The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is picking up pace as the European leg of the season begins. Round three at the TT Circuit Assen always provides talking points and this year’s numbers back-up that fact. With Ducati making more statistical waves, new names coming good and unexpected dips in performance, what do the stats tell us as the dust settles at Assen?

700 – Alvaro Bautista’s (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) win in Race 2 was the 700^th different race podium Ducati have been on.

400 – Ducati managed a 400^th win in WorldSBK when Alvaro Bautista took victory in Race 2.

104 – Points scored by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) in 2023 after nine races, 20 more than the same stage last year and 59 more than in 2021. Ironically, in his rookie season, Locatelli was 104 points behind the Championship leader in 2021; it was Jonathan Rea then. This year, he’s 31 ahead of the #65.

101 – Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) is 101 points behind the Championship leader after nine races. It’s the first time after nine races he’s been more than 100 behind since his rookie 2009 season, when he was 136 behind.

90 – 90^th career podium for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) with P2 in Race 2 at Assen.

71 – For the 71^st time, Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu stood on the podium together. That’s two behind the outright record of shared podium: Rea with Chaz Davies, 73.

40 – Bautista’s Race 2 win was his 40^th, meaning he’s achieved exactly 10% of Ducati’s win.

34 – Scott Redding (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has 34 points in 2023, one point less than at the same stage in 35. Since the M 1000 RR has been in action, the highest number of points scored after nine races is 51 in 2021, by Tom Sykes.

25 – Rea set a new record for single circuit podiums: 25, one more than he has at Portimao and Aragon.

10 – Andrea Locatelli took his tenth WorldSBK podium, putting him level on total podiums Simon Crafar and Max Neukirchner in the 50^th place of all-time.

10 – There were no Hondas inside the top in either full races. The last time that happened was at Magny-Cours 2020, when their best finish was a 12^th by Alvaro Bautista in Race 1.

9 – Locatelli has now achieved nine consecutive top five finishes at the start of the season.

6 – Six poles for Bautista, who is now level with John Kocinski and Cal Crutchlow.

6 – Remy Gardner’s (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) sixth in Race 2 was his best result so far in 2023, the first top six by an Australian rider in WorldSBK since Anthony West’s P5 at Sepang in Race 2, 2016.

5 – The triple at Assen was Bautista’s fifth in WorldSBK, after Phillip Island 2019, Buriram 2019, Barcelona-Catalunya 2022, Phillip Island 2013 and Assen 2023. 

4 – Best result in WorldSBK by a Swiss rider, Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) took fourth in Race 2, beating Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing). Bassani is fourth in the Championship, with 77 points and top Independent.

3 – Three points for Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) with 13^th in Race 2, his best finish of 2023.

1 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) scored his first point of the season in Race 2 at Assen. He moves into the top ten in terms of points-scoring length: his first points came as a seventh at Brands Hatch in 2008’s Race. The interval is now at 14 years, eight months and 20 days. If he scores points after August 3^rd, his spell will be at over 15 years.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The Pirelli Dutch Round at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands played host to round thee of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and as usual, there were plenty of stories to get our teeth into from the Sunday afternoon debriefs. From rivals talking about tactics, a Champion’s future in doubt and a famous MotoGP™ chicane showdown replica, here are Assen’s hot headlines.

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “I said after the third round, I’ll take my decision… personal life is becoming more special, more important”

With his future not decided, we can expect an announcement about Alvaro Bautista’s plans soon: “Before the season started, I said after the third round, I’ll take a decision. I’ll have one and a half weeks at home with my daughters and I’ll ask them what their opinion is. My daughters start to get older and they realise that daddy is out, travelling, not at home, so it’s not easy. I’m really happy with my performance and my professional life, but now the personal life is becoming more special and more important. I’ll try to take a decision for me, my family and the team as soon as possible.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): ”I push so hard but don’t get what I want”

