BSB: Championship standings ahead of Oulton Park

Things get real at this weekend’s tenth round of the Bennetts British Superbike championship with the start of the ‘Showdown’ at Oulton Park. 

The top six in the standings – decided less than seven days ago at Silverstone – have all been elevated to 500 points and separated by just the podium points they accrued over the first nine rounds. 

That gives Leon Haslam a 45 point lead over closest rival Jake Dixon with Josh Brookes sitting third, 49 points off the Kawasaki leader. While Haslam enjoys the biggest advantage any series leader has enjoyed going into the Showdown,  nothing is ever that simple in Bennetts BSB and with seven races remaining, it’s all to play for…

Here’s how it lies ahead of the weekend… 

1st: Leon Haslam – JG Speedfit Kawasaki – 568 points 

Wins: 12 
Podiums: 16
Best finish: 1st 

Haslam has dominated the 2018 season so far, winning four times as many races than any other rider on the grid so far. Three victories at Silverstone move him further ahead of his rivals. The JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider has a strong history at both Oulton Park and Assen, but has struggled at the Brands Grand Prix circuit so he’ll be looking to make hay over the first two Showdown rounds. 

 

2nd: Jake Dixon – RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki – 523 points 

Wins: 1
Podiums: 11
Best finish: 1st

Dixon has stepped up to the plate this year, but not quite enough to stop rival Haslam just yet. The RAF Regular and Reserve Kawasaki’s rider consistency cannot be questioned – ten podiums from 12 races through the middle of the season speak for themselves. If Dixon is to beat Haslam this year, he needs to start winning again soon. 

3rd: Josh Brookes – McAMS Yamaha – 519 points 

Wins: 3
Podiums: 5
Best finish: 1st 

It’s not been the season many expected from Brookes as he joined the factory McAMS Yamaha squad, but he’s not out of the title chase yet. 

Having won more races than anyone on the grid except series leader Haslam, Brookes only sits third after tough rounds at Cadwell and Silverstone. When Brookes is on form he is unstoppable, so he’s not out of the race yet. 

4th: Bradley Ray – Buildbase Suzuki – 519 points 

Wins: 2
Podiums: 5
Best finish: 1st 

Ray stole the headlines with a shock double win at Donington at the start of the year and when he went on to fight with six-time champ Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne for victory at the next round at Brands Hatch there were high hopes. 

However, the young gun and the Buildbase Suzuki squad lost their way a little in the middle of the season until a resurgence at Cadwell Park saw them once again fighting for the wins. While Silverstone didn’t turn out to be the best of weekends for Ray, he managed to make it through to the Showdown and will be looking to return to form over the final three rounds. 

5th: Glenn Irwin – Be Wiser Ducati – 516 points 

Wins: 0
Podiums: 6
Best finish: 2nd

While it initially looked like Irwin would step into injured team-mate Shane Byrne’s shoes as Be Wiser Ducati’s number one rider well, he’s yet to win a race this season – something that hasn’t gone down too well with team boss Paul Bird. 

However, his consistency has been second to none which saw him end the main season third in the standings. Unfortunately, without those wins Bradley Ray has moved ahead of him in the championship standings but there’s a feeling that once the victory comes for Irwin, more will follow…

6th: Peter Hickman – Smiths BMW – 504 points 

Wins: 0
Podiums: 2
Best finish: 2nd

Hickman has endured a disappointing season by his standards, but two heroic podiums at Thruxton just hours after being released from hospital with a kidney infection thrust him back into the mix. 

He’s been a consistent points scorer, but he hasn’t challenged the podium as much as he has in the past. He scraped into the Showdown despite an issue-riddled weekend at Silverstone so he’ll be hoping to shine over the next few rounds.