BSB Silverstone: The Last Lap

An endless stream of fans, trucks, cars and bikers begin to meander their way towards the exit gates. The people, either well kissed or badly burnt by the sun, are all in high spirits. They have all witnessed an unforgettable day of racing. Kids yell at each other whilst running, reenacting on-track battles and repeating the excitable lines told from the circuit commentator. There is a multitude of colour, a clear indicator that the trade villages have made a handsome profit all weekend. The unmistakable scarlet red of Ducati, the green and black for Kawasaki, the tricolour of Honda and yes, plenty of blue Yamaha tops which bear the famous 46 in fluro yellow.

This isn’t World Superbikes or MotoGP. This is the opening weekend of the 2019 British Superbike Championship. Even more remarkably, is that it is still April and pushing the high 20s Celsius.

Several groups pass me, the overheard conversation topics vary, as each person tries to convince his or her party of the main event of the day. Some accounts are gloriously exaggerated – so much so that I will be sued for defamation if I were to print them here – others are about the junior races which reveal the full knowledge and passion of the teller. All the stories lead to the same moment:

Lap 30, BSB Race 1.

Jason O’Halloran and Tarran MacKenzie have treated everyone in attendance to a battle royale on the hallowed Silverstone tarmac. The two men are a total contrast outside of racing – O’Halloran is 32, a quietly spoken Australian who has grafted his way to the sharp end of one of the most fiercely contested championships in motorsport. MacKenzie, son of racing legend Niall, is 23 and is billed as the next big thing and rarely seen without a smile on his face and is very outgoing. Chalk and Cheese.

They are teammates for McAms Yamaha.

O’Halloran is leading – and has led since the early stages of the race. He has had to fight tooth and nail to keep it that way. His younger teammate may lack the experience, but his hunger for success more than makes up for it. Despite jostling and fighting, the pair have managed to squeeze out a 3 second lead to the chasing pack. A tiny margin in real life terms to those outside of the racing world. The pursuers are history – these two men will contest for the spoils.

MacKenzie grits his teeth, and pulls his machine up early on the exit of Becketts corner, killing the wheelspin and ensuring his bike starts to accelerate before the Aussie. O’Halloran responds on the exit, short-shifting up through the gear box, allowing the insane levels of torque to pull the bike up to top speed.

The two are level as they dart under the bridge. Then the braking point for Brooklands is upon them in a heartbeat. It is a troublesome left handed corner which dares riders to leave it until the last possible moment before squeezing the brake lever. O’Halloran times it perfectly. MacKenzie is late. The ever tightening nature of the corner ensures that the young teammate has no chance of making the apex, and is forced to drift wide. The rear tyre slides for a fraction of a second, forcing him to stand the bike up earlier than planned. Crucial momentum lost. O’Halloran pulls a precious bike length clear on the exit. A short twist of the throttle then back on the brakes for Luffield – this time an ever tightening right hander. Now it is the Australian’s turn to misjudge the braking point, and runs the bike in hot. Too hot to hit the inside kerbing, but still has enough control to recover and make a late apex.

A gap appears.

The moment MacKenzie has been praying for inside that helmet. Daylight between the inside line and his teammate. He has to try. He has to take it. He goes for it. There is a collective gasp from the packed crowds on the adjacent terraces and in the grandstands. Youngsters are in awe at this seemingly heroic move. There is no doubt of the courage and bravery of the rider. The older, grizzled and wisened members of the crowd knows it can only end one way.

There is a brief silence as both riders let go of the throttles and the engine revs drop. MacKenzie has made the apex, but O’Halloran has pulled his bike onto the same line, half a bike length in front. There is nothing now that can be done to prevent the inevitable.

A gasp goes up from the grandstands. There are more startled sounds from the Luffield terrace as one of the bikes, with rider, is now sliding through the gravel trap towards them. The unfortunate rider is O’Halloran. The race leader for 29 laps and 5 corners, now a non-finisher. Such are the rules in the British championship, he cannot remount and try to make the finish. ‘Down and Out’ as the saying goes.

He is fuming at what has happened, cursing and gesticulating in the direction of his upstart teammate who in his opinion has denied him victory in the most underhand way. Comparisons could be drawn with Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone in the 2016 Argentine Grand Prix – although their battle was over the final podium spot, not the race win.

As for MacKenzie, he crossed the line, took the chequered flag and for a brief time would be considered the victor. He is in no mood to celebrate. He may be a young, hungry racer desperate to make his mark on the sport, but he is in no way a dirty rider. There is a clear look of devastation on his face in parc ferme when he is being interviewed in the winners’ enclosure by Eurosport’s Matt Roberts.

It is impossible not to feel sorry for the young man. When he began the move there had been a gap – a small one, but it was there nonetheless. The trouble was, that as soon as he committed, the gap was slammed shut as his teammate, still ahead on the track, tried to take up his own line. A racing incident, though as it directly impacted the result, race direction will swiftly relegate MacKenzie to second place, promoting another young rider, Josh Elliott, to officially be recorded as the race winner.

The two riders eventually meet back in the team garage. It is understandably heated. O’Halloran is still angry as he would have won the race if there had been no collision. MacKenzie apologises and pleads his case that he never meant for it to happen. Eventually, the mood cools and there is a shaking of hands and the pair begin to prepare themselves for the second superbike race later that afternoon.

The team put out a press release, featuring quotes from both parties, to emphasise that the matter is closed. For now it is, but such incidents between teammates leave ghosts following close behind. What will happen when – and it is ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ – the two are dueling it out for the spoils again?

Given the competitiveness of both men and machines, we won’t have to wait long for the answer.