Jason O’Halloran took his second victory of the season in the British Superbike Championship on Saturday afternoon when he took a thrilling win in the Sprint race at Thruxton.

The McAMS Yamaha coming home ahead of Charlie Nesbitt (MasterMac Honda by Hawk Racing) and Ryan Vickers (LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha).

For Nesbitt, it was his maiden BSB podium with Max Cook (Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki) narrowly missing out in fourth. There was disappointment for championship leader Tommy Bridewell though with the BeerMonster Ducati rider only managing 14^th.

There was disappointment before the race started for Storm Stacey as he was wheeled off the grid meaning he had to start from the back row but when it got underway it was O’Halloran who grabbed the holeshot.

The Australian led by 0.6s at the end of the opening lap and it was Cook who was up to second, the Kawasaki rider continuing to impress as he overhauled team-mate Lee Jackson and the OMG Racing pairing of Kyle Ryde and Vickers.

The lead remained the same on lap two, but Ryde was now up to second with Jackson having overhauled Cook for third. Vickers continued in fifth, but Nesbitt had taken over sixth from Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Racing Yamaha). Glenn Irwin, second in the championship standings, was in ninth with Bridewell up to 13^th and Josh Brookes (FHO Racing BMW) now 17^th.

Jackson took second from Ryde on lap three and O’Halloran’s lead had been whittled down a lap later with the leading nine riders all now nose to tail. The lead then changed at the chicane with Jackson hitting the front for the first time.

O’Halloran was back in the lead on lap six with the running order behind now Ryde, Jackson, Nesbitt, Vickers and Cook. Kennedy was running in seventh ahead of Danny Kent (Lovell Kent Racing Honda), Leon Haslam (ROKiT BMW Motorrad) and Irwin with Bridewell and Brookes remaining in 13^th and 17^th.

Championship leader Bridewell was then pushed back to 14^th on lap eight by fellow Ducati rider Christian Iddon (Oxford Products Racing). That then became 15^th as Stacey pushed him back another spot.

Back at the front and the battle continued to rage although O’Halloran edged away slightly on the tenth lap, his advantage over new second-placed rider Vickers almost half a second. Jackson was holding onto the final podium position from Nesbitt, Cook and Kent with Ryde slipping back to seventh.

O’Halloran’s lead stretched to 0.68s with three laps to go as Nesbitt grabbed third from Jackson whilst both Ryde and Haslam both moved back ahead of Kent. A lap later, the lead went above a second for the first time and the victory looked to be heading the way of O’Halloran with four riders now disputing second – Vickers, Nesbitt, Jackson and Cook.

O’Halloran duly came home for the victory by 1.5s – his sixth in three years at the venue – but as Vickers and Jackson ran wide exiting the final chicane, Nesbitt nipped through to pinch second, his first ever BSB podium.

Vickers held on for the final podium position ahead of Cook, who took his best BSB finish to date, and Jackson whilst further back, Haslam came out on top in the scrap for sixth closely followed over the line by Kent, Ryde, Irwin and Hickman. Bridewell and Brookes crossed the line a second apart in 14^th and 15^th.