Jason O'Halloran arrives at the fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park this weekend (August 13/14/15) heading the title fight after his triple win at Thruxton. The McAMS Yamaha rider has a 42-point edge in the standings, but knows that it will be the Podium Points that will prove crucial ahead of the Showdown.
O’Halloran has excelled so far in 2021, winning seven races to give him the edge currently in the battle to become champion, and confidence continues to grow for the Australian contender as he bids to add to his tally this weekend.
“I am feeling really good,” reflected O’Halloran. “We have had four rounds so far and I have managed to win a race at three of them, and although we didn’t win at Knockhill, it was my first ever podium there, so we have had a podium at every round.
“I am comfortable and confident with what we are doing and I am feeling really good on the McAMS Yamaha, obviously coming off the back of three wins at Thruxton, two dry and one in the wet, gives me a huge amount of confidence going forwards.”
Donington Park was a circuit where the O’Show finished twice on the podium last season, and one that he believes should prove to be a strong circuit for the McAMS Yamaha.
“Heading to Donington Park, it is a track that I love racing at, we were on the podium there last year, and even more importantly we had a really good pre-season test there,” added O’Halloran. “Not so much topping the test, but it went strongly for us with our race pace, so I expect another strong weekend.
“I think it will be even more competitive this weekend as Thruxton was a little bit of a different circuit, and I think there are quite a few of us who go well at Donington Park, so I think we are set for some great racing. I feel like I am carrying some good form at the moment and I just want to maintain that.
“Between myself and the team, we are working together to get the most out of the bike and me. If we can continue to do that, these next few weekends are really important because, although you look at the standings and think you have a 42-point lead, that becomes irrelevant when we get to the Showdown. We need to keep racking up the Podium Points as that is what will be important once we are secure in the top eight, to keep ourselves in the strongest position possible.”
O’Halloran’s impressive campaign comes off the back of finishing runner-up in 2020 following several seasons where he was battling back from injury.
“Your path shapes you and I have come off a couple of rough years where I have had some bad injuries,” said O’Halloran. “The last year and a half, I have changed a lot of how I work and do things as a rider and that is paying dividends now. I keep trying to improve both my knowledge and skill with the bike and at the minute, I still feel like a bit of a sponge and trying to absorb and learn as much as I can. I feel young and always learning. I am refreshed and excited to get racing every weekend and trying to do the best job we can.”
O’Halloran’s winning tally puts him ahead of his rivals, who will now be chasing down his winning advantage, however this hasn’t fazed him, as he bids to continue his momentum this weekend at Donington Park.
“I think for sure when someone starts winning a bit everyone starts to think they need to beat that person,” added O’Halloran. “That brings a little bit of pressure, but it is wanted pressure as that is where we want to be! It’s a good thing and it’s a privilege as we have worked hard to be in this position.
"We will just keep the focus on our own work and not get too carried away. There is a long way to go yet and we have only had four rounds, but to have seven wins and nine podiums is an amazing achievement, so we want to keep that going.
“The next tracks coming up are ones I really enjoy; I love racing at Donington Park, maybe even more for Cadwell Park as we missed it last year and that is a track I really want to win at! These next weeks coming up are big weeks for me and I want to be successful in those races.”
Of course, if any rider can win all six races across the next two events at Donington Park and Cadwell Park then they can win big with the Milwaukee Summer Grand Slam and take home £50,000. There is also the chance of a prize for celebrating five of the six victories or by claiming four of the six.
O’Halloran joked: “There is no reason why we can’t try and win some of the money! The next six races are at tracks that have been good for me before and the McAMS Yamaha works really well there. Cadwell Park is one of my favourite tracks so it’s definitely there to be had.
“If you look, I have won seven of the 12 races so far this year, it’s definitely achievable but at the same time we need to keep focused on the championship and the right things for that. If the right reasons are there, and I feel good and the bike feels good, then absolutely we will be going for it! Let’s see if we can win at Donington first and then we will take it race by race as it is a fantastic thing to have up for grabs and it would be even better to win it!”