TAG Racing enjoyed a weekend packed full of positives at round nine of the British Superbike Championship at Assen, picking up solid results with Fraser Rogers and Scott Swann, while Jaimie Van Sikkelerus doubled up on victories in the Benelux Trophy.
Changeable and tricky weather conditions plagued the team across the weekend. However, the trio of riders rode sensibly all weekend to avoid incident.
Both Fraser and Scott unfortunately missed out on a spot in Q2 following Friday’s pre-qualifying session, meaning they were forced to fight it out in Q1 on Saturday. However, rain midway through the session scuppered their chances of securing a place in the second 15-minute session, with the duo lining up 18th and 22nd respectively for the afternoon’s opening feature race.
Rogers produced a determined ride in the opening 17-lap encounter, battling his way to 16th place at the chequered flag.
Starting further back on the grid, the TAG Honda rider kept his head in conditions which became increasingly difficult as rain returned towards the latter stages of the race. He ultimately crossed the line just outside the points, continuing his run of fighting performances aboard the Fireblade.
Swann, meanwhile, completed his first BSB race with TAG Racing Honda in 17th position. The Northern Irishman continued to build his experience throughout the race following his return to the Superbike class.
Sunday’s opening Superbike race brought yet more drama, with the race delayed following an incident on the warm-up lap which left oil on the circuit. The race was subsequently shortened to ten laps, while rain began to return during the contest.
Rogers made good progress in the shortened race, moving forward from 18th on the grid to claim 12th at the finish, narrowly missing out on the top ten but securing valuable Championship points. Swann also moved forward to finish 14th, completing another solid race as he continued to reacquaint himself with the TAG Honda Fireblade.
The final race of the weekend once again saw the weather and conditions provide an added challenge.
Rogers was unable to complete the race, retiring from the final encounter due to a technical issue on the opening lap, while Swann brought his machine home in 15th position, rounding off his wildcard weekend with another points-scoring finish.
It would, however, be a fantastic weekend for home favourite Jaimie Van Sikkelerus, who took both race victories in the Benelux Trophy around the 2.8-mile Dutch venue onboard the team’s 2027 Ducati Panigale V4 S.
The TAG Racing rider quickly established himself at the front of the field during Saturday’s opening 14-lap encounter and controlled the race from the opening laps in tricky conditions. As the rain continued to fall, Jaimie stretched his advantage over the chasing pack, eventually taking the chequered flag 16.677 seconds clear of his nearest rival.
Sunday morning brought very different conditions, with the track dry enough for the riders to head out on slick tyres despite some remaining damp patches.
Jaimie immediately found himself involved in a three-way battle for the lead alongside Jef Van Calster and Sander Claessen.
The trio exchanged positions throughout the opening laps, with Jaimie and Claessen particularly involved in an intense fight for the front. On the eighth lap, contact between Jaimie and Claessen at the Haarbocht briefly disrupted the battle, allowing Van Calster to move into the lead.
Jaimie kept his composure, closed the gap and returned to the rear wheel of the BMW. With the race entering its final stages, he made his move on the penultimate lap, taking back the lead and the victory by just 0.103 seconds.
Fraser Rogers: “It’s been a tricky weekend at times, but I felt great on the bike on Sunday and it’s a shame that we had our technical issue because I felt we could have achieved a good result after what we did in the sprint race.
“The team worked so hard all weekend to improve the bike and make it a stronger package for me, and I can’t thank them enough for that. The results aren’t what we want, we expect much better, but I do feel our time will come. We’re heading in the right direction and hopefully at Donington we’ll be in a much stronger position.”
Scott Swann: “It’s been a fantastic weekend for me joining TAG Racing Honda this weekend. I’ve enjoyed myself a lot around such an amazing track and the team were brilliant. They made me feel at home and I enjoyed every second of it. Having run my own team previously, I really enjoy the family vibe and everyone made me feel very welcome.
“A happy rider is a fast rider, as they say. I was nervous heading into the weekend, but nobody put pressure on me. I’ve improved on my personal best lap time and, given the situation, I was really pleased with that. We started out strong enough, and then we got even stronger in FP2. I was in the top 12 and I was really pleased with it all.
“We improved the bike all weekend. The conditions really were sent to test us across the three days, and we were in the battle for the top 10 in both races on Sunday, which I’m proud of, really proud of. We’ve come away with points and we’ve worked hard. I’ve had an absolute ball and I must thank Rob, Tracy and Gary for giving me the opportunity, and everyone else involved.”
Jaimie Van Sikkelerus: “I had a great weekend. I was busier off track than on track, but it was great to have interaction with many fans this weekend.
“And I’m thankful to the team that they gave me the opportunity to test the Ducati! It was nice to try different settings in each session on track, and we got to know which way to go. The bike has a lot of potential and to finish both races on the top step makes it even better.”
Team Manager Gary Winfield: “This weekend has been a very busy one for the team; however, it’s been an extremely positive one. We’ve made a lot of progress with both the Honda and the new 2027 Ducati, which has given us a lot of confidence heading into next season.
“Fraser and Scott have worked hard all weekend. We know it isn’t easy at the moment, but Fraser has stuck to it and given it his all, and that’s all we can ask for as a team. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have Scott with us as well for this round. He’s a fantastic rider but also a very level-headed person, which has shone through across the weekend. He rode brilliantly given everything was new to him, and to come away with his fastest lap of Assen and some solid points, we couldn’t have asked for anything more.
“It’s also extremely nice to come away with some silverware this weekend. We’ve rolled out the 2027 Superstock Ducati Panigale, and Jaimie has shown just exactly what it can do. We’ve still got plenty of work to do with it, but as a starting point it’s really positive for us and we hope we can build on this during the winter.”
The team now look ahead to returning to their home circuit, Donington Park, for the penultimate round of the 2026 BSB season on October 2-4.
