Kawasaki stifle Honda dominance
• Buchan and Jackson clinch Ninja’s first 2020 podiums to bring much-needed morale boost
Kawasaki finally joined the podium party in the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship with both Danny Buchan and Lee Jackson on the rostrum at Oulton Park.
It’s come at a very important time following a tough 2020 campaign for the Rapid Fulfillment Kawasaki team and particularly for Buchan himself.
Much was expected of the 27-year-old this year due to his performances in 2019, when he was the closest challenger to the all-conquering Ducati riders. However, three crashes in the first five races had left Buchan out of sorts this season… until now.
“It’s where we want to be and where we should be, so I was more than happy with those podiums,” Buchan told MCN.
Being so close to the win was a real confidence booster for me after what has been a bit of an up and down year so far.”
Despite being over the moon with his podiums, Buchan was still left feeling a little disappointed with his final race of the weekend. He finished fifth in that encounter, with the disappointment perhaps a sign of the confidence which is now flowing through him.
“It was just that last race!” he said. “It’s a bit of a funny one if you leave a race weekend disappointed because of one performance. It’s a hard pill to swallow really because I’m happy but then I’m a bit disappointed as well. I couldn’t get anywhere near my pace from race two and we made absolutely no changes to the bike, so it was a very strange situation.
“Overall though it was a good weekend, especially for the team with Lee picking up his podium. The team did a good job.”
Fellow Kawasaki man Lee Jackson, meanwhile, is having a fantastic year with FS-3 after being promoted from their Superstock 1000 squad. After taking a sixth and a fifth in races one and two, he then clinched his first superbike podium since Cadwell Park in 2017.
He did it in dramatic style as well, cleverly taking a wider approach to Lodge on the last lap, anticipating some altercation between Christian Iddon and Jason O’Halloran. He was rewarded when the duo nearly collided, allowing him to overtake the latter before the line.
“I’m mega happy to get third and it was a bit of a mugging for Jason to get it on the line, but you’ve got to be there at the front to be able to do that,” Jackson said.