic spot (12th) for tomorrow’s Q2 qualifying session. The riders who finished outside the top 12 today will enter Q1, with the top six from that session joining today’s top 12 in Q2.

Kyle Ryde narrowly missed out in 13th spot, ahead of Ryan Vickers and Andrew Irwin. Rory Skinner crashed at Old Hall Corner (T1) in the opening minutes of FP2, which led to a red flag being waved due to debris. The rookie ended the opening day 16th overall.

Dan Linfoot ended the day 18th on the TAG Racing Honda after bouncing back from a crash at Hizzy’s Chicane during FP1. Xavi Fores finished his first official day back in BSB in 19th spot. The Spaniard crashed during FP1, falling at Shell Oil (T5).

The final 21 minutes of FP2 was delayed due to track contamination. A technical problem for Joey Thompson is believed to have been the cause.

Saturday’s BSB schedule at Oulton Park is as follows:

• 10:05 – 10:25 – Free Practice 3
• 13:15 – 13:27 – Q1
• 13:34 – 13:46 – Q2

Don’t forget to also check out our 2021 Season Preview which is included inside this week’s issue of MCN.