Glenn Irwin loses ground in British Superbike title battle after race one at Brands Hatch finale

Irwin had a spell out in front but was unable to maintain his pace throughout the 20-lap race at the Kent circuit and he eventually dropped back.

Australian rider Jason O’Halloran clinched a vital victory on the McAMS Yamaha as he moved to within seven points of fellow countryman Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati), who finished in fourth.

In a thrilling opener, Christian Iddon claimed the runner-up spot to improve his title prospects and is now only nine points behind team-mate Brookes going into Sunday's final two races of the 2020 season.

Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) completed the rostrum in third ahead of Brookes, while Danny Buchan (FS-3 Kawasaki) edged out Irwin in the closing laps to take fifth.

Irwin is now 21 points off the top after dropping a place to fourth in the championship, 12 behind Iddon in third.

Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) finished the race one place behind his brother in seventh.

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