O’Halloran reflects on ‘amazing season’ despite missing out on first BSB title

Having led by over 120 points at the start of the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Showdown, Jason O’Halloran endured a tough final three rounds before eventually losing out to team-mate Tarran Mackenzie. 

O’Halloran had won at least one race at seven of the first eight rounds - only round two at Knockhill where he was unable to do so. 

However, after having a 124 point lead heading into the Showdown’s final three rounds, O’Halloran failed to win any of the last nine last races, while Mackenzie won five of them. 

Overall, O’Halloran still won more races than any rider, had more podiums than any rider, but given the nature of the showdown and how podium points reduce gaps between riders, it means any mistakes prove much more devastating. 

Since the Showdown system came into place, no rider had as big a championship lead as O’Halloran did, which shows that no matter how many podiums you gather, putting a complete final three rounds together is crucial. 

That’s something O’Halloran failed to do as he crashed in two of the first three races.

But despite missing out on the title, a title that would have been thoroughly deserved based on rounds one through eight, O’Halloran is still content with his year.

O’Halloran added: "It’s been an amazing season for us. I won 11 races and had 22 podiums. I also secured my 50th BSB podium in the final race. 

"The year was fantastic up until those last three rounds. We had a bad Oulton Park with two DNF’s. I then struggled at Donington but we were twice on the podium at Brands Hatch. 

"It’s hard to be happy when you win the most races and do a great job all year, but you’re not the champion. That’s part of racing though. 

"Congratulations to the team and to Taz [Mackenzie]. They deserved the title with how well Tarran has performed in the final few rounds and I’m so happy for Steve [Rogers] and everyone at McAMS for this championship."