The Honda Racing team is celebrating a successful 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship season after the final two races took place at Brands Hatch today. Dan Linfoot and Jason O’Halloran finished the year fourth and fifth respectively in the championship aboard their Honda CBR1000RR Fireblades.
The second race of the weekend saw Linfoot start on the front row in third place, with team-mate O’Halloran tenth. At the end of the first corner the Honda riders were together with Linfoot in sixth and O’Halloran having progressed to seventh place.
Over the 20 laps both men dug deep and pushed hard, whilst struggling with grip and the odd spot of rain over the Kent circuit. At the chequered flag Linfoot was fourth and O’Halloran ninth. However with third-place rival James Ellison taking his maiden win of the season, Linfoot’s grasp on the position had slipped.
The final race saw the Honda-men on the grid in 17th and 18th positions and both knew they had some work to do to get through the pack and up into the top-ten. However on the fifth lap the race was red flagged due to oil contamination on track.
After a long delay while the track was cleared, a ten-lap restart was announced with Linfoot lining up 12th and O’Halloran 18th. Getting a good start Linfoot moved quickly up the pack, but with conditions tricky in places, the aim of the game was to bring the CBR home safely. The Yorkshireman crossed the line sixth and finished the championship fourth, after Ellison took his second race win.
Meanwhile team-mate O’Halloran made quick work carving his way through the riders in front of him and had made up seven places by the end of the first lap. Halfway through after a small mistake, he dropped to 13th, but The O’Show pushed on and crossed the line just outside the top-ten in 11th. The Aussie wraps up his 2016 season fifth.
It’s been a strong year for the Honda Racing team, who have scored 13 podiums between Linfoot and O’Halloran, with one race win and proving that they are still competitive and able to run at the front.
“It’s been ‘bitty’ today and hard to prepare for with all the stops, starts, rain and red flags. This morning we had damp and cold conditions and I finished fourth which was a good chunk of points, but Ellison was the key and he won both races today. He needed to do that to take third in the championship away from me and he did it, so fair play to him. The first race was a lonely one and not that enjoyable, and it gave us a bad position for the final race. I started well, but it was stopped and I started 12th. I made up some places to finish sixth but it was impossible to make real progress, starting back there and when everyone’s pace is similar. It’s frustrating but I am content enough and happy that I finished the year fourth, it’s been a good year and we’ve shown what we’re capable of. A huge thanks to Honda and the team, my crew have worked so hard throughout to give me a great package with the Fireblade and I can’t thank them enough.”
Dan Linfoot / #4
“The season has finished and although it wasn’t quite how I wanted to finish the year, I’m happy enough. In the final race we started a long way back on the grid and I struggled a little with the track conditions, as it was cold and damp in places, which meant I struggled to get through the field. But all in all the season has been good, I managed to get my first BSB win and collected seven podiums along the way, and finished fifth in the championship. Looking back from last year to this year, it’s a massive turn around and is the first year I have completed a Superbike season, so to wrap it up fifth is good. A massive thank you to the team and Honda, we’ve built all year and got faster and faster to cement our place in the top group. We’ve proved a lot with the competitiveness of the Fireblade and I’ve enjoyed myself.”
Jason O’Halloran / #22
“Following the year we’ve had, where do you start? It’s been an incredible season for us, the Fireblade has been strong, we’ve been consistent and we have collected 13 podiums between Dan and Jason, and scored a race win. Dan and Jason all credit to them, they have worked so hard along with all the crew who have all worked incredible hard to getting the Fireblade and keeping it where it has been, I think they should all be proud of that and what they have achieved. It’s a shame we weren’t able to run Jenny today, but unfortunately after the damage sustained to her machine yesterday I think it was the right choice. But overall we’ve had a fantastic season and I am looking forward to 2017!”
Havier Beltran – Honda Racing team manager
