SHAKEY CRASHES OUT AND ELLISON CONFIRMS SHOWDOWN SPOT!
Leon Haslam claimed his second race win of the Oulton Park triple-header as the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider moved to the top of the MCE British Superbike Championship standings with two Podium Points now between him and Shane 'Shakey' Byrne after the Be Wiser Ducati rider crashed out of contention unhurt.
Haslam hit the front of the pack on the opening lap, but his team-mate was instantly on the attack and moved ahead with a decisive move with Honda Racing’s Dan Linfoot holding third position as he pushed for his position in the Showdown.
Linfoot was soon pushing to make a move and he dashed ahead of Haslam too as behind the pack continued to shuffle with the Showdown contenders scrapping to move up the order and score the vital points.
Byrne was running in seventh when he slid out of the race at Hizzys on the fifth lap, putting Haslam ahead in the overall standings and closing to within two Podium Points ahead of race three this afternoon.
At the front Ellison was holding off Linfoot and Haslam until the ‘Pocket Rocket’ went for a charge and he hit first made a move on the Honda Racing rider on lap ten and then hit the front with a move at Lodge three laps later.
Haslam then defended hard from Ellison and Linfoot, but adrift of the leading trio there was a battle royal brewing between the Showdown contenders. Jason O'Halloran had managed to take fourth position after Luke Mossey had some off track moments that he was forced to recover from in the closing stages of the race, but the Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki rider fought back to fifth.
Tommy Bridewell bounced back to sixth place after his huge crash from yesterday for the Bennetts Suzuki team, pushing Showdown contender Peter Hickman back into seventh place. The third JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider now just two points adrift of Michael Laverty in sixth place, but equal on points with Mossey.
Jake Dixon returned to the top ten in eighth place ahead of Glenn Irwin and Ryuichi Kiyonari who completed the top ten. It was a disastrous end to the race for Laverty who crashed out on the final lap.
Ahead of the final race of the weekend Linfoot and Laverty hold fifth and sixth place, but Hickman, Mossey and Richard Cooper are all ready to fight it out for the final two spots.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, race two result:
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.412sDan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +2.906sJason O'Halloran (Honda Racing) +5.364sLuke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +9.941sTommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +10.562sPeter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +13.766sJake Dixon (Briggs Equipment BMW) +13.908sGlenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +14.109sRyuichi Kiyonari (Smiths Racing BMW) +14.431sMCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Oulton Park race two:
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 301Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 279Jason O'Halloran (Honda Racing) 237James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 180Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) 172Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) 155
