The British Superbike Championship may have finished in October, but that hasn’t stopped the drama from flowing, as Dan Linfoot is stripped of the title, handing it to his season-long rival Richard Kerr.
The news comes after an investigation into Linfoot’s bike, following the final round of the championship at Brands Hatch in October. After checking out the Optimum Bikes Racing Honda ridden by Linfoot, Kerr and his team concluded that the brake master cylinder was not the same OEM equipment that should be used in the stock championship.
An investigation was subsequently carried out by BSB organisers, who, at the end of November, concluded that Linfoot should be excluded from the results of the final Brands Hatch title-deciding event, thrusting Kerr into the championship winner's position.
Speaking about the incident to the Belfast Telegraph, Kerr said:
“I was happy with my second in the Championship, but in parc ferme (after the final race at Brands), we realised he had a different master cylinder on his bike.
“We kind of thought, ‘we could be champions’, but the bike was released and nothing was done, so we weren’t happy about that.
“But it has been cleared up now, and to win the title is amazing because it’s my first British Championship.
“I only got my first win in this Series last year, and this season, we were consistently up there, so it’s really good to do it.”
The statement published on the British Superbikes website reads:
“An MCRCB Tribunal (National Court) was appointed by the MCRCB in accordance with the MCRCB Sporting Code (2023) to investigate the circumstances of potential irregularities concerning post-race technical control following the Pirelli National Superstock Championship race (2) at Brands Hatch on Sunday 15 October.
“The Tribunal convened on Thursday 23 November by electronic meeting. Following consideration of evidence and statements, it has determined that #4 Dan Linfoot (Optimum Bikes Honda) is excluded from the results of the Pirelli National Superstock Championship races at Brands Hatch on 14-15 October (Article B 4.5.1.2), due to a breach of class technical regulations.”
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