Andrea Locatelli mounted the Assen podium for the third year running but stated it’s getting harder: “It’s a good track for me as it flows, but this year for me was more difficult than last year and the first year. In 2021, I had an incredible rhythm here and I was fighting for the podium in the Superpole Race. It’s not easy in Superbike and I think that the track conditions were a little bit different with respect to 2021. Every weekend, every year, something is different. Sometimes I find some difficulties with the bike, and I am fighting a lot with it, and in the past, it was easier to get a podium. Now, I have more confidence and I push so hard but don’t get what I want. This is a bit difficult, but I think I can show my talent and, in each weekend, we’re consistent and I don’t make mistakes.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK): “I asked Jonny “why didn’t you attack?”, then I can join the game”

2021 World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu was talking tactics in his debrief after another battle with his fellow ‘titanic trio’ members: “After the Superpole Race, I asked Jonny “why didn’t you attack?” because if he attacks, then I can join the game. I am also riding on the limit, if he tries to attack then maybe we are fighting for the win. But he didn’t try and in Race 2, I said ‘enough’, because I’m just following these riders; I didn’t wait for the first lap for the tyres, I just attacked and after a few laps, he passed me again. I tried my best in the race and at the beginning, I’m pushing 200%. Everyone is doing their best, but it wasn’t good for Jonny with a crash in Race 2; he’s on the limit like me.”

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “It was in his interest that I disturbed Alvaro’s rhythm… we need a major update”

Responding to Razgatlioglu’s ‘lack of attack’ comment, Jonathan Rea stated it wasn’t possible: “Of course it was in his interest that I disturbed Alvaro’s rhythm but it’s impossible! Barring barging into him, there was no way passed. Recovering from Turn 5… you can see on TV what myself and Toprak are doing but we only get there, and then it’s the same thing. Alvaro’s doing a great job and he’s got a great tool, so to pass someone like that when you’re already on your limit, holding your breath, biting the screen, it’s too much risk and you’ve got to think about putting yourself at risk.”

Answering to what Kawasaki can do besides a big update, Rea was clear there’s just one option: “We need a major update, it’s clear. I am positive because I am doing my best, but do you want me to tell you positive as in fight for a win and make it interesting? No. I can’t; it’s too far. Their advantage is too much. Kawasaki need to work, a lot, but I’m positive that I’m doing a good job, and so is Alex. We’re showing that we’re making progress but it’s not enough, we need a big step. Alvaro’s doing a fantastic job at managing the race; when you don’t have to be 100%, you’re not consuming tyre, energy – he can say what he likes, he’s sitting in the middle of the seat, his body language… he’s riding in harmony, it’s effortless. When you’re over your head, you consume a lot, mostly tyre. So, when you have a dip, he doesn’t. They’re doing fantastically well; we need to step up.”

Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing): “I tried to copy Rossi and Marquez, but I’m not Valentino!”

Always laughing and looking on the bright side, Axel Bassani once again stole the show, lighting up the media debriefs with a famous MotoGP™ chicane showdown: “We arrived at the last chicane, touched and I went straight. I tried to copy Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, but I’m not Valentino! The penalty is correct; I tried to stay ahead of Dominique, but he was better than me in the final three laps. In the next race, we’ll try and stay in front. I’m not happy as I tried to stay with Locatelli to fight for the podium, but it was really difficult; Yamaha at this track are really fast. One Ducati was really fast, with Alvaro, but the other Ducatis were struggling a bit. Two top five results at this circuit is good for us. Sixth in the Superpole Race is good as it’s not really my race! We are really near to the podium, but we need to understand what we need to get there, and we’ll try to find a solution.”

Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team): “It was a clean move, this is 1-1!”

Talking about his battle with Bassani in Race 2, Aegerter joked how a previous fight in the Superpole Race had now levelled things up: “It was a clean move. He didn’t close too much to be honest but for sure I tried to ride on the perfect line to keep the pace. He had a great bike in the first part of the race but in the last five laps of the race, he’s much slower but to overtake, it’s still not easy! This morning, I passed him in one corner but then he got me back, so I think this is 1-1 now!”

