TAG Racing polished off a positive pre-season testing programme in style at Oulton Park, with Charlie Nesbitt, Fraser Rogers and Matt Truelove working around the clock during two days at the Cheshire track to cement their base set-ups ahead of the 2026 ZYN British Superbike curtain-raiser.
Perfect weather conditions blessed the 2.6-mile undulating stretch of tarmac, allowing the trio to complete over 100 laps across the two days as they finalised their extensive plans.
Charlie ‘Spud’ Nesbitt and Fraser Rogers made solid progress with their CBR1000RR-R Fireblades. Even after a heavy crash on day one for Nesbitt, he recovered well to end the test inside the top 10 of the overall standings, with a best lap time of 1:34.597.
Although Oulton Park isn’t one of Rogers’ favourite circuits on the calendar, he gritted his teeth and worked hard alongside his teammate, achieving a lap time just three tenths away from his personal best set in 2025. The 30-year-old rounded out the final official test 19th in the standings, just six tenths of a second off the top 10.
Matt Truelove also enjoyed a positive test, assessing plenty of set-up changes. After overcoming an issue with his machine, he rounded out his testing campaign in style, finishing second in the Superstock class and just two tenths of a second behind the fastest rider, David Allingham.
Jaimie Van Sikkelerus was absent from this test due to his ongoing recovery from a broken leg sustained during winter training.
Charlie Nesbitt: “I’m really happy with how we’ve worked during our 2026 pre-season testing. We’ve found a really good set-up with my bike to go into round one with, which I’m really pleased about. The team have worked brilliantly since the first day I swung my leg over the bike. They’ve done everything I’ve asked for and honestly I couldn’t be happier.
“I feel like we’re in a great position heading into round one. Everyone is confident, we’re all smiling, and to be honest I still feel there is a little more to come from me and the bike, which is a good feeling to have. I can’t wait to get back here for the opening round.”
Fraser Rogers: “I’m not overly pleased with how we’ve finished our testing programme, but there are plenty of positives to take from everything we’ve completed. The first two tests at Snetterton and Donington were really positive for me, and I came to Oulton Park full of confidence, but I’m leaving here frustrated.
“I haven’t been as fast as I wanted to be, and I should have been faster—end of story. We’ve tried a lot with the bike, and unfortunately we’ve ended this period on a negative after trying something I’m not a fan of. However, we now know that come the opening round we won’t be going down that path, which is a good thing. We know what direction we want to go in, we’ve gathered so much information over these tests, and we’ll put that into use come round one.
“I’m super proud of the team. The bike is in a much better place than it was 12 months ago and, without their support and belief in me, I don’t think we’d be where we are right now. We’ve just got to piece together the good things we’ve learned and regroup ahead of round one.”
Matt Truelove: “I’m really happy, to be honest. We’ve put the bike in a great place and I feel really comfortable with it now, which is exactly where you want to be ahead of the start of the season. Testing is all about gathering usable data, and honestly we’ve gathered so much recently. We’ve put that into practice and produced a really solid package—one that I’m sure we’ll be competitive with when we come back to Oulton Park on the Bank Holiday weekend.
“All the team have put in so much effort during the winter to give me exactly what I want, and I can’t thank them enough. Like I say, I feel we’re in a good place now and I can’t wait to start the season.”
Team Manager Gary Winfield: “We’re really pleased with how our pre-season testing campaign has gone. All of the lads have worked hard on improving their respective packages and we’re in a good place heading into the opening round.
“Charlie and Fraser have developed our superbikes into well-rounded packages. They’re comfortable with what they have underneath them, and it’s a nice feeling as a team to be in this position heading into the first round. It’s good to head home knowing we’ve completed everything we wanted to test, assessed all the options available to us and finalised what we’ll kick the season off with.
“Matt is in a very good place. We’ve fine-tuned and improved his package to exactly how he wants it, and I’m pleased with how he’s progressed. I feel he’ll be a strong contender come round one and it’s great to see him happy and smiling.
“I just want to finish by saying a big thank you to everyone in the team who has worked hard during our pre-season tests. They’ve put in maximum effort and we’ve reaped the rewards because of it, and hopefully that continues during the season.”
The team now has 10 days to recover ahead of the opening round of the 2026 ZYN British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park.
