Brands BSB: O’Halloran takes series lead with triple podium

Although he was overshadowed slightly by McAMS Yamaha team-mate Tarran Mackenzie, Brands Hatch was a more than profitable weekend for Jason O’Halloran.

He not only recorded his fifth win of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season but also moved to the top of the standings for the first time this year. Arriving at the Kent venue as very much the man in form, the Australian more than lived up to the billing on Saturday as he firstly claimed pole position before then taking the 15-lap ‘Sprint’ race. It was a lights to flag victory, his fifth win in six races, although he maintained it wasn’t as comfortable as it looked. “Saturday was a really strong day for us with pole position in qualifying and then the race win,” he said afterwards. “It was a difficult race as I led from the start and didn’t know how fast I should go so I set a pace I was happy with and nobody showed me a wheel except for when I made a small mistake. “I felt like I went as fast as I had to, not as fast as I could but I still felt we could improve the bike. We knew the weather was going to be hotter on Sunday and I felt the longer race would suit us. I was over the moon with Saturday’s result though and to win my first Sprint of the year was really positive.” After such an outstanding day, the smart money was on the 34-year old delivering more of the same on Sunday but it wasn’t to be as Mackenzie upstaged him. But two close second place finishes, particularly in the final race when he lost out on the drag to the line, made it nine podiums in a row. He’s never finished lower than second in that sequence and the results saw him take over at the top of the championship, ten points clear of season long pace setter Bradley Ray. And the podium