Whilst WorldSBK may have taken many of the headlines during the Pirelli Dutch Round, the FIM Supersport World Championship was also full of major stories and emotions as for the first time in ten years, a Dutch rider won with a Dutch team at Assen, the stuff of childhood dreams. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) rode a magnificent flag-to-flag race to come surging through the field, taking a career-first win to the delight of over 56,000 Dutch fans.

After a promising weekend right the way through and narrowly missing out on the podium in Race 1, van Straalen pitted a lap later than Race 1 winner Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team). He was sixth by the time the field had shaken itself out before picking his way through the field. Long-time race leader Nikki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) was out front and enjoying his best showing aboard Ducati machinery before van Straalen came though on Lap 15 and began to break clear. Huertas was likewise charging through the order and with a lap and a half to go, got into P2, demoting Finnish star Tuuli to the final place on the rostrum. Heading onto the final lap, 1.796s split van Straalen and Huertas and despite closing in, the #28 held on for a memorable career-first win, much to the appreciation of a noisy home crowd, his home team and the media centre.

NERVOUS THOUGHTS: “I started to think about whether or not I would win today!”

Speaking in his post-race interview, the 23-year-old was overwhelmed: “I followed the guys into the pitlane to make a pitstop as I thought the last sector would be dry but, then it was so wet so I thought that the grip in the rain tyre would be really good. I had a good rhythm in the rain and it was just incredible to do good lap times, close the big gap down but in P1, it wasn’t easy! I started to think about whether or not I would win today! I focused on the race and corner by corner, I made it to the finish line. It’s amazing to do it here in these colours and with all the fans is brilliant.”

When all the rain tyre-shod riders were in the leading positions, the #28 was 10.135s back at one stage, a remarkable effort to come back through the field. He spoke of how special it was to win for the team too: “It feels really good and it gave a lot of adrenalin because I was on slicks to start! Then, the public enjoyed it because I was catching up and they wondered if I’d make up the time or not but, in the end, it happened!

Speaking about how important his good friend Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has been in helping his career, van Straalen was appreciative: “Michael’s been really important and I see him a couple of times a week, training together and for sure, he’s important for this result. It’s for sure a dream to win here.”

DREAMS DO COME TRUE: “I was freaking out basically… the party’s going to be quite big”

After van Straalen’s post-race emotions, we caught up with team manager Kervin Bos outside an absolutely electric Ten Kate Racing hospitality and it’s fair to say he was more than delighted with the result: “It’s really, really unbelievable; when I started in Ten Kate 15 years ago and then joined the team in 2018, I said to Ronald and Gerrit Ten Kate, the owners, ‘the big dream is to win a race with a Dutch guy at Assen.’ Now, we’re in 2024 and we’ve won with Glenn van Straalen, at Assen – in orange, the national colour and the branding of the tulips, the Dutch flower – with all the fans going crazy and our hospitality… it’s a dream coming true like a kid. The young boy was dreaming to win a WorldSSP race at home and Glenn did it.

“That’s why it is even more special; there are some big contenders that also made mistakes but he was there and won the race, it’s just unbelievable. He came into the pits one lap later than Adrian Huertas, so after that, I was quite confident that he would be able to catch up as he was so fast on all the tyres. Then, he put the hammer down in the last five laps and I was really impressed because it wasn’t necessary to go so fast! I was freaking out basically! I can be quite calm normally but this is so special because it’s been quite mixed. The Championship leader, Manzi, chose a different pit window which was completely the wrong choice, so one side of the box was amazing and the other one was disappointed. What a day!”

Speaking about the celebrations prior to the real partying, Bos was in the mood to really enjoy one of the most special moments of his career in the Ten Kate Racing family: “I’ve already been 90 days sober but now I will quit it this evening! The party is going to be quite big, so I hope for a good headache on Monday!” We’ll catch up with Bos next time out at Misano to see how big the party was.

VAN DER MARK ELATED FOR VAN STRAALEN: “I’m very proud of him; It’s magic, they’ll never take away this win”

Meanwhile, Michael van der Mark likewise praised fellow countryman van Straalen, who replicated what the #60 managed to do for Ten Kate ten years ago: “I had to cry! It’s fantastic to see how he managed the race; he’s always very calm but when he’s on the bike he isn’t! He showed he could stay calm and it’s well-deserved. He put a lot of effort in to getting this seat with Ten Kate with his sponsors, so for him to do it at his home race, I’m very proud of him. It’s magic and they’ll never take away this win.”

DOSOLI ON DUTCH PROWESS: “I’m sure this result will give him extra self-confidence and motivation!”

Likewise sharing a moment to congratulate the #28, Yamaha Motor Europe road racing manager said: “The Result of Race 2 almost reset the classification; it’s almost like starting from zero, there are four riders within two points! It was really nice to celebrate in the best possible way the special livery launched by Pata Yamaha Ten Kate for van Straalen for their home race. To see the orange R6 cross the line was a huge boost for the Dutch fans! After a difficult start to the season, I am sure this result will give him extra self-confidence and motivation for the rest of the season.”

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The FIM Supersport World Championship’s visit to the TT Circuit Assen was an unpredictable weekend thanks to rain falling at different moments, with Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) one of the riders who mastered the conditions to claim a win in Race 1 and a podium in Race 2. The results meant the #99 stormed into the Championship lead, although it’s very tight at the top of the World Supersport standings.

