Visiontrack Ducati racer Christian Iddon makes a great start to the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike season

Christian Iddon celebrates podium successes in the first round of the new Bennetts British Superbike Championship season at Oulton Park.

Iddon claimed a brace of second place finishes across the opening three races of the year at Oulton Park in Cheshire.

Iddon gave himself the best opportunity qualifying on the front row of the grid and set out his intentions by leading from lap one of the eighteen lap encounter.

He was to go on and lead almost every lap, until the Yamaha of Jason O’Halloran took the lead on lap eight.

Iddon, up for a fight, regained the lead a lap later but O’Halloran regained the lead a lap later and never looked back. Christian taking second spot on the podium in the season opener.

Race two was a similar affair, Iddon claiming the lead on the opening lap, from third on the grid. He led for no less than seventeen laps, and it was only a last corner lunge from O’Halloran that saw the Yamaha racer claim the win from Iddon by the slenderest of margins.

By race three, the Oulton Park crowd could see a pattern emerging, Christian doing everything he could to give himself the best chance, claiming the lead from fourth on the grid after just one lap, and it wasn’t until the final lap of the race, and a brave move from O’Halloran in to the ultra-fast Island bend. Iddon once more claiming second place at the flag.

Speaking to Visiontrack Ducati, with a wry smile Iddon said; “I think I’m going to lobby [Series Director] Stuart Higgs to see if we can get extra points for the most laps led in a race.

Iddon continued; “It’s hard to take when you lead for that long and get overtaken on the final lap and although three second place finishes are obviously a great start, three wins would have been better.

“Jason had something more than us in certain parts of the circuit though and he had plenty of opportunity to weigh things up by sitting behind me for so long.

"I was half expecting him to come by, especially in the last race but I felt confident leading, and we can take away a lot of positives from the weekend.”

Iddon sits second in the Championship as the Series heads North to Knockhill in Scotland over the weekend of the 10-11 July.