Michael Ruben Rinaldi: “I’m not scared that in Barcelona or Misano, I won’t be there… I’ll be back”

A disastrous weekend for Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who detailed his woes: “This weekend has been the toughest. The problem technically was that in the braking zone, I did the same thing as before but the bike answers differently. The first thing I did was ask the team to check the bike as there’s something wrong. They didn’t find anything, so we started working like normal. Already in FP1, we wanted to make a change that helped me in the Barcelona test already, but we didn’t have time. The plan for FP2 was try a modification for the setting to find what I need. On the opening lap, I had a technical issue so I couldn’t try it. Then FP3 was wet. In Superpole, we don’t have time and you’re pushing 120%. So, the first time that we tried the solution was in Race 1. The problem was that it wasn’t the solution and I raced with the same problem, so Race 1 was my FP2.

“We tried something new for Sunday, and we improved a little bit, and I’m happy that we stayed calm, focused and how we worked. We can’t always pretend that in Free Practice we can improve the bike. This weekend, I couldn’t ride the bike, I improved during the weekend. My time of Race 2 was enough for top five in Race 1. It’s something that is unlucky and that we were slow to find a solution, but we didn’t find a solution. I’m m not scared that in Barcelona or Misano, I won’t be there. I’m just worried that if we’re unlucky, we’re not ready to face it. My bike and team are strong; I’ll be back.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Race 2 in the FIM Supersport World Championship came to an early end for Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) at the TT Circuit Assen during the Pirelli Dutch Round when he crashed with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) on the opening lap. Oncu was taken to the medical centre following the crash where he was diagnosed with multiple fractures to his left forearm, while Montella was penalised for his role in the crash.

Oncu started Race 2 from fifth place with Montella in seventh place and the pair were alongside each on the run into the right-hander of Turn 1. In the braking area, Montella moved to the inside of Oncu but the Italian, who was teammates with Oncu in 2022 at Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, was out of shape and hit the Mandalika Race 1 winner with both riders going into the gravel and out of the race. The FIM WorldSBK Stewards opted to investigate the incident.

Following their investigation, Montella was penalised with a double Long Lap Penalty to be taken in the next race he participates in. Oncu was taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash and he was diagnosed with fractures to his left arm: a fracture of the distal ulna and a fracture to the proximal radius.

Reacting to the crash, Oncu said: “I started strong and was heading into the first corner but as soon as I began to lean into the turn, I was hit by another rider and crashed. It was a serious, high-speed crash and I immediately realised that I’d hurt myself. Now all I can do is follow the indications of the doctors in the hope I can be back on track as soon as possible.”

Oncu had started the weekend strongly and topped the times in Friday’s two practice sessions in the combined classification, posting a 1’37.591s to lead ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) in second by just 0.005s. He took fifth place in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session but quickly found himself in the lead battle in the first half of the race before dropping back through the field to finish in seventh.

After the race, Montella said: “There’s not much to say about today’s race. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in braking and was too aggressive after making a good start, losing the bike and also hitting Can Oncu. I immediately apologised to him and his team, but I also want to say sorry to my own team. We’ll now work to prepare for Barcelona and try to find a little peace of mind.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Supersport World Championship returned to action at the TT Circuit Assen for the Pirelli Dutch Round, the third round of the season, and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) continued where he left off after the first two rounds of the season. He claimed two wins at the historic Dutch circuit to take his tally of victories in 2023 to four and to extend his Championship lead to 37 points.

Bulega claimed pole position with a lap record at the TT Circuit Assen as he set a 1’36.900s, two tenths clear of nearest rival Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Team). The pair had an early battle in Race 1 but Bulega was able to pull away from the field to claim victory, before a similar story in Race 2. He won both races with a more than four second margin to second place, which was Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in Race 1 and Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) in Race 2.

Reacting after his Race 2 victory, Bulega said: “It’s an incredible. More perfect than this is impossible. I want to say a huge thanks to my team because the bike was incredible. All weekend, it was perfect. I really enjoyed riding my bike all weekend at this incredible track. I love Assen. I want to enjoy this moment, but I also want to stay focused because the Championship is still very long, so I want to continue in this way and try to be fast in every race. I had to stay very focused because it was very easy to make a mistake in this situation. When you are alone, you have to stay focused on yourself and on your bike. It’s difficult. I’m happy because we didn’t make any mistakes.”

