Why Did Honda HRC Choose Jason O’Halloran for Their BSB Team?
- Ben Grayson
- Nov 13
- 3 min read
Alright… before the O’Halloran fan club starts sharpening their pitchforks, just hear me out. Then you can call me an idiot in the comments afterwards.
Let’s get one thing straight — Honda hasn’t won a BSB rider’s title since 2007 with Ryuichi Kiyonari. For a company the size of Honda, with the budget of a small country and an obsession with racing woven into its DNA, that is absolutely mental. They’ve had flashes of glory since — wins here, podiums there — and they almost handed Tommy Bridewell his second title in 2024. Almost.
So why the drought?
Honda Have Stepped Up… Sort Of
To be fair, HRC have visibly upped their game in the last couple of seasons. The latest CBR1000RR-R Fireblade RRRRR (however many R’s we’re on now) is a proper weapon — especially in Superstock. Their 2025 struggles came more from the tyre change than the bike. We all saw the difference it made to Bridewell’s pace between 2024 and 2025.
Honda want to win. Winning is literally their favourite thing. So with two factory seats up for grabs in BSB, why not put two absolute title contenders on the bikes?
The Big Switch: Bridewell Out, Vickers In… and O’Halloran?!
Andrew Irwin’s seat going to Ryan Vickers — fair enough. Vickers has shown flashes of real pace, and on the right day he’s a podium threat. A conversation for another time, but the logic is there.
But the late decision to replace Tommy Bridewell with Jason O’Halloran? That one raised an eyebrow. Or both.
From the outside looking in, it feels like a classic case of Honda wanting a rider who is:
media-safe,
brand-friendly,
unlikely to slag off the bike,
and plays things very corporate Japanese.
Tommy Bridewell — hilarious and fast as hell — is not exactly a “quiet lad who toes the company line.” And with a Ducati V4 for 2026, he’ll be rapid anyway.
So Honda seemed to go for the safe bet. The polite one. The one who won’t upset the PR department.
Who Should Honda Have Gone After?
If I’m HRC? Easy:
Some top-tier riders were already signed, like Scott Redding.
But with a blank chequebook? I’d have gone begging Johnny Rea to do a full-circle comeback and tear up BSB on a Honda.
Imagine that storyline — you couldn’t write a better one. But Honda have now signed Rea as a test rider, and maybe his priorities have shifted.
About Jason O’Halloran…
Look — Jason seems like a decent guy. Quiet, gets on with the job, low drama. From a PR perspective, almost too clean-cut. Maybe too… safe.
But let’s talk results, because numbers don’t lie:
2024 – 13th
2023 – 6th
2022 – 5th
2021 – 3rd
2020 – 2nd (and he had a massive lead at one point)
That’s a graph pointing in the wrong direction.
His final BSB season was brutal. He seemed to be taken out every other weekend — total misery. Then he goes off and wins the EWC title with Yamaha in 2025, which is class… but endurance racing is not the same as BSB. BSB is elbows-out, gloves-off, “I’ll see you in court” levels of aggression.
Also — jumping from the Yamaha R1 to the Fireblade SP is not a small adjustment. They’re completely different animals. Just as Vickers will discover swapping the Ducati V4 for the Honda.
What Happens in 2026?
Honestly? I think Honda will have another “nearly but not quite” season.
The good news:
The tyre disadvantage from 2025 disappears with the rule change.
The bike itself is already sorted.
Winter testing will help both riders reset to BSB aggression mode.
But the challenges are huge:
No rider aids (welcome back to the stone age)
Tight UK tracks
A grid full of BSB champions
Newer machinery everywhere
Relearning the art of bar-banging
I genuinely hope I’m wrong. I’d love to see Honda back on top — the series is better when they’re in the fight.
Looking Further Ahead… 2027
I’ve got a feeling that the real Honda comeback arrives in 2027, when we’ll almost certainly see a heavily updated Fireblade. If Jason is on a one-year deal, I wouldn’t expect him on that project. If it’s a two-year deal… maybe.
Either way — winter testing can’t come soon enough. I’m already getting withdrawal symptoms.
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