BSB Legend Jason O’Halloran Gets World Superbike Call-Up
Jason O’Halloran will replace six-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea at the upcoming Portimao round
Former British Superbike race winner Jason O’Halloran has been given an unlikely call-up to the factory Pata Yamaha World Superbike team to replace the injured Jonathan Rea at Portimao on 28-30 March.
O’Halloran was not the initial rider chosen to replace Rea, who suffered his current foot injuries during a pre-season test at Phillip Island, as that honour instead went the way of Augusto Fernandez.
However, the new Yart Yamaha rider in the Endurance World Championship will now replace Fernandez as the former full-time Grand Prix racer for KTM will instead be on MotoGP duty as he replaces the Injured Miguel Oliveira.
22 times a race winner in the British Superbike Championship, O’Halloran is widely viewed as the best rider the series to never bag a title, after coming close on several occasions. However, the Australian remains one of the series’ biggest names in recent years.
O’Halloran spent five years racing for Yamaha in BSB before switching to Kawasaki machinery in 2024, but with the ZX-10RR lacking competitiveness against the Yamaha R1 and Ducati Panigale V4, O’Halloran could only manage 13th in the championship standings.
Speaking about the call-up to World Superbike, O’Halloran said: “I’m excited to get the opportunity to ride for the Pata Maxus Yamaha team in Portimao while Jonathan continues to recover. I have really enjoyed being back on the R1 in pre-season testing with YART, it’s a bike I’ve always gelled well with, and I had a lot of success with the R1 in BSB, so to try it in full WorldSBK spec is something I’m looking forward to.
“Of course, heading into a race weekend with no testing is jumping in at the deep end a little bit but I will give it my best for the team and for Yamaha while also remembering that the EWC season starts in just a few weeks! I’d like to thank Yamaha and the team for the opportunity and to wish Jonathan a speedy recovery.”
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
