Top-five double for Iddon in tough conditions at Brands Hatch finale

Christian Iddon, TYCO BMW, Brands Hatch

TYCO BMW rider Christian Iddon rounded off the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season with fifth and fourth places at Brands Hatch.

Iddon, from Stockport, ran well throughout free practice for the 2018 finale, but a crash in qualifying, further damaging a broken collarbone suffered at Silverstone five weeks ago, left him in 18th place on the grid and in far from peak physical condition.

Race one of the weekend’s triple header of encounters took place on Saturday, but within four laps of the start the bike developed a technical problem, forcing Iddon to retire.

Christian Iddon, TYCO BMW, Brands Hatch
(Pic: www.mphotographic.co.uk)

Starting 12th in race two on Sunday in miserable wet conditions, Iddon had climbed to ninth after just one lap, and by lap four the former Supermoto Champion was up to fifth.

Well in the hunt, Iddon briefly ran as high as third, but a sensor issue and vision problems in the poor conditions meant he would cross the line in fifth on the tough 2.4-mile Grand Prix circuit.

Iddon went one better in race three, the final round of 2018, claiming fourth spot in worsening conditions.

A race-long battle with 2018 BSB champion Leon Haslam saw Iddon get the better of the Kawasaki rider, claiming fourth place at the flag.

Speaking to TYCO BMW, Iddon said: “The last round of BSB was difficult in terms of weather conditions but I had a great feeling with the bike all weekend.

“We made steady progress throughout the sessions to improve set-up and tyre-wear so I was feeling pretty confident and we were achieving good lap times.”

Christian Iddon, TYCO BMW, Brands Hatch
Christian Iddon on the Brands Hatch track (Pic: www.mphotographic.co.uk)