The Bennetts British Superbike Championship hits Hampshire this weekend (July 30 – August 1), as Britain’s biggest motorsport series returns to Thruxton for the first time since 2019, with VisionTrack Ducati’s Christian Iddon leading the standings.
Four different race winners and a further three riders have so far celebrated podium finishes this year, and Iddon arrives at the fourth round with a slender six-point advantage over his closest rival Jason O'Halloran. The pair have constantly swapped position at the top of the standings throughout the opening nine races of the season.
Iddon regained the lead in the standings after claiming his second win of the year in the final race at Brands Hatch, fending off race one winner Tarran Mackenzie, who elevated himself into third in the overall standings after his podium hat trick in Kent.
O’Halloran took his winning tally to four in the second race at Brands Hatch. The Australian has taken more victories than his rivals so far in 2021, only losing the lead in the standings courtesy of a crash in race two at Knockhill.
Danny Buchan came close to a podium return last weekend after his Knockhill double for SYNETIQ BMW and is just seven points adrift of Mackenzie ahead of the next three races, whilst his teammate Andrew Irwin will be wanting a repeat of 2019 when he claimed his first Bennetts BSB race win at the circuit.
Home hero Tommy Bridewell scored a pair of second places at Brands Hatch, to keep the Oxford Products Racing Ducati team in the top five ahead of their home round this weekend, just ahead of rookie wonder Rory Skinner on the leading FS-3 Racing Kawasaki.
Skinner’s teammate Lee Jackson is seventh with FHO Racing BMW’s Peter Hickman holding the final place in the all-important top eight in the standings ahead of the end of season Showdown.
Just adrift of the top eight ahead of the next three races of the season are Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW’s Bradley Ray and just two points adrift, Josh Brookes.
The defending champion scored his best result of the season last time out in fifth place, but is yet to return to the podium, and will be pushing to change that at the circuit where he was victorious in 2019.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
- Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 163
- Jason O'Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 157
- Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 137
- Danny Buchan (SYNETIQ BMW Motorrad) 130
- Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 100
- Rory Skinner (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) 86
- Lee Jackson (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) 73
- Peter Hickman (FHO Racing BMW) 73