Bulega is the only repeat winner so far in the 2023 campaign and has four race wins to his name, while Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Caricasulo have the other two. In the Championship standings, Bulega moves onto 127 points out of a possible 150 available after three rounds, and he is 37 points clear of Manzi in second place. Bulega’s fourth win put him level with Jamie Whitham, Chris Vermeulen, Kevin Curtain and Lorenzo Baldassarri in 23^rd place in the all-time list of WorldSSP winners, while it was also his 14^th podium in the Championship.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) may sport a 56-point lead in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race but after a triple at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands, he’s spoken out against those who state that the bike is the only reason. Bautista has been the highest performing Ducati rider in 2023 and also in 2022 and 2019 – his other two seasons aboard the machine – and has now made his point clear.

“Maybe for the others, the couple is not so nice… you need it all together”

Asked in his media debrief on Sunday afternoon whether it is him who is able to make the difference or the bike and why other Ducati riders struggled at the weekend, Bautista replied: “I think it’s a couple. Maybe it’s because for the others, the couple is not so nice and it’s important that you have a good team with a good setup to go fast. It’s not only the bike, nor only the rider, can win. You need something more; you need it all together.

“It doesn’t matter what people think… I invite them to ride this bike”

“Many people say, ‘Alvaro only wins because the bike is a rocket’, but then why don’t the other rockets win? Or, ‘Alvaro wins because he’s 20kg less than Toprak for example’, but OK, Michael Ruben Rinaldi is more or less my weight and he struggles a bit more. At the end, for me, it doesn’t matter what people think. I know what the feeling of the bike is and to ride in this way, it isn’t easy. I have to put a lot of effort to ride this bike.”

On the subject, Bautista openly invited those who think that his job is easy to try the Ducati Panigale V4 R, and that his MotoGP™ experience is the secret to his success: “I invite all the people to ride this bike; the bike is nice but you have to ride the bike in this way and have the confidence to do so in order to go fast. There is a step that you need to pass and if you don’t pass, then you’ll never go fast. The way to ride this bike is more of a MotoGP™ style, and here there aren’t a lot of MotoGP™ riders. I had the luck to race there and I can use that experience to ride the bike and have the confidence to ride the bike like this. I think it’s the combination: it’s not a bike, rider or team, it’s the combination.”

“I’ve never had this feeling with the bike… this is the best Bautista”

The reigning World Champion then turned his attention to this being one of the best moments in his career, citing that it’s the “best Bautista” possible: “We have to be focused on the present and try to keep this feeling with the bike because I think, in all of my career, I’ve never had this feeling with the bike. This is the best Bautista, if you give me four more, I don’t have it. If riders go faster, then I can’t stay with them. I’m happy, not just to win races because if two riders went faster than me but I have this feeling and finish third, then I can be happy because I got the most from the bike.”

BASSANI DEFENDS BAUTISTA: “Only Alvaro rides like this… if I do the same, I am slow”

Likewise talking in his media debriefs, Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing), the next-highest Ducati in the standings and top Independent in fourth overall, shared a similar view, and that the style to ride the Ducati can’t always be a replica of Bautista’s: “Only Alvaro rides like this; if me, Danilo, Michael or Philipp ride like Alvaro, we are not fast. His style is OK for him, but not for us. It’s really difficult to do the same because if I do the same, I am slow as it isn’t my style. Danilo is also an ex-MotoGP™ rider… I am 20kg more than Alvaro so it’s not easy. We ride it like a MotoGP™ bike by picking it up, but it doesn’t work.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The TT Circuit Assen marked the start of the 2023 Northern Talent Cup racing action and there was drama everywhere in the two races, which took place across the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s Pirelli Dutch Round. Two brothers claimed victories in the NTC across the weekend with Levin and Lennox Phommara winning Race 1 and Race 2 respectively.

LEVIN PHOMMARA RISES TO THE TOP: siblings share the podium

Swiss rider Levin Phommara (Team Phommara) claimed the first victory of the season in style at the famous TT Circuit Assen, finishing ahead of home hero Jurrien Van Crugten (BB64 Academy) and his brother, Lennox Phommara (Team Phommara), whom he beat by a whopping 25.303s in what proved to be a fascinating first encounter of the 2023 Northern Talent Cup. Conditions were tricky as moments before the race start the rain began to fall, with veterans and front row starters Rocco Sessler (MCA Racing) and Julius Frellsen (MCA Racing) dropping down the running order as the race progressed.

