BSB Brands Hatch: Liam Delves replaces injured Hector Barbera at TAG Racing Honda

Liam Delves will replace the injured Hector Barbera at TAG Racing Honda this weekend as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship heads to Brands Hatch.

Delves parted company with Rapid CDH Racing Kawasaki by mutual consent following the conclusion of the previous round at Snetterton. Meanwhile, Barbera injured his left leg in a crash during race two at the Norfolk circuit.

“I am excited to be going to Brands Hatch this weekend with TAG after some recent uncertainty,” Delves said. “My ambitions to succeed remain unchanged, and I have had some incredible support from fans and sponsors alike.

“I have spent a lot of time both personally and professionally with the TAG Racing team; we work really well together. I want to thank everyone involved in making this happen and I want to wish Hector a speedy recovery.”

2023 has proven to be extremely difficult for Delves so far. In his sophomore campaign, Delves has failed to secure a single point, taking a best result of 16^th in the second race of the weekend at Donington Park.

“It is the right decision for Hector to miss this Round as he continues to rebuild the strength in his left leg since the race two incident at Snetterton,” TAG Racing Team Manager, Gary Winfield said.

“Liam is a confident rider with a keen desire to push forwards and bring back some competitive points. Liam has proven himself to be a really adaptable rider and as a team, we feel that Liam will gel quickly with the machine and enjoy some success this weekend.”

Tommy Bridewell leads the championship heading into round six of the season. The BeerMonster Ducati rider secured his first-ever hat-trick at Snetterton and sits 25 points clear of teammate Glenn Irwin in the standings.

Kyle Ryde remains third overall despite only securing a best finish of eighth at Snetterton, whilst Josh Brookes and Leon Haslam complete the top five.

The Superpole qualifying format returns at Brands Hatch, with the opening race of the weekend due to begin at a later time of 5:15 on Saturday afternoon. Sunday’s races are scheduled for 13:35 and 16:35 respectively.