BikeSocial Web Editor. Content man, reviewer, commissioner, road tester, video presenter, interviewer and race fan. First ride was a 1979 Honda ST70. Not too shabby on track, loves a sports bike, worries about helmet hair, occasionally plays golf and squash but enjoys being a father to a 6-year-old the most.
Ahead of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season opener this weekend at Donington Park, we asked ‘Rocket’ Ron Haslam for a commentary lap of the Grand Prix layout of the East Midlands-based circuit. After all, he’s probably completed more laps of the track than anybody else…ever!
Haslam has three world championships and four British titles to his name and competed in 110 Grand Prix finishing on the podium on nine occasions. For the last 22 years since retiring, he and his wife Ann have run the Ron Haslam Race School from the circuit where they use a fleet of Honda Fireblade’s as his preferred bike for his Elite class. So, we strapped a couple of cameras and a microphone to the great man and asked for his advice on the quickest way around the Donington Park.
I spent the day at the race school at the end of last summer to learn about the ideal set-up for the new CBR1000RR – something Ron had been working on all year, and here’s how we got on.
Ron and Ann will be on site once again this weekend to support son, Leon, who missed out on the Championship title by just a couple of points last time out, having crashed out of the final race of the season at Brands Hatch after his brakes failed on his JG Speedfit Kawasaki at 172mph.