As the lights went out, it was Lenoxx Phommara who managed to grab the holeshot ahead of Dutchman Van Crugten, who had made a great start from fifth on the grid. It wasn’t long though before Levin Phommara, who had started in 11th position, made his way to the front with an incisive overtake on Van Crugten, followed by a sweet move up the inside of Lenoxx Phommara to take the lead. From that point on only a mistake from the Swiss would see him give up first place, such was his confidence and prowess at the front of the chasing riders.

While the race settled down at the front, there was plenty of action elsewhere, with rain specialist Killian Holzer (HK Racing) surprising no one with his finesse in the awkward conditions. Starting in 10th he made his way quickly to fifth position where he had a long battle with a very much on-form Martin Vinzce (VM Racing Team) who defended expertly from the hungry Austrian. A last lap lunge by Holzer wasn’t enough as he was forced off into the green and had to settle for fifth place, behind the Hungarian.

Further back, rookie Antoine Nativi impressed in a three-way battle that saw him claim an impressive seventh ahead of seasoned veterans Maxime Schmid (Team Schmid) and Filip Novotny (DG Corse). Veteran Matteo Masili (Fairium Next Generation Riders Team) had a day to forget finishing in P15, and further kudos to Van Crugten who claimed the Fastest Lap with a 1’59.811s.

Tom Kuil (Beekman Racing) was ruled unfit on Friday following a crash at the famous chicane which saw him pick up an ankle injury. Rookies Luis Rammerstorfer (Heating Factory Youngsters) and Anakin Zelenak (JRP Academy Racing Team) were forced to retire following an incident on the sighting lap, with Zelenak paying a visit to the medical centre; he was declared fit following the check-up. There was also disappointment for home hero Kyano Schoo (KS Racing) who was forced to retire on lap 9 with a technical issue.

DOUBLING UP: Lennox Phommara takes incredible Race 2 win

Lenoxx Phommara (Team Phommara) made it a weekend to remember after taking a sensational win at the famous TT Circuit Assen, finishing ahead of rivals Rocco Sessler (MCA Racing) and Martin Vincze (VM Racing Team), following a closely fought battle between the three riders in the later stages of the race. Despite forecasts to the contrary, conditions remained dry for the race and provided the riders with a solid platform to showcase their talents.

It was Sessler who claimed the holeshot after getting a great start off the line, but he couldn’t hold the lead for long as the determined Lenoxx Phommara blasted past him before the end of the first lap. On the second lap it was the turn of Jurrien van Crugten (BB64 Academy) to take the lead and for several laps the race continued like this, the lead changing hands as the top three of Sessler, van Crugten and Lenoxx Phommara fought hard and fair for the lead.

Further back, it was Killian Holzer (HK Racing) again who was making his way forward from 10th on the gird, setting the Fastest Lap on Lap 3. As the race progressed the lead group welcomed new riders into the fray, among them was Julius Frellsen (MCA Racing) who proved his worth as he made his way briefly to the front. Van Crugten dropped back to sixth as he was replaced by Holzer who made his way into third position. It was then the turn of a determined Matteo Masili (Fairium Next Generation Riders Team) to get into the mix, getting as a high as fifth. But with 5 laps to go disaster struck! A collision between van Crugten and Masili saw the two riders crash out into the gravel, with an unfortunate Holzer getting caught up in the mix. All three retired from the race.

With four laps to go, it was the lead group composed of Sessler, Lenoxx Phommara and Vincze that caught most of the attention, a trident of young talent battling it out between themselves and swapping positions. As the race neared its end it appeared that Sessler would take the win, but a beautifully timed last-lap overtake from Lenoxx Phommara sealed the deal and saw him lead the three across the line to take a sensational second win in the category. Behind them, it was rookie Antoine Nativi (CTM 83 Junior Team), again impressing, who led duo Filip Novotny and Race 1 winner Levin Phommara (Team Phommara) across the line to claim fourth.

Next up, the Northern Talent Cup field heads to the Sachsenring alongside IDM for Round 2 of the 2023 season from the 12th – 14th May.

