HASLAM: EVERYTHING I’VE EVER WORKED FOR
Emotional Haslam crowned BSB champ after brilliant year-long campaign
Leon Haslam will return to World Superbikes next year as reigning Bennetts British Superbike Champion after finally winning the championship trophy at the 2018 finale at Brands Hatch. The JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider was deservedly crowned champion with a sixth-place finish in Saturday’s opening race after dominating the 2018 season with 15 wins, points finishes in every race in a campaign that saw him finish off the podium just five times in 26 races. Haslam’s 70-point winning margin is the largest in BSB Showdown history and comes as a welcome relief for the 35-year-old, who dramatically lost out on the title 12 months ago after suffering brake failure in the final race of the year. “This is everything I have ever worked for,” an emotional Haslam told MCN. “The hard times make the good times better and this feels amazing.
“In 2016 I scored more points than anyone over a year but I crashed in the Showdown. That was my fault and I had to live with that and learn from it, that is the way the BSB Showdown works. Last year, we lost the championship through mechanical issues at the final round. I learned a lot in 2016 and in 2017 we had many DNFs, some which weren’t my fault, and I think this year, 15 wins and points in every race just shows how far we’ve come.
“In the past if things haven’t been right I have tried to over-ride the bike and that leads to mistakes. Now I can understand where the bike is and ride to that and we’ve worked hard as a team to make the bike a winner.”
Haslam’s 2018 dominance is the result of three years’ hard work with Kawasaki in BSB. His post race debriefs with his crew chief are often the longest of anyone on the grid and even if he’s won a race or finished fastest in a session, he’ll still spend the best part of an hour mulling over the data with his close-knit team.
“I think there’s always something to improve. That’s something I’ve learned in all my years racing. Sometimes when we’ve been fastest, the boys have suggested leaving the bike as it is but I always want to make it better. Having that understanding of how to do that with the guys in my corner has been what has made the difference this year.” In his 22 years of racing, Haslam has ridden in various different series around the world including GP and World Superbikes, but he says this British title is the best achievement in his career to date given it’s the first championship he’s won since he took a scooter championship in the 90s. “When I look at my career, finishing second on the Suzuki in WSB was a pretty good year in 2010 against factory Ducatis, Aprilias and Yamahas. It wasn’t expected and was a really good year for us. I won Suzuka twice and was the first Brit to do that, but nothing quite equals winning a championship.” When asked if he could change one thing about his title-winning year, Haslam says he’d have liked to have been battling with sixtime BSB champ Shane Byrne who was ruled out in the middle of this season after a testing crash at Snetterton.
“I was gutted when Shakey got injured, he would without a doubt have been the guy pushing us to the end again if he was still in the championship. At the start of the year, after the first three rounds I felt we were in such a strong place I was really looking forward to taking it to him this year, but we’ve had a good season and had some brilliant battles with the others. It certainly hasn’t been easy!”
‘Nothing quite equals winning a title’