Christian Iddon all set for British Superbikes opener at Oulton Park

Christian Iddon will begin the new British Superbike season at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

Iddon finished third in last year’s 18-race title chase with VisionTrack Ducati and in his debut season with the Paul Bird Motorsport team scored his first win at Snetterton.

He’ll again be team-mates with Aussie Josh Brookes, who is the reigning champion having also won the crown in 2015.

Both riders have undertaken an extensive pre-season testing schedule in the run up to the opening round of the season and are confident they can get off to a good start.

At Oulton Park last year, Brookes won a race and Iddon followed him home, as well as bagging a pair of other second places around the Cheshire venue.

This season comprises a total of 33 races over the 11 rounds between this weekend and mid-October, meaning a very busy schedule for teams and riders with every round being a triple-header.

Because of the delay in easing of government restrictions, only 4,000 fans will be allowed to attend each day at Oulton Park but those missing out on attending can rely on live television and radio coverage until it is hoped fans will be allowed back into circuits from round three at Brands Hatch in late July.

Iddon said: “I’m really excited to get racing again although it’s very disappointing we won’t have a full contingent of spectators for this round, especially with it traditionally being my local track.

"But I’ll be doing my best to put on a good show for those at Oulton Park as well as those watching on television and listening on BSB Radio.

"I feel much more relaxed on the bike than I did last year so hopefully we can make that count and kick the season off well.

"A good haul of points is important at round one to give us a stable platform for the season ahead.”

Team co-ordinator John Mowatt added: “As a team we are really looking forward to getting the season underway as it seems such a long time since we last rode competitively.

"Testing has gone well and we are now looking to get our season off to the strongest possible start at what is our local circuit and, for the first time since 2019, in front of some spectators.”