Source: WorldSBK.com

With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returning to action at the TT Circuit Assen for the Pirelli Dutch Round, it gave one rider a chance to continue their incredible form from the start of the season and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took that opportunity with both hands. He claimed a Race 2 podium with third place in the Netherlands, but he also extended his run of top-five finishes in 2023 to nine; the only rider to have scored a top-five finish every race this season.

Assen has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for Locatelli in his three WorldSBK campaigns. It was the scene of his first podium in 2021, when he took third in Race 2 and he recorded his joint-best WorldSBK result in Race 2 last year when he took second place. This year, he continued his run of podiums at Assen with third, also in Race 2, making it three podiums from visits to the iconic Dutch Circuit.

Reflecting on his podium finish, Locatelli said: “I’m really happy about Race 2, to be honest, because to go back home without a podium here from Assen would’ve been a bit sad! We need to be really happy and I’m also proud of the job we did this weekend. The conditions were really difficult. We didn’t find good grip on the rear. We need to understand a little bit more but, in the end, we got another podium, so we have to be happy. We got a lot of points for the Championship. It was a really good result, there were no mistakes, we need to continue this work and then we will see what we can do for the future. I’m really happy.”

Locatelli endured a difficult 2022 season but had an uptick in form in the final two rounds with six consecutive top-five finishes including one podium. That form has continued throughout 2023 where he has another nine top-five finishes to his name, making it 15 in a row, including four podiums. This podium tally matches his 2021 total, his best in WorldSBK, and is double that from 2022. However, Locatelli is still chasing his first race win in WorldSBK.

Looking ahead to potentially fighting for victories soon, Locatelli said: “At this track, we know we are really fast and have really high confidence. This week, especially, was a bit tricky for me with the rear grip. In the beginning of the race, it was really difficult to push. Honestly, I lost a little bit with the front group. But then I found a good rhythm and I could push. I don’t know why but we need to understand what happened, especially in the beginning. This was the biggest problem we found during this weekend. We need to adjust only this part and then we can be ready to push hard and to fight more with the front group. For us, it’s very important to try and start from the front row because, especially in the beginning, it’s not easy.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returned to action at the TT Circuit Assen for the Pirelli Dutch Round and Team HRC duo Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge would have been hoping to continue the step forward the team appeared to have made following two tests between the Indonesian and Dutch Rounds. However, it did not transpire like that, with the team’s best result of the Dutch Round a ninth-place finish.

Team HRC had brought upgrades to tests at MotorLand Aragon and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which included new chassis bracing and a new exhaust. The chassis bracing had the aim of increasing stability while the exhaust was for power and torque, with Team HRC aiming to improve their CBR1000RR-R machine under acceleration. The upgrades were first on display at Aragon before the team confirmed them at the Barcelona test just a couple of weeks ago.

At Assen, a circuit where Lecuona scored his first WorldSBK podium at last year, Lecuona was the fastest of the two in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session as he took tenth on the grid, with Vierge two places further back. However, in races, it was Vierge who finished ahead after Lecuona crashed out of both Race 1 and Race 2, although Vierge also went down in Sunday’s Race 2 when fighting inside the top ten. Despite the tough weekend with Honda scoring only eight points in the Manufacturers’ Championship, both riders were able to see the positives from Assen.

Vierge took 11^th place in Race 1 and ninth in the Superpole Race on Sunday morning, giving him a platform to fight inside the top ten during Race 2. However, a crash a Turn 1, which Vierge put down to a “mistake” forced him to retire from the race when he was running close to the top six after making progress from Saturday to Sunday on the CBR1000RR-R machine.

Speaking about the changes made, Vierge said: “I first want to apologise to the team for my mistake in Race 2. The team worked really hard between yesterday and today, making various changes to the bike. It wasn’t easy to decide what to do following Warm Up, as we didn’t have the right conditions to really check it, but we believed in our work and headed into the Superpole Race feeling confident. I was pleased with the way that race went as the bike allowed me to battle. I was able to finish top nine and that meant I gained a better grid position for Race 2. As that race got underway, I was feeling good and the feeling was there, allowing me to fight for the top six. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake through Turn 1 and lost the front, and that was the end of that. Not the end we were hoping for, but after a difficult weekend we did find something that allowed us to be up there fighting for a solid result. So, we need to take the positives and will now head to Barcelona, a track that can work better for us.”

