Haslam seals maiden BSB title in Brands Hatch opener
Leon Haslam has clinched his first-ever professional title by winning the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike championship with sixth place in the opening race of the Brands Hatch finale.
The JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider came into the final round heavy favourite with a 61-point advantage over nearest challenger Jake Dixon and duly sealed his maiden BSB crown in the opening race of the Brands Hatch triple-header with sixth place, while Dixon could only manage second place behind winner Glenn Irwin on the Be Wiser Ducati.
Leon Haslam has clinched his first-ever professional title by winning the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike championship with sixth place in the opening race of the Brands Hatch finale.
The JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider came into the final round heavy favourite with a 61-point advantage over nearest challenger Jake Dixon and duly sealed his maiden BSB crown in the opening race of the Brands Hatch triple-header with sixth place, while Dixon could only manage second place behind winner Glenn Irwin on the Be Wiser Ducati.
Haslam has dominated in 2018 with 14 race wins coming into the final round including an unstoppable spell of five consecutive victories across the final two rounds heading into the BSB Showdown.
Recovering from a tricky start to the Showdown, when he qualified last at Oulton Park due to a technical issue, Haslam battled back to a double podium at the Cheshire track before stamping his authority on the three-round title-decider with a dominant double victory at Assen.
Needing to concede fewer than 11 points to Dixon in the Brands Hatch opener to secure the 2018 BSB championship, Haslam takes the crown with two races to spare, repeating the same feat Josh Brookes managed on his way to the 2015 title.
