The following is a press release from McAMS Yamaha…
A win apiece for Tarran Mackenzie and Jason O’Halloran on Sunday saw McAMS Yamaha complete a third treble victory of the season at a sizzling Snetterton.
After finishing first (Mackenzie) and third (O’Halloran) in Saturday’s opener, the duo looked strong coming into Sunday’s two races but rapid pace from the Ducatis of Bridewell and Brookes had looked threatening.
As race day arrived, so did the sun and one of the warmest race days of the 2021 season, which was welcome news for the McAMS Yamaha team.
Starting fifth and seventh for the first race, O’Halloran and Mackenzie knew the start would be crucial and acted upon that, with Mackenzie shooting into third by turn two with O’Halloran fifth. However, it wouldn’t be long before the McAMS Yamaha duo hit the front. At around half race distance, O’Halloran made a move on Mackenzie but the young gun was determined to lead, passing his team-mate straight back.
It would come down to a last lap showdown between the duo, exchanging places several times before O’Halloran secured a move into Brundle leaving Mackenzie little opportunity to respond. The result marked the team’s second 1-2 of the season and O’Halloran’s tenth victory of 2021.
Having set the fastest lap of the race, Mackenzie was determined to get a career-first double in the final outing and launched off the line to take an early lead. O’Halloran led briefly but it was the Ducati of Tommy Bridewell who proved the biggest threat, getting to the front in the early stages to lead the way. Mackenzie made a move for the lead at Agostini on lap eight with O’Halloran slipping through too, but the race would then be halted by a sudden red flag due to an incident further back in the pack.
The race was re-started over a five-lap dash with Mackenzie starting second and O’Halloran third. Mackenzie again vaulted off the line to lead almost the entire five laps, but Bridewell would once again prove to be his biggest challenger. Ultimately though, the Ducati didn’t have enough with Mackenzie securing his fourth victory of the season. Struggling with a lack of grip on the restart, O’Halloran finished third.
Mackenzie’s two wins and a second saw him win the coveted Pirelli Race of Aces trophy and reduce O’Halloran’s series lead to 106 points while the podium gap between the duo heading to Silverstone is just 30 points.
Both riders are now confirmed in the 2021 Showdown with just one round remaining at Silverstone next weekend before the title fight gets underway at Oulton Park later this month.
Ian Hutchinson retired from the National Superstock race with a technical problem.