Jason O'Halloran has delivered five podium finishes from the opening half of the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season and the McAMS Yamaha rider heads to Oulton Park this weekend (September 18/19/20) feeling confident.

A double podium finish at the opening event at Donington Park was a solid start for the Australian, with a more difficult weekend at Snetterton, but consistent point scoring has put the McAMS Yamaha rider in the top five in the standings at the halfway point of the season.

“We started really strong at Donington, we got pole position and then a couple of podiums, and got a bit unlucky in the first race, but felt pretty strong from the get go,” said O’Halloran. “We went to Snetterton and that wasn’t a good round for me last year, but it is a circuit where I have gone well in the past so I was kind of looking forward to getting there this year.

We just never really got going. We struggled a bit on the Friday, and then for whatever reason we struggled a little bit more on the Saturday, and then in race three I got caught up with a crash on the first lap, but from lap three to the end I was one of the fastest people on the track.

“I knew leaving Snetterton and going to Silverstone we could be strong as it was a really strong round for me and the Yamaha last year and I thought we would be somewhere near. We were fast in every session and we ended up with three front row starts, pole position and three podiums, so I would have loved to have won a race there, but it wasn’t to be.”

A hat trick of podium finishes at Silverstone means O’Halloran heads to Cheshire just a single point adrift of Kyle Ryde ahead of him in the standings.  

“I collected three podiums, a chunk of points and felt confident on the bike and feel I am riding well at the moment. I still have a few little things to work on to try and make my life a bit easier in the races, so we will keep on working on that, keep on improving, but in general it has been the best start to a season I have had,” reflected O’Halloran.

“We have had three events and I have stood on the podium five times. We can’t complain about that. This year I am really enjoying myself and I am putting a massive amount of work in away from and at the track and a good bunch of guys helping me out so it has been a good start.”

Last season his Oulton Park performances were hampered by a shoulder injury, but with fond memories of intense battles in past years, O’Halloran is determined to get back in the battle for victories this weekend.

“Oulton Park has always been a great circuit for me and I have enjoyed podiums there before and I have had some great races there in my career with people like Shakey, Haslam and Kiyo, so it has been a really strong track for me in the past,” added O’Halloran. “Last year I was still suffering with injury but I still had some top six finishes there so taking the positives from this year, I think we will be in a much better place and I am really looking forward to the races there.”

O’Halloran believes that the strongest opposition will come from the Ducati riders this weekend, based on their previous winning form at the Cheshire circuit, but he is ready to rise to the challenge.

“It is difficult this year as every manufacturer and team have their strengths and weaknesses and some tracks suit a bike more than others,” said O’Halloran. “You could see at Silverstone that the Yamaha was really strong. Last year at Oulton Park we saw how strong the Ducatis were, so we need to go there and try to improve our package to step up to the level they were at last year.

“I am looking forward to the challenge ahead and like I said; I have had some really strong races there in the past so there is no reason why we can’t be battling for the podium. It is obviously a really competitive year with plenty of guys standing on the podium so we have to put our best foot forward, try and tick all the boxes and get ready for raceday.”

Bennetts BSB fans will be able to watch all the racing from Oulton Park live on the Quest HD TV channel, which is available free-to-air.