HASLAM DOUBLES UP AT OULTON
Bank Holiday British Superbikes,
Haslam puts soft tyre worries behindhim
Kawasaki star now has 14-point title advantage
Leon Haslam stamped his authority on the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship with a commanding double win at a scorching Oulton Park.
The three-time BSB runner-up cruised to victory in the opening race before holding off a hardcharging Jason O’Halloran to become the first rider to take the double at the annual May Bank Holiday Oulton Park event since Leon Camier in 2009. Haslam’s success didn’t come easy, with the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team working hard throughout the weekend to find the perfect set-up while also facing a number of technical issues, including a last-minute engine swap ahead of qualifying.
“This is a very finicky circuit and you have to analyse what you need to go fast not just for a lap but for race distance and tyre life,” Haslam said. “It’s a massive compromise. Figuring where you are losing time is not easy here and if you improve one thing you can make another worse. We’ve had a hard job getting that balance right, trying things, going back, trying new things, but even though we were doing that I still managed to do a race distance in practice and I think that’s what made the difference.”
The double comes despite Haslam heading into the third round of the series worried about having to use the softer Pirelli rear tyre. Traditionally he has been faster on the harder, SC1 rear but issues experienced by the team with that tyre this year have forced him to use the soft option, which in previous years would have played into the hands of his Ducati, Honda and Yamaha rivals.
“I was worried as every race we’ve won here in recent years has been on the harder rear [Haslam has now won eight out of the last ten races at the Cheshire circuit]. This year that’s not an option for us, so we’ve been working hard on tyre life with the soft and we’ve learned a lot. Some of my fastest laps were towards the end of the race so I’m really happy with the progress there.”
Haslam now takes a 14-point lead in the championship over rival Bradley Ray with reigning champion Shane Byrne a further three points back.
“It’s important to have taken the championship advantage as well as a good podium point advantage as it’s not been the easiest start to the year,” he admitted. “Oulton is a track we go well at so it was of vital importance to maximise that this weekend. We’ve learned a lot about the bike, where it needs to be for tyre life, braking stability and things like that. There are a few areas on the track where we are losing time but it’s nothing a few set-up changes won’t fix if we need to. I felt strong in both races.”