DAO Racing endured a challenging, but overall positive weekend at the ‘Cathedral of Speed’, the TT Circuit Assen, collecting points in all three races across the weekend, with Lee Jackson achieving a best result of ninth and Josh Brookes 12th during Sunday’s action.

The weekend got off to a tricky start for the duo, as they fought changeable conditions throughout free practice while trying to fine-tune machine set-up. Unfortunately, the pair failed to secure a direct spot in Q2 on Saturday, meaning they would be forced to fight it out in Q1.

The tricky weather conditions continued into Saturday. However, prior to the first session, the track surface was dry, although spots of rain started to fall after just five minutes, forcing both Lee and Josh to return to the garage. Although ‘LeeBob’ posted a strong enough time to send him into Q2, Josh would miss out and end up 19th on the grid for the opening race.

The rain continued to fall for the 15-minute final session, forcing Lee and his side of the garage to change tyres. The Lincolnshire man rode sensibly, consistently improving his lap time each lap, and would achieve 14th on the grid for the afternoon’s opening feature race.

Conditions improved in time for the start of the 17-lap battle, and from the lights the pair made contrasting starts, with Jackson sitting 12th after the opening lap and Brookes 22nd after being run wide at the first corner.

The pair then began to battle their way through the field, with Jackson embroiled in a tussle with Storm Stacey. They would swap and exchange places on several occasions across the 17 laps. However, Jackson would get the better of the Ducati man on the last lap, holding him off on the drag to the line to take 12th at the flag.

Brookes, who quickly regrouped following his difficult opening lap, started to pick his way through the field and, by half race distance, found himself in 17th and on the back of the group battling for 15th. The ‘BadBoy’ would then force his way into the top 15 with four laps remaining, and posted his fastest lap of the race in the process to cross the line just eight-tenths of a second behind his teammate.

By virtue of their lap times achieved in race one, Lee would start Sunday’s sprint race from 12th, with Josh 19th.

With looming clouds and a small threat of rain, the 12-lap dash was due to begin. However, after a technical problem for Rory Skinner on the warm-up lap, the start was delayed and then reduced to 10 laps.

Off the line, both riders made good starts, with Lee ninth after the opening lap and Josh 14th. Jackson then became embroiled in a battle with the Irwin brothers, Glenn and Andy. He battled hard, trying to force a move on Glenn; however, he struggled to find a way past, and with three laps to go, the red flag came out due to a short shower, giving him a ninth-place finish and adding eight important Championship points to his tally.

Brookes, who after lap three had worked his way into 13th and was hunting down the group ahead, dropped to 15th just before the race was stopped after losing out in a battle with Danny Kent and Scott Swann.

For the third and final race, Lee would line up 16th on the grid, with Josh next door in 17th, thanks to their lap times achieved in the sprint race.

Off the line, as the lights went out, they made solid starts, with Lee making up two places on the opening lap and Josh sitting 18th but firmly in the battle for the top 15. By the end of lap three, Jackson had worked his way into 12th and sat within touching distance of eighth. However, just three laps later, as he searched for a way past Christian Iddon, he made a small mistake and dropped back to 16th, with Josh sitting ahead of him in 15th.

The Lincolnshire man quickly regrouped and started to pick up the places he had lost, making firm but fair passes, only to then find himself in a battle with his teammate. The pair then fought it out for 12th, with Storm Stacey closely in tow, and after a battle of attrition, it would be Josh who would come out on top after a dramatic finish, out-dragging his teammate to the line to take 12th, with Lee 13th.

Josh Brookes: “I feel like I’ve underperformed this weekend, even compared to previous rounds where we haven’t been happy with our results. Assen is a really fast track, with a lot of high-speed apexes, so if you’re not confident, it certainly has a damaging effect on the results and the lap times.

“So, I put my hands up. I haven’t performed at my highest standard and it has damaged our results. But we kept our heads up high, rode positively all the way to the end and gave it our all. We’ve just got to keep positive and hope that our results take a turn for the better at the remaining rounds and have a strong finish to the season.”

Lee Jackson: “It has been a strong weekend on the whole for me. We’ve really chipped away all weekend long and made good steps forward with the bike, which I’m really pleased with, but it’s not the results I or the team expect.

“We’ve collected three solid finishes across the weekend, and we’ve jumped up nicely in the Championship to ninth, but again, like I say, it’s not where I want to be. Hopefully, we can build on these positives and finish the year off on a high, starting at Donington Park.”

Team Manager Jonny Bagnall: “Overall, it’s been a challenging weekend, but we do leave here with some positives. We have been a lot more consistent with the speed and lap times from both bikes, but again, it’s frustrating to not be closer to the front group. We don’t come racing to finish where we are at the moment.

“The riders and the team are giving it everything to ensure we can be competitive. We’re trying extremely hard to improve our results, and hopefully, with the steps forward we’ve made this weekend, it can help us as we head into the final two rounds of the season.”

Lee Jackson now sits ninth in the 2026 British Superbike Championship standings on 139 points, with Josh Brookes 15th on 110. The team will now return to home soil for the penultimate round of the series at Donington Park on October 2-4.