Silverstone BSB: Haslam ‘trying to be patient, out to win them all!’

2018 Bennetts British Superbike Champion Leon Haslam is back for more in 2022 as the season gears up for its Silverstone opener.

Haslam’s return to BSB, together with that of Tom Sykes, is going to add a lot of class and sparkle to one of the most competitive national series in the world. Both have achieved considerable success in the world series, Sykes with one world title and Haslam, who but for his Suzuki blowing up in the final round at Imola in 2010, would have beaten Max Biaggi to the crown.

The 38-year-old ‘junior’ member of the Haslam family - father Ron was one of the most successful British riders in any series and on any circuit - decided after a couple of years in the Honda works team that the FIM Superbike World Championship was no longer for him. Ahead of the opening round at Silverstone this weekend, Haslam talked to Bikesportnews.com about the reasons for his decision and his ambition for BSB as part of the VisionTrack-sponsored Lee Hardy Racing Kawasaki squad this time around.

BSN: “Leon, some would say that leaving WorldSBK and returning to a domestic equivalent was a bit of a come down, a view I am sure you wouldn’t agree with, but give us the background and reasoning behind the change.”

Haslam:”World Superbikes is obviously everyone’s ultimate aim but if you’re not getting the bikes and packages and are just there to make the numbers up, well…

“The only saving grace was a relatively tough couple of years with the Honda project and Alvaro, who I finished on equal points with, is now leading the world championship with another manufacturer. So it is nice to see that we both struggled for two years on the Honda. Leaving World Superbikes was not what I wanted, but what was available.

“I always knew I