Rapid Honda Kicks Off Race Season Strong at Oulton and Donington
After a lengthy winter break and pre-season, to say we were keen to kick our 2026 campaign off would be an understatement. A year on from the tragedy of the season-opener which claimed the life of Owen Jenner, we entered Round 1 at Oulton Park with a renewed sense of optimism and purpose, boasting an expanded line-up.
Existing Rapid Honda rider Ash Barnes is joined by Declan “Deco” Connell. After a promising introduction to the Superstock class towards the end of last year, this year will be Ash’s first full-time season with the aim of establishing himself as a regular Front runner.
Declan on the other hand has a few years of “Stocker” experience in the bag, and we believe that we can help him unlock his full potential, with a view to becoming a Top-five runner and pushing for podium finishes.
Last, but certainly not least, Jamie Coward will spearhead our first foray into road racing with an Isle of Man TT campaign, as well as competing in select rounds of British Superstock.
Oulton summary, Written by Cem Rustem.
Declan Connell
Deco impressed immediately after going third quickest in the pre-season test at Oulton Park, and he continued as he intended to go on with a promising P3 in FP2. Initially, qualifying didn’t go as smoothly as we’d hoped when he encountered a rear brake problem, but the team kept its cool and we rectified the issue and moreover used it to our advantage by releasing the No.33 into some clear air.
He maximised this by sealing a fantastic P2 – you can’t ask for more than a front row start on your team debut!
Despite a good launch when the lights went out, Deco’s tank extender became detached on the first lap, forcing him to adapt his riding position during the all-important opening exchanges - far from ideal.
Subsequently his arms took the brunt of this riding style re-adjustment, and although the young Scot battled hard - even managing to set a lap time quicker than his sensational qualifying run - he couldn’t maintain the pace of the front runners so had to settle for a hard-fought but very respectable eighth place finish.
Ash Barnes
Those with good memories will recall how well Ash acquitted himself on his debut for the team last season at our second visit to the Cheshire circuit. They will also remember that the conditions were very tricky all weekend, with no dry running.
Suffice it to say, we knew that Oulton in the dry on a Superstock bike would be a very different proposition for the Lincolnshire rider.
Even so, he impressed again by breaking into the Top-10 in Combined Practice with the ninth quickest lap. A persistent lack of rear grip however hampered his efforts in qualifying, so he had to settle for a P13 grid position.
The No.8 maintained his position off the start, up until the halfway point of the race when he dropped a place and then a lap later fell back to 15th. But he showed true grit to rally back in the closing stages to cross the line in 14th.
While on paper this may appear to be a disappointing result, the fact is that this is Ash’s first time at Oulton on a stocker in the dry, and he gradually upped the pace as the race wore on (improving on his best qualifying time), beating far more experienced and established runners in the class.
Context is everything, and a more accurate barometer of his progress will be when we hit the track next time out at Donington Park
Jamie Coward
As a road racer, the brief for Jamie in the first two rounds was simple - familiarisation with the bike in preparation for the fast-approaching TT. Combined Practice saw the 35-year-old rounding out the session in 30th but he unlocked some extra speed in qualifying, finding well over a second with his fastest lap placing him in P24 - his fastest ever circulation around the track no less. It’s also worth mentioning that this was Jamie’s first short-circuit race for almost a year!
The true gauge of the Hebden Bridge-based rider’s performance is to compare him against his road racing peers - namely, TT legends John McGuinness (5) and Ian Hutchinson (9), as well as Mitch Rees (32). And on that basis, Jamie did a great job, bringing it home in 24th, just half a second behind Rees and six tenths ahead of McGuinness.