GRID TALK | BILLY MCCONNELL

Billy McConnell, the stalwart of the British championship, is finding his mojo in the super-competitive premier class. AMCN’s Matt O’Connell talks to him…

It’s been a huge step for you returning to Superbike this year, can you tell us how the big switch all came about?

I’d been racing Superstock for six years straight, since 2018. We’d had some success, particularly on the Honda the last few years. Chris Fairburn, one of my best mates and personal backer, and I looked at the situation and saw that with Superstock we might get 20 odd races a year. We wanted more races and more time on track. BSB had recognised how expensive it was becoming to race a Superbike, so it introduced the Pathways category this year (which is a class within Superbike). The machines aren’t as high spec and we were initially interested in that because it would have cost about £15k ($A29,400) extra per year, which was not too bad. Then a deal came about to buy last year’s factory Honda machines and suddenly we were all in.

Has the team had to expand much to adjust with running the Superbike?

We’ve got Andy Jamison on board as my crew chief this year. I’d previously worked with him back in my Supersport days with Raceways Yamaha in 2009 and 2010, then again in 2011 with TAG Triumph. He’s very thorough and just lives for the sport, I really like working with him. 

We’ve got two other mechanics and one is full time – the bikes are fully stripped and rebuilt between rounds, so there is a lot of effort involved in preparing these machines. The Superbike-spec machine is obviously a lot more complicated, running full MoTeC wiring looms and ECU, factory swingarm and full Öhlins suspension. It’s obviously a lot more expensive, but the big drawcard for us is that you have three races at every round.

Your pace has been strong, consistently running inside the top 10 with the highlight being the podium at Thruxton. With the depth of the field and the financial commitment required for a quick bike, have you surprised yourself?

When I’ve ridden in Superbike previously I’ve never really had a consistent team around me to build on results. We have that now with the C&L Fairburn team, which is great. Purchasing the ex-factory Hondas also means we have access to things like gearing charts and some data. 

This year has been a bit up-and-down though – qualifying on the front row twice, a massive crash at Snetterton where I knocked myself out in qualifying and then the podium at Thruxton. BSB is cutthroat. If you qualify back in 10th it’s very hard work to make up ground, plus you’ve got the progressive grid, which means if you’re not able to be putting in fast laps during the race, your grid position suffers next time out. But even with all those things in mind, I’m not surprised about the pace we’ve had.

I saw the video of you returning to the pits and greeting Chris after the Thruxton podium – there are a lot of team owners who never get to experience a race win or podium in any class – it must have been a special moment.

Yeah, it certainly was very emotional. It’s particularly satisfying because we’ve built this team from the ground up. 

We started it to run Superstock in 2022 and we’ve grown it to a full-blown Superbike effort, so the feeling was just amazing! Chris really has been an incredible supporter; if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have a job.

Can you tell us about the biggest practical difference between Superstock and Superbike in BSB?

The biggest thing is the lack of electronics in Superbike; it’s all down to the riders’ wrist and their ability. It’s the kind of thing Casey Stoner was talking about with the use of electronic aids and the difference they make. You can look good on a Superstock bike and then you hop on a Superbike, give it a big handful mid-corner and you will be off. 

What have you been up to in between rounds this year? Do you plan to return to Australia after the BSB season ends?

I’m just getting ready for the Goodwood Revival actually, which is a great event. I’ll be riding a 1954 Velocette that belongs to Tony Perkins. We’ve also been testing the Superbike at Oulton Park this week and we have three rounds left to run in the championship. I’m really looking forward to getting back home to Adelaide this year though because my partner has just had our second little boy and I haven’t been able to meet him yet!