This weekend (14-16 October) the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship will be decided as the series finale takes place at Brands Hatch in Kent. It has been an action packed and thrilling year of racing for the Honda Racing team, and confidence is high going into the final event.

The 2016 season has seen the Louth-based team enjoy 13 podium finishes between Dan Linfoot and Jason O’Halloran, with the highlight of the season at Snetterton where O’Halloran celebrated his maiden BSB victory and it was a Honda 1-2 on the podium with Linfoot in second place.

All season Linfoot and O’Halloran have been mixing it up with the front-runners aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade and both secured a place in the all-important Showdown. Brands Hatch marks the end of the 2016 season and with three races over the weekend, on-track battles are expected as everyone tries to secure final podium credits.

The O’Show will be looking to repeat his performance in Assen where he finished third in the second race. He’s fifth in the overall standings, four points behind fourth place, and knows he needs a strong, consistent weekend to grab a final points haul.

Meanwhile team-mate Linfoot is third in the overall standings. Following a strong weekend at Assen with two fourth-place finishes, he’s keen to get back on the podium and is looking to secure his elusive first BSB race win. However, he also knows there are riders hot on his heels and after that third-place spot.

Fans’ favourite and the first lady of BSB, Jenny Tinmouth will be looking to round up her year with three strong finishes at the 3.916km Kent circuit. Tinmouth has enjoyed a year smashing personal bests at each round and constantly improving her pace on the Fireblade.

Live timing of the final MCE British Superbike Championship round will be available here.

MCE British Superbike Championship, R12 event schedule can be downloaded here. 



Dan Linfoot #4: 

At Assen I was happy with our pace and our ability to fight in the front group, leaving with two fourths is OK, but I of course would have liked to grab a podium or two! But the results were a good chunk of points and keep us third in the championship heading to Brands. I know Jason’s target is to finish the year in third too, along with James, so there’s some pressure on me to make sure we have three solid races and I can finish the year third. We have three important races to finish the job now and I’m sure Leon and Shakey will be on it, so it will be good to be in the middle of that. At this time of year the weather can be tricky, so we just have to be on our toes. I’m looking forward to the weekend, giving it my all and hopefully doing our Fireblade some service and finishing off the year in style.

Jenny Tinmouth #20: 

Assen was a really good weekend for me; I made good progression with increased lap times and personal bests yet again. Race one was a little unfortunate as I experienced some issues with the tyre, but race two was good and it was mega to have a little battle with the three riders in my group and to come out on top was a huge confidence boost. It was a great weekend, the Fireblade was spot on and I was happy to be faster and came away confident and feeling good for Brands. I love riding the full GP circuit and can’t wait to now get stuck in, hopefully get some more personal bests and good results there. It’s been a great season and we’ve made a huge improvement over last year, it’s just difficult when the improvements are hard to reflect, as the championship is so strong. I’m gutted it’s the last round already, but I can’t wait to get there and have a good go at the final round.

Jason O’Halloran #22: 

Reflecting on Assen, it was a good weekend for us, we came away with pole, a fifth and a third in the second race. I was pleased with the progress we made over the weekend, having only raced there once before in 2013 on the Supersport bike. It did take a little bit of time to find my reference points and get my head around the speed with how fast the circuit is on a Superbike! My crew did a great job and worked all weekend to improve, which we did in each session and by the second race we ended up on the podium and a good battle at the front, so it was a good way to finish the weekend. Going into the last round I’m fairly confident, we had a good run there last time in July, we held the lead for 15 laps of the second race and had good pace. I reckon had it not been for my crash in Superpole we could have got pole or at least been on the front row – so we know we have good pace there. We’re ready to go this weekend with whatever the weather throws at us and I’m looking forward to the last round, fighting for three podium finishes and trying to get another win to finish the season.

Havier Beltran, team manager: 

Well we’re at the end of the season now with Brands this weekend and what a year it’s been for Honda Racing. I am so proud of all our riders and the team for what we have achieved so far. We’ve been fighting with the front-runners from the early stages and putting pressure on the other teams, which is what we wanted to do and show that we still have the pace, and that we are still competitive. Dan and Jason have collected 13 podiums between them, and Jason of course got his maiden win at Snetterton, which was so good for him. Dan is still chasing his first win and I know it’s not far off, he’s been so close, so to see him on the top step this weekend would end the season nicely. Jenny has enjoyed a solid year and I’m really pleased with her progress and what she has achieved. We all enjoy Brands as a circuit and we now have three races ahead of us to finish the year and we’re all looking forward to getting out there.