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SBK, BSB Thruxton: hat-trick for O’Halloran who pulls away in the points, Kent (Suzuki) on the podium

Jason O'Halloran scores a hat-trick in the British Superbike weekend at Thruxton and extends his lead in the table thanks to Christian Iddon's misadventures. Honda and Suzuki re-emerge thanks to Glenn Irwin and Danny Kent. Still in trouble Josh Brookes

SBK: BSB Thruxton: hat-trick for O’Halloran who pulls away in the points, Kent (Suzuki) on the podium

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Dry, damp patches or wet, Jason O'Halloran is confirming himself far and wide to be the man who is dominating 2021 British Superbike. This was the response of the fourth round held last weekend on the ultra-fast (average speeds of 170-180 km/h) Thruxton track. At the first back-to-back of the season, assisted by an excellent McAMS Yamaha team, the Australian literally annihilated the competition by picking up a dominant hat-trick in all those weather conditions typical of the UK, and has now broken away from an unfortunate Christian Iddon in the standings. It was a three days full of excitement, in which Josh Brookes once again failed to produce the goods, and at the same time it saw the definitive re-emergence of Honda and Suzuki after a difficult start.

3 out of 3 for O’Halloran

 

Returning to the calendar after the forced absence of 2020 due to the COVID-19 emergency, the Hampshire circuit allowed O’Show to achieve a total of seven successes in BSB. Right from the start of the weekend on his YZF-R1, last year’s runner-up proved to be uncatchable for all his rivals, winning all the weekend's races in all conditions and in all strategies. Competitive and skilful in preserving his Pirelli tires on optimal asphalt (Race 1 and 2) as well as poor grip (Race 3, in addition to perfectly managing the intermediate at the rear in the rain in the final stages), he followed up on his opening three wins at Oulton Park, capitalizing on the misfortunes of others, Iddon first of all.

Iddon KO, but not thanks to him

 

Fresh from his triumph at Brands Hatch, the VisionTrack PBM Ducati rider experienced a decidedly up-and-down weekend. While on Saturday he had to settle for second place, in Race 2 he had to deal with the Kawasakis: first an error at Club, complete with an off-track excursion, following an attack by Ryan Vickers and then he was taken out at Campbell by Lee Jackson. A big no-score from the point of view of the championship, added to which was a strange ninth place in race 3, in all probability affected by the pain in the right arm due to the previous crash. After only seven points obtained on Sunday, the Ducati rider loses the leadership and slips to -42 from O’Halloran, now at +16 Podium Credits in view of the Showdown.

Glenn Irwin and Kent celebrate

 

Before arriving at Thruxton, the only manufacturers with dry podiums went by the name of Honda and Suzuki, but this changed in the space of less than 24 hours. After ending up on the ground, without any consequences, in the penultimate round of Race 1 while he was battling for third place, in the following race Glenn Irwin made amends by taking Team Honda Racing UK back to the top positions, 3rd behind Tarran Mackenzie.

 

Glenn Irwin aboard Honda Racing UK's CBR 1000 RR-R

In this first part of 2021, despite numerous technical updates, the CBR 1000 RR-R appears to be struggling more than expected in adapting to the new SCX. With the tyre not being used for obvious reasons on the Hampshire track, Havier Beltran’s team was immediately capable of returning to the front together with the gradual improvement in the physical condition of the Carrickfergus rider after he had tested positive for COVID-19 in recent months (he ended the races exhausted).

The same could be said for the brilliant form in the wet shown by Danny Kent, who took the Buildbase/Hawk Suzuki GSX-R 1000 to third position behind Danny Buchan, demonstrating the current equilibrium in the top class of the UK domestic championship. In his first top-3 finish in BSB after three rounds decimated by mechanical problems of various kinds, the 2015 Moto3 Champion recovered from eighth place, reaching the finish just two seconds away from the winner and putting an end to a complex period in his career and private life.

 

 

Danny Kent riding the GSX-R 1000 in the wet at Thruxton

Where’s Brookes?

The ordeal of the reigning champion Josh Brookes is continuing and this weekend he was not even in the hunt at a circuit where he has taken nine of the 53 successes of his personal tally. In the midst of a crisis and never really on the ball, Brookes was even excluded from Q2 in qualifying and out of the points zone in two of the three races scheduled. Rumours of an injury in training with the motocross bike (not confirmed by the man himself however) aside, a disappointing 14th place in Race 3 does not bode well for the rest of the season: 58 points scored in 12 races and with only the top-8 going through to the playoffs of the final three events of the season, he is still even 30 points adrift.

British Superbike will return to action in a couple of weeks (13-15 August) on the Donington Park national circuit for the fifth round of 2021.

 

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