Jonathan Rea may be within touching distance of the 2015 WorldSBK title, but Leon Haslam fully believes that second overall is still possible.

Haslam, winner of Race 2 at Phillip Island in February, topped the championship standings after that season-opening event. So far this season he has achieved a total of one pole position plus seven podium finishes and 19 points finishes from 20 races, with his biggest blot on the copybook being his big crash in the second race at Imola.

Despite the misfortune of late, not least in Malaysia when low tyre pressures resulted in massive grip problems, the Englishman believes he can still recover.

“I still feel we can finish second in the championship,” the Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils rider said at Silverstone when visiting last weekend’s British Grand Prix. “We need to win and get back on the podium.

“This year has been difficult. It was a last-minute application from Aprilia and the new rules are very different, but we have won races and had podiums. The last few races have been tough, but I feel we can finish strongly and the aim now is to try and secure the second place in the championship.”

With six races still to run in Spain, France and Qatar – equating to a maximum total of 150 points up for grabs – Haslam sits fourth in the championship standings behind Jonathan Rea, Chaz Davies and Tom Sykes. With the overall second place his target, Haslam is 49 points away from his desired position.