It’s been a weekend of two halves for Honda Racing at its home-round Cadwell Park, with two top-five finishes for Jason O’Halloran aboard the all-new Fireblade however, Dan Linfoot missed the second race after a crash in race one at the Lincolnshire circuit.

With competition high at the eighth round of the MCE British Superbike Championship, both 18-lap races at the 2.18-mile circuit were set to be action-packed and they didn’t disappoint. Race one got underway and from the start O’Halloran was in the mix with the lead group and making up places from his starting position in fourth place.

Trading paint with Shane Byrne for a number of laps, The O’Show was looking to be a podium contender having made his way into third. It was during the closing stages as the pack behind closed in, O’Halloran dropped back and crossed the line fifth.

Starting the second race from ninth place, the Aussie held his starting position for the first few laps before starting to make his move. With drama at the front of the field, O’Halloran made his move on fourth place and with a clean pass he took the position. After 18-laps and faster times than race one, The O’Show crossed the line fourth.

With the results from today the Honda rider is fourth in the overall standings, just 15 points from third place.

Meanwhile for team-mate Dan Linfoot disaster struck in race one coming into the first turn. Making a good start off the line, the Yorkshireman had caught the group in front and was looking strong. However, going into turn one he was forced to run wide, where he clipped the grass and fell from his CBR machine. Walking away from the fall Linfoot chipped the bone in his right knuckle and was forced to sit out race two, missing out on vital championship points.

The team will now return to the workshop and prepare the Fireblades for the next round of the championship at Silverstone, where the Showdown will be decided over a triple-header weekend.

I was quite happy after qualifying yesterday; we chipped away through practice and made progress throughout. So I was fairly content with the progress and was in the group for a strong race. I made a good start and caught onto the row in front but going into turn one, a rider on the inside of me sat the bike up and I was forced onto the grass, I crashed out and have chipped the knuckle on my index finger, so wasn’t able to take part in race two. I am disappointed, I was looking forward to the races today to improve my feeling here, Cadwell is always a track I have struggled with, but this weekend I was feeling good, so it’s a real shame to miss the races and also miss out on points to make a last minute challenge on the Showdown, which is now off for me. So now we move forward to Silverstone, try and keep improving with the Fireblade and get back to riding at my best again.
Dan Linfoot / #4

Well race day at Cadwell Park, it’s been OK we finished fifth and fourth, so points wise it’s not the worse day we’ve had. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, I love racing here and felt like we had decent pace. Race two I think our starting position really held us back and I got caught with some guys, I tried everything I could but I just couldn’t get by quickly. Once I had made the pass my lap times increased, but the front pack had already gone. The results from today, as I say are good points wise and I am now fourth in the Showdown, but I am disappointed not to be on the podium at my home race and also the teams. I am giving it everything at the moment, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. We’ve got to keep going, keep pushing and improving, and give it a good go at Silverstone!
Jason O'Halloran / #22

So Cadwell Park, where do I start! Race one for Dan was disappointing and I really felt for him, he got off to a good start and for a short time it was looking positive. The crash ruled him out of race two, with a broken bone on his right index finger, so I wish him all the best and I know he’ll be back and on form for Silverstone. Jason collecting two top-five finishes is points and is in the right direction, but I know he’ll be frustrated as he wanted to be at the front and pushing for a podium. Overall it has been a tough weekend for us, but Jason is now fourth in the Showdown and with the decider just around the corner, his place there is looking positive. We’ll regroup over the next few weeks, keep pushing and developing and I am confident that more podiums are immanent.
Havier Beltran - Honda Racing team manager