Double Dutch

All you need to know about next weekend’s Assen clash

Just two rounds remain of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship and things are lining up to be a straight battle between series leader Leon Haslam and the chasing Jake Dixon.

After Dixon’s double last time out at Oulton, Haslam’s lead is 31 points, all but mathematically eradicating any hopes of securing the title in Assen this weekend. However, Dixon struggled in the Netherlands 12 months ago and the youngster has already expressed concerns his bike may lack the outright speed for the fast Dutch track. “Our bike isn’t as fast as some of our rivals’, and that might be an issue this weekend,” he said. “But I’ll do what I do every weekend and give it 100%. It won’t just be Leon who is quick this weekend and all the pressure is on him, so we’ll see just how it plays out.”

Josh Brookes has always been quick at both Assen and the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, but he now sits 74 points behind Haslam after a shocking weekend at Oulton Park so his title challenge is all but over. The popular Aussie has also been highly critical of the McAMS Yamaha team, suggesting they don’t have a machine capable of winning races at this stage.

Haslam has won three out of the last four races at Assen, meaning he’s in a good position to stretch out his title lead and, should that be possible, sealing the title at Brands Hatch would just be a formality but as we’ve seen many times in BSB, it’s never that simple.

The 2019 rider market has been blown open by Haslam and Dixon’s departure and while some riders have started to move, others are in desperate need of a job for next year meaning late-season heroics won’t be out of the question over the final two rounds.