Haslam Hopes Home Comforts Will Help Get Title Bid On Track
Added on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Haslam lies 40 points behind 40-point Crutchlow
Leon Haslam believes that home advantage could prove the difference in this weekend’s British Superbikes meeting at Donington Park.
The Honda rider has had a difficult time in the opening rounds of the championship and sits sixth in the championship table, 40 points behind teammate Cal Crutchlow.
The 24-year-old has managed just two podiums so far this year - a second at Oulton Park and a third place finish at Brands Hatch but was disqualified from the second race at Oulton for dangerous riding following a collision with Tom Sykes.
But with championship leader Shayne Byrne set to miss the meeting at Donington this bank holiday weekend due to the decision by Airwaves Ducati to pull out over safety concerns, the Honda pair will be hot favourites to add to their totals in the East Midlands.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s event, Haslam said:
“It’s obviously time to put my recent disappointments behind me and my ‘home’ circuit of Donington Park is the place to do it. It’s a place I probably know better than anywhere, as I instruct on my dad’s race school and it’s only 20-minutes down the road. I’m looking forward to riding the Honda around there. Ducati has dominated in the past - I took the double there last year - but I think the new CBR1000RR Fireblade will go well.”
