Iddon And Brookes Head For Title Decider At Brands Hatch
The final round of the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship heads for Brands Hatch this week with VisionTrack Ducati rider Christian Iddon still very much in with a shout of the title.
After a brilliant triple podium performance at Donington Park last weekend, Iddon has moved to within 15 points of the series leader Tarran Mackenzie to arrive at the final round as one of four riders realistically in contention.
The Tyneside-based rider won at Brands Hatch earlier in the year so is feeling confident ahead of the triple-race finale where if he wins, it will be a third straight Bennetts BSB crown for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team after the successes of Scott Redding in 2019 and Josh Brookes last year.
Iddon, who finished third in last year’s title race in his debut season for PBM, has scored a podium at each of the past three rounds so is one of the form riders coming into the season finale where 75 points are up for grabs over the weekend’s three races.
Teammate Josh Brookes will be handing over the crown he won last year as he can no longer retain it after a disappointing season. The recently-married 38-year-old Aussie couldn’t maintain his recent good form and after a disappointing weekend at Donington Park, is now 80 points adrift of the series lead.
But Bedfordshire-based Brookes will be aiming to end the season in style as he celebrates his 300th start in BSB at a track where he has enjoyed much success in the past including winning 19 races at the Kent track over the years.
Christian Iddon: “It’s hard to believe we are at the final round already; it’s come around really quickly. We are in a good position just 15 points off the lead and after outscoring our rivals in the past few races, that’s what I need to do again this weekend. I’m fully aware of what I have to do, and I need to get a really strong result in Saturday’s race to take the fight to my rivals on Sunday. Brands is a track I seem to go well at, and the Ducati works well around there. There are lots of things that can happen, but I’ll just do my best to control what I can and see what happens come Sunday night.”
Josh Brookes: “After the disappointment at Donington, things can only improve for Brands. We can only hope to finish the season on a high, but it’s been tough to get the results we’ve been looking for all season. I know this weekend won’t be any easier. We had a good feeling with the bike there earlier in the year and I love the place so a combination of those factors could mean we have a good chance. It would be great to end the season well and we’ll have a better idea after we get started. The weather may also play a part as it’s that time of year so I’m feeling pretty positive.”
Images courtesy of Double Red: Josh Brookes (25) and Christian Iddon (21)
