BSB: Luke Mossey and TAG Racing Honda split ahead of Thruxton

Luke Mossey and TAG Racing Honda have decided to part company after a tough opening half of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season.

Mossey joined the team for the 2021 finale at Brands Hatch following Dan Linfoot’s departure, and remarkably took pole position in damp conditions, before scoring points in two of the three races that weekend.

However, 2022 hasn’t gone to plan. In the opening five rounds (15 races), Mossey didn’t finish inside the points, recording a best result of 16^th at Brands Hatch last month.

Mossey suffered six DNFs and missed the final race at Oulton after dislocating his shoulder and injuring his elbow in race two. Mossey also missed all three races at Donington Park after a crash in qualifying.

“Gutted to say I’ve parted ways with TAG Racing, it’s been a really difficult and frustrating year up to this point,” Mossey said. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity that Rob and the family have given me at TAG and I really do mean when I say this, I wish them all the best for the future.”

In a statement released over the weekend, the team said:

“As the new season opened with official testing at Snetterton and Silverstone, it was apparent the bond between man and machine were not as harmonious as expected; with Mossey crashing out at both tests. Undeterred, the Team have worked closely with rider to develop the best possible combinations for success.

“As Round 5 got underway at Brands Hatch, the ‘home’ circuit for Mossey, the Team were confident a turn-around was due and success would come in the form of points for the Superbike. This was not meant to be, despite a more confident ride from Mossey.”

Team Manager, Gary Winfield added: “It’s disappointing that we have come this far into the season and not yet achieved the goals we had set. Luke is a very talented and experienced rider, and it’s fair to say that we all had high expectations for this winning mix.

“The time has come where we have to look fairly upon the rest of the season for both the team and the rider, and it’s been mutually agreed that this partnership can’t continue. We genuinely wish all the very best for Luke in his career.”

It’s not currently known whether the team will welcome a new rider into the garage in the Superbike class at Thruxton this weekend (August 12-14), or whether they’ll simply concentrate on their Superstock efforts.

David Allingham secured the team’s best Superstock result of the season at Brands Hatch when he finished second in race two. He sits eighth in the standings after the opening five rounds of the season. Meanwhile, teammate Shaun Winfield has scored points in six of the nine races held so far.

Mossey’s future plans are yet to be revealed. After leaving the Rich Energy OMG Racing Superbike team at the end of 2020, Mossey returned to the Superstock class and finished fifth overall onboard his Kawasaki, taking three wins and four further podiums.