The McAMS Yamaha team is prepared for battle as the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Showdown gets underway at Oulton Park this weekend.
Both Jason O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie are in the eight rider secured places in the eight rider shootout for the 2022 British Superbike crown with O’Halloran second in the current standings and Mackenzie third.
Over the final three rounds, every point matters with 25 points available for a win, 20 for second and 16 for third as the traditional scoring format resumes during the Showdown period. With 225 points remaining on the table, anything can happen over the last nine races split between Oulton Park, Donington Park and the finale at Brands Hatch.
Oulton Park has been a happy hunting ground for O’Halloran in the past. The Aussie has taken five victories at the Cheshire circuit and while missing out on the rostrum there earlier this year, he’ll be keen to return to the sharp end as he looks to start the Showdown in the best possible manner. 13 points behind points leader Ray, the game is on for O’Halloran as he looks to put to use the extensive work he’s carried out with crew chief Les Pearson to perfect the bike for the final three rounds.
For Mackenzie, the story is very similar to 12 months ago. Heading into the Showdown exactly the same amount of points behind – 30 – the series leader, the reigning champion feels little pressure ahead of the final three rounds knowing all too well how such a gap can be reduced. Oulton had previously been a tricky track for Mackenzie, but he got that monkey off his back with a win and two further podiums in Cheshire 12 months ago. However, having missed the first visit to Oulton Park in 2022 through injury, he admits the weekend is somewhat of an unknown for him.
Tim Neave returns to action on the Edwards 1902 R1 in the Superstock class buoyed by his podium success last time out at Snetterton. Having taken a strong top six finish at Oulton Park earlier in the year, he’ll be looking to build on that with a view to ending the 2022 season on a high.
Practice gets underway on Friday ahead of Qualifying and racing for the Superbike and Superstock class on Saturday with the weekend’s final races taking place on Sunday.