BSB: Assen: A weekend away from ‘home’

In 2018, the British Superbike championship has been nothing short of phenomenal, with winners galore and podium thrills highlighting yet another season of stunning racing. However, with two rounds and five races still left to go, the championship is far from wrapped up. ‘Pocket Rocket’ Leon Haslam leads the way by 31 over fellow Kawasaki rider Jake Dixon as we head to the only foreign round of the series at Assen, The Netherlands. Realistically, those two are the only title protagonists but in mathematical terms, anyone of the Showdown contenders can still win the title.

Leon Haslam has had a pretty faultless season, with a stunning 12 wins making him the clear leader in the championship. The JG Speedfit Kawasaki ace has been a winner at Assen before, with a victory coming in 2017 as well as a double win back in 2016. Haslam will look to utilise his World Superbike experience at the Cathedral of Speed to his advantage, with three podiums and his first ever fastest lap coming at the iconic venue. In theory, he could win the championship at Assen and whilst unlikely, it is not impossible. Will he get the job done abroad?

Jake Dixon’s sensational 2018 campaign has landed him in with a real chance of the championship as we head into the final stages of the year. The Dover rider, who leaves the BSB series at the end of the year to pursue a career in the MotoGP paddock, comes to Assen having been to the circuit just once on a British Superbike, when he was 7th and 8th last year. However, Dixon is in fine form after a double win at Oulton Park and may well be able to carry that form over the The Netherlands. Can he keep the pressure on Haslam this weekend?

Josh Brookes is a distant 74 points behind Leon Haslam on the McAMS Yamaha but in all honesty, the Australian has already given the team a better season than 2017, with multiple wins and a Showdown place. Brookes needs to take a double win at Assen to restart his championship campaign. He’s done it before back in 2015 and even in his ill-fated WSBK season, he was a race leader at Assen. The popular Aussie will look to at least make sure that the championship goes to the final round of the season, so he at least has a chance. Remember, he had a slim chance last season but that certainly didn’t stop him becoming runner-up.

Glenn Irwin has had a busy week off the circuit, with the news breaking about his future and his 2019 campaign to ride for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team – despite already having agreed a contract with Paul Bird. Assen for Irwin hasn’t been the most amazing round, with no top ten on a Superbike. The Ducati rider, who is level on points with Brookes, will hope to get his championship challenge back on-track at Assen and pick up any pieces that may fall his way. We saw last year in British Superbikes that it really isn’t over until the final chequered flag.

Brad Ray’s season started off very well but hasn’t planned out the way it was supposed to. The Kid from Lydd has been a podium finisher in 2018 and will look to get back on the box in The Netherlands. A double top ten last year was perfect for the 21 year-old and he will look to improve on those results. He rode a very good race one and used his brain very well. Can Brad – who is 80 points back from Haslam – pull off something special at Assen this weekend?

Peter Hickman is the final Showdown contender and in all fairness, he is unlikely to be able to mount a championship challenge. He is just 10 points off of 3rd place though, so a good Assen weekend may well bring him right back into play for the bronze medal position. Hickman was 7th and 6th last year at Assen, whilst he was only 16th and 14th the year before. Not a circuit that he goes phenomenally well on, Hicky may need to pull something special out of the bag this weekend. Will he be able to?

There’s plenty of other riders to keep an eye on; Tommy Bridewell being the obvious name after the staggering Oulton Park that he had. Jason O’Halloran looked like a consistent top six runner at Oulton Park too, whilst Andrew Irwin has already been to Assen once this year – will he be able to cause a surprise? Tarran Mackenzie could well even be race winner on the McAMS Yamaha if he gets everything right and don’t rule out Danny Buchan on the FS-3 Kawasaki either. OMG Racing Suzuki may also cause a surprise, as don’t forget they field Josh Elliott this weekend, alongside Gino Rea – the latter of which has had great success at Assen before. Could Gino be a top six rider?