TAS Racing signs BSB race winner Danny Kent as part of team expansion
TAS Racing is taking on a whole new look for the 2026 BSB championship.
The TAS Racing team has confirmed its 2026 BSB rider line-up, with former Moto3 world champion Danny Kent joining Rory Skinner aboard a Yamaha R1.
The signing of Kent means the team is expanding to a two-rider line-up after Skinner was the team’s only rider in 2025.
While it’s no surprise that TAS Racing and Skinner are continuing their partnership, the switch to Yamaha machinery is a surprise of sorts, given the team swapped the BMW M1000 RR for Ducati’s Panigale V4 R just last year.
Skinner has been part of the TAS Racing team since 2024, meaning this year’s championship will also be his third-straight season racing a different bike.
Kent, on the other hand, was left without a ride at the end of last season when the Mar-Train team withdrew from BSB. The 2026 season will be Kent’s third aboard a Yamaha, and the four-time BSB race winner, three of which came in 2025, said this about joining TAS Racing:
“I’m very pleased and honoured to be riding a Cheshire Mouldings Yamaha. Firstly, I would like to say a massive thank you to TAS Racing, Cheshire Mouldings and everyone involved for giving me this opportunity, and although it’s a new team for me, this will be my third year on a Yamaha.
“I will be working again with Chris Anderson as my crew chief - so the goal is to continue how we finished 2025, and that’s winning races.”
TAS Racing is also continuing its association with Cheshire Mouldings for a third consecutive season in 2026, however, that’s not the only major partnership TAS Racing has planned this year.
The team is also set to work closely with its former rider Michael Laverty, whose MLav Racing project will become a partner of the team.
Team Principal Philip Neill added:
“We are back to a two-rider Superbike team which is more the minority than ‘the norm’ these days in BSB, so it’s great to have secured this once again with two accomplished riders in Danny [Kent] and Rory [Skinner].
“The switch to Yamaha machinery is exciting but not as new as you might think. We started our 27-year journey as TAS Racing running a Yamaha in our return to racing; to further add to this, my first proper race bike was a Yamaha YZ80 and my father Hector’s [Neill] first endeavours in the road racing world was with a Yamaha TZ, so you might say we are returning to where we started.
“Last but certainly not least, it really is great to confirm MLAV Racing as a partner for 2026. Michael and I have worked on this idea for a very long time and after spending many happy years working together in different forms, I’m excited at what this relationship will bring to the future of the team.”
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
