The British Superbike Championship next heads to Thruxton on the 4th-6th August, where we’re sure to see plenty of action.
Last year, Shane Byrne took the race one victory ahead of Michael Laverty and Luke Mossey. In race two, Laverty took the his tenth BSB victory from Jason O’Halloran and Glenn Irwin. Byrne was forced to retire with mechanical issues and its something he certainly isn’t looking to replicate this year. This year, Byrne heads to Thruxton with a twenty nine point advantage over Mossey thanks to a double victory at Brands Hatch the last time out. He’ll be eager to increase his lead, but there’s a whole host of talented riders on the grid that are hopeful to catch up to him.
Two of those riders are the JG Speedfit Kawasaki duo of Mossey and Leon Haslam. They both sit in second and third in the championship standings and are both looking incredibly competitive this year. Haslam and Byrne took it down to the wire last year for the championship win which saw Byrne come out on top, which may say that Haslam has some unfinished business. Both of the Team Green riders will be looking to score maximum points to get ahead of Byrne in the standings and cement their place in the Showdown.
Honda Racing have finally sorted out the new Fireblade SP2, which was riddled with problems at the start of the season. But the BSB duo of O’Halloran and team mate Dan Linfoot seem to have clicked with it, something other Honda teams using the same machinery just haven’t managed to do yet. Both Linfoot and O’Halloran have scored podiums this year, but only the Aussie sits in Showdown contention, with Linfoot trailing behind in tenth.
Other ones to watch include Jake Dixon on the RAF Regular and Reserves Kawasaki who took the double at Knockhill in June. He sits just outside the top six in eighth place and is going into each round with new found confidence. Laverty and team mate James Ellison on the McAms Yamaha will be looking to improve with both riders comfortably outside the top six. With a win at Thruxton under his belt already, Laverty will be looking to replicate that result however he hasn’t been performing as well as we’d expect this year on the Yamaha machinery. Ellison has had a lot of bad luck this year, and will be looking to climb into Showdown contention.
And finally Josh Brookes on the Anvil Hire Tag Yamaha will be looking to continue his winning streak from 2015, where he took a double victory and just a few rounds later the championship. He’s finished in second three races so far this season and is looking like a strong contender for the championship. Of course, only time will tell but he will most definitely be out to win this weekend.
Thruxton is set to be a thriller, with all manufacturers in with a chance of winning. The race takes place on the 6th August, with qualifying on the 5th.
With the season panning out as it is, it will not be a race weekend to be missed.
