Jason O’Halloran confirmed his place in the 2016 MCE British Superbike Showdown at Cadwell Park with two podium finishes.
The Honda Racing rider ended Bank Holiday Monday with third and second place finishes to secure his spot within the top six of the championship.
Starting from fifth in race one, O’Halloran soon set his sights on the front runners and made his way up into second by the third lap.
It was a three-way battle at the front and O’Halloran was not giving up on a podium finish. Swapping positions between second and third, the Australian was in second place until Shane Byrne made his move on the 14th lap.
O’Halloran eventually crossed the line in third place, behind Leon Haslam and race winner Byrne.
The 28-year-old made another good start in race two and briefly touched on the lead spot, but had dropped back into third by the end of the rotation. By the fourth lap he had his sights on second place and he took advantage of a mistake by Byrne.
Once settled in second, the Honda rider started to chase down Haslam and for the remaining 12-laps was hot on his heels.
Drama happened in the closing stages of the race when O’Halloran missed a gear going into Barn corner, but he was able to save and crossed the line in second place, scoring his first double podium of the year.
Looking back over the day, O’Halloran said: “Well this is my first double podium of the year so I’m peaking with that! We have worked hard this weekend and have been at the top of all sessions since Saturday morning, and to finish both races on the podium is a great result for us. I felt in the second race the pace wasn’t as quick as earlier in the day. I couldn’t get past Leon on the brake, but towards the end he put the hammer down, he then made a small mistake and I caught back up.
“I had a moment at Barn; I clicked neutral and went into first instead of second and nearly had a highside, but managed to save and got the second place spot. I’m so pleased with the weekend, two podiums today is great and we got a big points haul and have secured a place in the Showdown with three races to go. I’m now looking forward to the title fight at the end.”
Next up for O’Halloran and the rest of the paddock is Oulton Park, with the first practice sessions taking place on Friday, September 9.
