Image: Supplied.

Jason O’Halloran has detailed a hard-fought podium at the 8 Hours of Spa Motos, as the Yamalube YART Yamaha EWC Official Team overcame crashes, a stop-and-go penalty, and ever-changing conditions to secure a dramatic third-place to extend their FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) lead.

Racing alongside Marvin Fritz and Karel Hanika, O’Halloran was kept in reserve for the rain due to limited dry track time and his proven ability in the wet.

When the skies opened mid-race, the 37-year-old was unleashed and he delivered, lapping over a second quicker than his rivals and building a 56-second lead. A 10-second stop-and-go penalty was then issued to the team, as O’Halloran was deemed to have touched the handlebars before the pitstop had been completed.

Overcoming the penalty and returning to the lead, a highside while passing a backmarker again put a dent in their performance, with the team repairing the bike in under four minutes. Despite his crash, teammate Hanika’s late charge sealed the team’s sixth consecutive podium. They now lead the standings by 18 points heading into round three at Suzuka.

“It was my first time here racing at Spa and I enjoyed everything about it,” commented O’Halloran post-race. “The track is fantastic, and the atmosphere was incredible. The conditions were incredibly tough because they constantly changed throughout the race, but I knew I felt good and strong in the wet.

“The strategy for the race was for Karel and Marvin to attack in the dry, as I didn’t get the chance to do many laps on a fully dry track, then to throw me into the mix once the heavens opened. I did a double stint, put nearly a minute into the team in second, and felt brilliant on the bike. I made a small mistake during a pit stop, and due to some confusion, I touched the bike at the wrong time, so I had to do a stop-and-go penalty.

“After that, I managed to get back into the lead,” continued O’Halloran. “Then I was about to overtake a backmarker when the yellow flags came out, so I had to stay behind them. They ran wide, I think, as they thought I was going to pass, but I obeyed the yellow flag and slowed down to stay behind them, and unfortunately, coming back onto the racing line, I had a massive highside.

“It was such a shame for everybody, as we had worked so hard to get back into the lead following the penalty. But this is endurance racing, and Karel did an amazing job at the end to pull back 40 seconds on the team ahead and secure the podium.”