Lecuona was unable to convert his tenth-place start in either Race 1 or the Superpole Race into a top-ten finish. He crashed out of Race 1 at Turn 1 when running in eighth place and he could only manage 11^th in Sunday’s eight-lap Superpole Race. In Race 2, Lecuona had one again fought his way into the top ten but a Turn 4 spill put an end to his charge.

Lecuona reflected on Sunday’s action, saying: “It was a tough day in general for me, the team and Honda, with me and Xavi both crashing in Race 2 and generally struggling at this track. We think we understood something about why the weekend developed as it did, so now it’s time to remain cool and focused, checking all the data and really understanding which changes to make to the setup of the bike, both for the next round and for the subsequent testing session at Misano. It’s true that last year I also had to save myself from some crashes, but this year we have crashed a lot. Having said that, thanks to the team, to Kuwata-san, Mori-san and everyone on the team for the trust they put in me. I trust them and the team and now we need to work and make the right choices.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returning to action after a six-week break, it was the iconic TT Circuit Assen that hosted Round 3 of 2023, the Pirelli Dutch Round. WorldSBK, WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 were all in action and there was drama in all three Championships at the Cathedral of Speed. The stunning circuit and incredible action gave the perfect combination for some epic photos and you can see the best photos from Assen in the gallery at the top of this page!

Check out more photos from Assen right HERE!

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The Pirelli Dutch Round proved to be a difficult one in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship for Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) at the iconic TT Circuit Assen with a best result of tenth for the factory Ducati rider. After a strong start to the season with two podiums in the first round and fighting for victory in Indonesia, Rinaldi’s Dutch Round was what he described as “really, really tough”.

Rinaldi was 14^th in Friday’s Free Practice 1 session and more than a second slower than teammate Alvaro Bautista who led the times. In Free Practice 2, he was in 16^th place but only completed three timed laps due to technical issues on his Panigale V4 R as he lost out on the majority of the 45-minute session. Despite limited running, his best time of Friday came in FP2 when he posted a 1’35.517s. With Saturday’s Free Practice 3 session held in damp conditions, Rinaldi was unable to use this time to prepare properly for dry races which all three were in the end.

Rinaldi find a bit more time in Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session as he set a 1’34.488s but this put him 16^th on the grid for Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race. He finished those races in 15^th and 13^th respectively, meaning he would start Race 2 from 16^th after not being able to secure a top-nine finish in the shortened eight-lap Superpole Race. He started strongly in Race 2 but dropped back in the 21-lap race before securing tenth place, his best finish of the weekend.

Reviewing the weekend, Rinaldi said: “It’s been a really, really tough weekend for us. We started Friday FP1 without the best feeling but sometimes this happens. Our plan was to find a solution during the weekend, but we were unlucky because, in FP2, after one lap my bike stopped with a technical issue. I couldn’t do my practice so the things we wanted to try, we couldn’t. We needed a normal FP3 but we faced wet conditions so we couldn’t try what we thought was good. Our practice was Race 1. I didn’t have the feeling with the bike so the solution we thought with the team didn’t work. Sunday was Practice 2, basically. I improved my time in the race. It could’ve been good for a top five on Saturday. I just think many things didn’t go in the right way.”

There is some solace for Rinaldi to come in that the next two circuits that WorldSBK visits are circuits he has won at. Next up is the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where he won Race 2 in 2021, followed by the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” a few weeks later; he won two races on home soil at Misano in 2021. Barcelona is also a circuit where Ducati have tested recently and Rinaldi showed some strong pace.

Looking forwards to the upcoming rounds, Rinaldi said: “I know our potential. I have no doubt that we can be there in the next rounds. I must understand with the team what happened today and this weekend because we must be quicker to adjust the setting of the bike. Like this, we missed points and the chance to fight for the top three in the Championship. We must be there. Even if we have problems during weekends, we cannot lose that much time to get back on time.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com