Crunch time: Who will remain in the Showdown six at crucial Oulton Park decider

After eight rounds and 17 races, it’s crunch time in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship this weekend (6/7/8 September) as the final three places in the crucial title-fighting Showdown six are decided over three races at Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire.

Josh Brookes, the double winner from Oulton Park earlier in the season, is already confirmed in the Showdown, making him the rider in the series with the most Showdown appearances. The Australian heads the pack into the three races this weekend and has a narrow two-point advantage in the podium points standings over his Be Wiser Ducati teammate Scott Redding.

The 2015 champion will be doing all he can to extend his advantage this weekend before the final Showdown fight for the 2019 crown gets underway at Assen later in the month.

Redding however is fired up to battle for a return to the podium following a tough outing last time out at Cadwell Park, where he finished fourth in the opening race before crashing out when he was collected by Andrew Irwin in race two. The former MotoGP rider missed out on a podium finish at Oulton Park earlier in the season on his first visit to the challenging Cheshire circuit, but will want to put that right this weekend and regain the standings lead.

The final rider whose place is already confirmed in the top six for the Showdown is Tommy Bridewell; the Devizies rider claiming the Oxford Racing Ducati team its first appearance in the Showdown after securing his spot at Cadwell Park. Bridewell and the team have achieved 10 podium finishes so far this season, but the first win has eluded the Winchester team so far – something they are focused on putting right this weekend in Cheshire.

Leading the chase for the remaining Showdown places is Danny Buchan and FS3-Racing Kawasaki, currently in fourth place. The former Superstock 1000 champion and the team have yet to feature in a Showdown and, with a 40-point advantage over Tarran Mackenzie in fifth, it could be another first for them this weekend after their debut win at Knockhill earlier in the season.

Tumbling down the standings following his crash at Thruxton that left him sidelined with a wrist injury, Tarran Mackenzie left Cadwell Park last time out still clinging on to fifth place in the standings, with a slender six-point lead over Peter Hickman, who currently lies seventh and the first rider ready to try and overhaul the opposition ahead of him.

McAMS Yamaha’s Mackenzie is hoping the break since the last round will have aided his recovery after salvaging points at the previous round, as he also bids for a Showdown spot for the first time in his career.

Holding the final place in the top six ahead of the three races this weekend is Honda Racing’s Andrew Irwin, but only by a single point from Hickman. The Thruxton race winner is another contender aiming for his first Showdown appearance, but he will be starting from the back row of the grid in the opening race following a penalty received at Cadwell Park for the incident with Redding.

Smiths Racing BMW’s Hickman has featured in two Showdowns previously and has also been in the position before of fighting to secure a place in the top six at the final hurdle. He’s the only rider to have scored points in every race so far this season and knows he needs to be ahead of Mackenzie and Irwin in the three races this weekend.

The second Honda Racing rider, Xavi Forés, is also heading to Oulton Park in contention for a place in the Showdown in his debut season. The Spaniard has only just dropped out of the top six, trailing teammate Irwin by just five points, and could still snatch his place in the closing stages.

Christian Iddon is 21 points adrift of Irwin ahead of the three races at his home circuit this weekend, but with a maximum 75 points available, the Tyco BMW rider has yet to give up on his hopes of sealing a place in the Showdown for the first time, after coming so close in recent seasons.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:

Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) 271

Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) 259

Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) 243

Danny Buchan (FS3-Racing Kawasaki) 191

Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 151

Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) 146

For more information on the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Danny Buchan – FS-3 Racing Kawasaki

Fourth place in the standings

“I did not think I would be 40 points clear of the next rider coming away from Cadwell Park. To have that is huge.

“Last year I was scraping around for points and I promised myself this year I wouldn’t be doing that again in the last race before the Showdown – I was quite adamant I didn’t want that to be me this year!

“I am going to treat Oulton Park like I have every race this season; I want to be on the podium again. It would be massive for myself and the team to make the Showdown for the first time. “

Tarran Mackenzie – McAMS Yamaha

Fifth place in the standings

“I am hoping that the wrist feels much better at Oulton Park than it did at the last round. I think that if my wrist is ok and I feel good there is no reason why I can’t fight for podiums or at least the top five so fingers crossed that would be good enough to get me in the Showdown.

“Anything can still happen and I just need to arrive as fit as possible and ready to roll. This year the goal was always to be in the Showdown and fight for the championship. I know I am quite a few points off from the lead in the standings with the Podium Points, but that is the beauty of the Showdown really because once you are in it you still have a good chance of being in the battle.”

Andrew Irwin – Honda Racing

Sixth place in the standings

“In my head, and I have always said that I have wanted to be in the Showdown this year. I wanted to be in a position to fight for a place in the top six, that is what we are doing, and now we have one round to go.

“At the minute we go to the next round in a better place than the riders in seventh and eighth if you look at it that way, looking at the points. I don’t feel like there is any pressure because I feel that people don’t expect us to get through because the last time at Oulton Park are rivals were much stronger than what we were.

“I don’t give up I never do. OK, I have to start at the back of the grid for the first race of the weekend, but you never know what is possible and anything can happen in the races.”