Five BSB riders who could become first-time champions in 2022

With Tarran Mackenzie securing his first BSB title in 2021, here’s a look at five riders who could achieve the same feat this season. 

The 2021 championship fight saw four riders in contention until the very final round, with all four aiming to win their first British Superbike title.

Mackenzie, Jason O’Halloran, Tommy Bridewell and Christian Iddon were those riders, and after a stunning first eight rounds, O’Halloran looked well on his way to claiming the title.

However, mistakes by O’Halloran in the showdown allowed a flawless Mackenzie to overhaul the Australian and take a championship win 25 years on from his father Niall Mackenzie. 

Bridewell and Iddon were serious title contenders at different stages of the season, but neither rider was able to do anything to stop Mackenzie who won all three season finale races at Brands Hatch.

But with that said, here's a look at five riders who could become first-time champions in 2022. 

Jason O’Halloran

There’s no other place to start than the O’Show who is without doubt a favourite to take the title.

The McAMS Yamaha rider finished with the most wins (11) in 2021 and had a substantial lead of over 150 points before the showdown began. 

2022 will be O’Halloran’s four consecutive season on an R1, while it’s also going to be his fourth season with the McAMS outfit which should leave him in a great position to achieve similar results given the Yamaha is arguably the best package on the grid. 

Tommy Bridewell

While Bridewell didn’t achieve his first win until race 15 of the season, the Oxford Products Ducati rider managed to finish ahead of O’Halloran come the season’s end. 

Bridewell had just two more wins the rest of the season, however, his second victory during round nine at Oulton Park was as dominating a win as we saw all year. 

Bridewell took victory by six seconds from fellow Ducati rider Josh Brookes, before finishing his season with a triple P2 at Brands. 

If Bridewell can carry his showdown form and momentum into this season, then the British rider has a great opportunity at taking a first title.

Christian Iddon

Although Iddon was fourth out of the four 2021 title contenders, his early season results were only bettered by O’Halloran.

The Visiontrack Ducati rider was on the podium in seven out of the first ten races, but contact with other riders and a few uncharacteristic mistakes left Iddon playing catch-up throughout the showdown. 

Iddon ultimately finished 61 points behind Mackenzie, but if he can replicate his early season form over a whole campaign, then there’s no reason Iddon can’t win a BSB title. 

The Visiontrack Ducati team is yet to announce their 2022 line-up which means Iddon is without a seat for the moment, but given his strong 2021 season it would be a surprise if he’s not retained the team. 

Danny Buchan

After committing to another season with SYNETIQ BMW, Buchan is one of the riders expected to make another leap forward and join the championship fight.

The former Kawasaki rider took two wins along with three more podiums during 2021, while also securing a seventh place finish in the championship standings. 

Buchan’s best showing was at round two in Knockhill as he took a double victory following intense battles with O’Halloran and Iddon. 

Buchan then suffered a concussion three rounds later at Donington Park which resulted in him missing the entire Cadwell Park event. 

Had it not been for that, Buchan could have finished ahead of Brookes and Peter Hickman in the championship - was only 17 points away from fifth-placed Hickman. 

Rory Skinner

Finally, we have a surprise pick in Rory Skinner. The FS-3 Kawasaki rider goes into his second season in 2022 after finishing 13th overall last year.

The reason for Skinner’s inclusion here is the ability and potential he demonstrated at several rounds. 

The 2020 British Supersport champion secured two stunning podiums in just his fifth and sixth races in BSB, which given the level of competition that was on show throughout the year, it’s fair to include it as one of the rides of the season. 

Although the Scot was without a podium the rest of the way, a year-two jump and small improvements to the ZX10-RR should see him fighting for top fives, podiums and even wins on a regular basis. 

2022 could also be his final season in the class after being heavily linked with a switch to Moto2 for 2023, which is all the more reason why Skinner could be out to deliver a special campaign.