The 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship reaches its climax at Brands Hatch this weekend with Leon Haslam riding high at the top of the table and aiming to make amends for last year’s disappointment.‘Pocket Rocket’ Haslam goes into the finale with a 61-point lead over Brands Hatch local Jake Dixon. But with 75 points on offer over the triple-header race weekend, the title race is far from dead. And no-one knows it better than Haslam…

Last year he had a 32-point advantage at the start of the final weekend, only to crash out with brake failure and hand the title to Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne. But 2018 has been a stellar season for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider, with a podium finish in every round, and he’s keen to register his first Bennetts BSB title.

“I am looking forward to Brands Hatch and I honestly can’t wait now. I feel like we need to wrap it up and we are in a good position with the lead that we have, but I have a lot of objectives for the weekend. The main one is obviously to win this championship, but the other is that I have never won on a Kawasaki at Brands Hatch GP circuit. My first aim is to win the first or all three and then hopefully celebrating my first Bennetts BSB title,” he said.

Dixon, Haslam’s closest rival, has also enjoyed a consistent season – marred last time out at Assen by technical failure that saw him retire from the second race, losing valuable points.

“As a team we have had an unbelievable season but there are still three races to be won this weekend at Brands Hatch. That’s my focus going into the final round and I’m going to give it everything I have to end the season in the best way we possibly can.
“I am really looking forward to the weekend, Brands Hatch is my home round and we have three races to go, but I’m really determined as always to do the best job we can and I want to go out on a high before moving on to Moto2 next year,” he said.

Both riders are moving to the world stage next year, so this is a final chance to see them in Bennetts BSB action on the full Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch. The weekend features three headline BSB races – one on Saturday and two on Sunday – plus a busy support programme including Pirelli National Superstock 600/1000, Dickies British Supersport, plus the ever-entertaining British Sidecars.

Fans can meet their idols at the free pit walk on the main raceday Sunday and at the numerous rider signings that will take place throughout the weekend.

Image courtesy of www.pspimages.co.uk