#22 Jason O’Halloran
This could be the Aussie’s big chance
2021 could very well be the year that we see a Yamaha back on top in BSB courtesy of Jason O’Halloran. After several years of bad luck and injury, the Aussie was finally able to put together a full campaign in 2020 and in doing so, almost became champion. Three wins, 11 podiums, two poles and five fastest laps led to a runner-up spot. Talk about a sense of relief and a load of weight being lifted off your shoulders. It’s done him wonders during the winter and now pre-season testing.
“All through the off-season I’ve focused on myself,” O’Halloran told MCN. “I’ve been building on what I knew I needed to improve from last year, I haven’t had any mental stress or used any energy worrying about what the bike’s going to be like or how are things going to go.
“I haven’t had the pressure because I knew that the bike – even if we didn’t change anything from last year – would be alright. It’s been a really nice off season.” Motorbike racing is a confidence game and it’s difficult to battle your way back to positivity once you begin to fall down that slippery slope. Fortunately, it’s clear that O’Halloran has put the tough years behind him and he is now a more serious and bigger challenger as a result.
The McAMS Yamaha team have also been working hard to ensure that his R1, even though he’d have been happy riding the same as last year, has been given a power boost. We all know the Yamaha is strong through the corners, but if O’Halloran can stick with the Ducati down the straights, we could see him on the podium more often than not. Of course, with improved form, comes more pressure and expectation, but O’Halloran knows that and hasn’t rested on his laurels, with team boss Steve Rodgers saying that his rider has “come back fitter than I’ve ever seen him before, and he’s absolutely focused.”
The big obstacle standing in O’Halloran’s way is fellow Aussie Josh Brookes, and whilst O’Halloran does have a decent amount of experience (154 races), he’s still a relative newcomer to the title fight.
He said: “I’m coming off the back of one really good year and with the data gathered from that one year you start from the top again because you have so much reference material. Well, Josh has 10 seasons’ worth of great reference. I don’t think he’s ever had a bad year so it’s his experience; he knows what he’s doing, he gets the most out of what he’s got and that’s why he’s champion. For me the best thing is that he has the number one on the bike and I have to look at it all the time!”
Clear motivation then for a genuine title threat who could push Brookes all the way.
“I really hope this can be Jason’s year because I feel he’s been very, very unlucky. I think he’s done everything he needs to do; he’s been incredibly fast this preseason and it looks to me that Yamaha have made enough of an improvement to keep him looking sharp and strong.”
‘I’ve been building on what I needed to improve’