Jason O’Halloran and McAMS Yamaha launched themselves into contention for the 2020 Bennetts British Superbike championship with a stunning double victory at Oulton Park this weekend.

After a clever ride saw the Aussie take the spoils in the opening race on Saturday, he wouldn’t have to wait long to return to the top step as he made the most of another pole position start to dominate the second outing.

Taking the holeshot, O’Halloran led the way from lights to flag despite Ducati’s Christian Iddon keeping him honest throughout. The victory saw him close the gap to the championship lead to just five points ahead of the day’s final race at Oulton Park.

Starting the second race fourth, team-mate Tarran Mackenzie got a strong start but struggled with the bike fully fuelled in the early stages, before mounting a comeback later in the race to take a solid sixth.

O’Halloran set off for the final race from fourth on the second row of the grid, launching off the line to sit second after the race start. He’d move back to third in the early stages where he’d remain for the remainder of the race, just unable to secure a pass on the defensive Christian Iddon. Clipping the Ducati as he looked up the inside on the final turn of the last lap, the Aussie would then lose drive onto the straight and miss out on a sixth consecutive rostrum finish, crossing the line fourth. Team-mate Mackenzie was ninth.

O’Halloran’s magnificent weekend, which saw him crowned Bennetts Rider of the Round by Eurosport Viewers, launched him from fifth in the standings to second, just two points off the championship lead with six races remaining across the final two weekends – meaning it’s all to play for at Donington Park and Brands Hatch with O’Halloran having been the most consistent rider of 2020 with more podiums so far than any of his title rivals.

A solid points haul for Mackenzie moves him up to sixth overall, 53 points off the title lead.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Oulton Park

1. Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) 178
2. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) 176
3. Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) 168
4. Christian Iddon (VisionTrack Ducati) 166
5. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Products Racing Ducati) 134
6. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) 125
7. Kyle Ryde (Buildbase Suzuki) 120
8. Lee Jackson (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) 115
9. Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing)
10. Danny Buchan (Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki) 90