Dan Linfoot won a dramatic Pirelli National Superstock Championship Bank Holiday Monday race at Oulton Park.

The Optimum Bikes Honda rider prevailed in an eventful encounter to get the better of fellow CBR1000RR-R Fireblade-mounted rivals Richard Kerr (AMD Motorsport) and championship leader Franco Bourne (Marvel HCL Motorsport).

The trio had been part of a seven-rider battle for the lead which saw firstly Billy McConnell (C&L Fairburn Properties/Jackson Racing Honda) crash out at Lodge and then leaders Alastair Seeley (Synetiq BMW) and Alex Olsen (Cumins by Team IWR Honda) tangle at the same corner with just two laps to go.

Poleman Seeley led into Old Hall with Kerr moving from sixth on the grid to second and they remained in those positions at the end of the first lap, Joe Talbot (JR Performance Racing Honda), Olsen, Linfoot and Bourne slotting in behind them. McConnell had dropped back to seventh from second on the grid.

Second time around and Kerr grabbed the lead from Seeley at Hizzy’s with Olsen taking third at Lodge and the front seven had already pulled a second over the rest of the field, Seeley the lone BMW amongst a throng of six Hondas.

Kerr’s lead was four tenths of a second at one point but Seeley was back in the lead as they started the fifth lap, the former champion diving up the inside at Old Hall. It was still tight though with just a second covering the leading seven riders.

Disaster struck McConnell at Lodge as he crashed out at the end of the fifth lap and Bourne then had a moment on the entry to Hizzy’s and that slightly split the pack up, the front three of Seeley, new second place man Olsen and Kerr having opened up a small gap. 

The leading five were soon running nose to tail once more though with Bourne regrouping to take third from Kerr on lap seven and as the race entered it’s second half, the running order was Seeley, Olsen, Bourne, Kerr, Linfoot and Talbot.

At the end of lap nine, Olsen took the lead for the first time, outbraking Seeley on the way into Lodge but the Ulsterman quickly responded and was back in front at Old Hall at the start of the next lap. Bourne was still third with Kerr and Linfoot swapping places on more than one occasion. Talbot was beginning to lose touch though and was now a second in arrears.

With three laps to go, Seeley and Olsen looked to be edging clear but Olsen tagged Seeley on the way into Lodge at the end of lap twelve, the net result being both ended up in the gravel trap before indulging in a spot of handbags.

That all meant first round winner Bourne was in the lead by half a second from Kerr with Linfoot a further half second back but as the race entered its final lap the trio had closed back up with the race wide open.

Kerr grabbed the lead at Old Hall with Linfoot then hitting the front for the first time at Hizzy’s and that was how they crossed the line with Bourne in third, only a quarter of a second covering them at the chequered flag.

Talbot had a lonely ride in fourth and it was Luke Hedger who prevailed in a five-rider battle for fifth from Joe Sheldon-Shaw, Lewis Rollo, David Allingham and Shaun Winfield, Ben Luxton competed the top ten.

2023 SSTK Oulton Park | Rd.2 | Race Results

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