Monday, April 22 2019

Two race winners graced the Bennetts British Superbike Championship podium for the first time at yesterday's dramatic 2019 season-opener, setting the scene for a tense battle when round two arrives at Oulton Park over the early May Bank Holiday weekend (4-6 May).

Josh Elliott and Tarran Mackenzie found themselves on the top step of the podium at Silverstone after a thrill-a-minute opening round. Race one was a fight between the McAMS Yamahas of Jason O'Halloran and Mackenzie, who went head-to-head on the final lap. O'Halloran crashed out of the race after the pair collided and Mackenzie rode on to take the chequered flag ahead of Elliott and MotoGP convert Scott Redding on his debut.

But it wasn't over yet…

Following a post-race investigation, a time penalty of three seconds was imposed on Mackenzie for the contact that caused O'Halloran to crash, pushing him back into second and handing a first Bennetts BSB win to Elliott.

Race two began with Mackenzie hitting the front of the pack early, but he was soon caught by Dan Linfoot aboard the Santander Salt TAG Yamaha with Elliott close behind. There was more disappointment for O'Halloran who was forced to retire with a technical problem on lap four, and Mackenzie pushed on to take the race despite a safety car intervention and pressure from Danny Buchan, Linfoot and Elliott.

Expect more fireworks when the championship heads to Oulton Park for a fantastic Bank Holiday weekend of racing on 4-6 May. Adult weekend tickets are £38, with reductions for teens (13-15) and kids under 13 go FREE! For full details click here.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Silverstone, Race 1 result:

1. Josh Elliott (OMG Racing Suzuki)
2. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.017s
3. Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) +4.118s
4. Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) +5.472s
5. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +7.505s
6. Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing Racing) +8.236s
7. Luke Stapleford (Buildbase Suzuki) +11.554s
8. Claudio Corti (Team WD-40 Kawasaki) +11.900s
9. Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +12.024s
10. Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +13.210s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Silverstone, Race 2 result:

1. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha)
2. Josh Elliott (OMG Racing Suzuki) +0.635s
3. Danny Buchan (FS3-Racing Kawasaki) +1.004s
4. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +2.257s
5. Luke Stapleford (Buildbase Suzuki) +3.944s
6. Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) +4.813s
7. Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +7.368s
8. Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +7.587s
9. Dan Linfoot (Santander Salt TAG Yamaha) +7.815s
10. Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +7.987s