Huertas claimed a front row start for Race 1 with third in Friday’s Tissot Superpole session, lapping around a second away from polesitter Stefano Manzi’s (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) time when he posted a 1’46.251s. In Saturday’s Race 1, a pre-race downpour made tyre choice and strategy crucial. Both Huertas and Manzi started on slick tyres on the quick-drying track, with the Ducati rider coming out on top by just over eight seconds ahead of the #62 despite dropping all the way down to 20^th at the end of Lap 2.

Looking back on Race 1, the Madrid-born star said: “It was an incredible race because, at the beginning, there were really difficult conditions. I was not aiming for the win at the start, I was just trying to stay calm on the bike and then suddenly I was feeling better and starting to recover and then I was P6, P3 and then P2… I saw Valentin in front, I said, ‘Ok, this is my day!’. I tried to pass him, finally managed to be first. I’m incredibly happy.”

Race 2 was a similar affair, with the track left soaked by a shower before lights out but when riders were on the grid, coming in to change tyres would prove beneficial after everyone started on slicks. Huertas came in at the end of Lap 2, title rival Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) at the end of the next lap and Manzi at the end of Lap 5. That gave Huertas the advantage over two of his rivals and he capitalised to claim second place, with Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) – who pitted on the same lap as Huertas – claiming an emotional home win.

Explaining his tyre strategy for Race 2, Huertas said: “I think we were just trying to push at the beginning. I saw the heavy rain coming. I had a big moment at Turn 1 but then I kept pushing, I was comfortable, but I saw a lot of rain coming. The weather predictions weren’t what we were expecting. I decided to enter. My team did an incredible job changing the tyres, they were really calm and that gave me a lot of extra power for the second half of the race. In the wet, I needed to get used to these conditions. The track started to dry, and I started to get faster, but I was not fast enough to win. We were close but we needed more laps.”

With the results of the weekend, including Manzi’s non-score in Race 2, Huertas moved into the lead of the Championship. He’s one points clear of Montella in second and Manzi in third – both on 85 points – while Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) is fourth on 84 points with an incredibly tight Championship in store this season.

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Whilst the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship may have only just started, there’s big news surrounding the 2025 season as Bimota will be back on the WorldSBK grid. They will be partnering with Kawasaki in a joint venture which will result in a Bimota chassis with Kawasaki engine (plus allied technology), competing in WorldSBK. Not only will the donor Ninja ZX-10RR powerplant be familiar, but also many of the team staff as Kawasaki transfers its efforts into the Bimota racing program marking a landmark moment in the journey of the Kawasaki Racing Team after nearly four decades in the premier global racing series based on production machines that can be purchased at dealerships.

BIMOTA’S HISTORY IN RACING: WorldSBK winners with big names

Winners of the 1980 350cc World Championship fielding Jon Ekerold on a two-cylinder, two stroke Bimota YB3 machine, success was also achieved in TT Formula 1 with legend Virginio Ferrari aboard a YB4R taking the Championship honours in1987. No strangers to four stroke machinery, Bimota won no less than seven races in the very first World Superbike Championship year of 1988 thanks to Davide Tardozzi (5) and Stephane Mertens (2). Even as late as the year 2000, Bimota were still able to achieve a WorldSBK race win thanks to the late, great Anthony Gobert aboard an SB8R machine mounting the top step of the podium at a wet Phillip Island race weekend.

A NEW ERA: Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team

Recognising not just the legacy of Kawasaki in Superbike racing, but also the close cooperation and synergies between majority Bimota shareholder, Kawasaki, and the Rimini-based Italian manufacturer, the new team will operate under the title of ‘Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team’ for 2025. Fielding a machine jointly developed by Bimota and Kawasaki, the new team will play a pivotal role in the wider global recognition and market presence of the Bimota brand as well as being crucial in highlighting the hand-built craftsmanship and care that goes into the creation of every Bimota product. This wider appreciation of the Bimota brand and its core racing DNA is also expected to create increased demand and sales of Bimota street motorcycles. 

THE QUOTES: Hiroshi Ito, Pierluigi Marconi and Guim Roda

With this new direction for Kawasaki in WorldSBK, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kawasaki Motors, Ltd. Hiroshi Ito, shared his thoughts: “Bimota has an enviable reputation for excellence in motorcycle design and manufacture. As part of our vision for the evolution of this world-famous brand we see racing as a logical next step in terms of both product development as well as brand exposure on the global stage. Our commitment to WorldSBK is as strong as ever and we hope that this new racing project will energise fans of both Bimota and Kawasaki. The passion for race success remains and we look forward to the presence of the Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team on the 2025 WorldSBK grid”.  

Bimota’s COO, Pierluigi Marconi, commented: “The engineering, technology and day to day business support already offered by Kawasaki has put Bimota firmly back into the consciousness of the media and potential customers; now it is time to take a next step in our evolution. Bimota has had racing as part of its DNA from day one and to compete in WorldSBK alongside developing our new product range, while expanding the European and global dealer network, has an undeniable logic to it. With the unparalleled experience of the existing Kawasaki Racing Team experts plus the full support and cooperation of Kawasaki Motors, Ltd. in Japan fills us with pride and optimism. The Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team will surely form the foundations of the next chapter in the Bimota story”.

KRT WorldSBK Team Manager, Guim Roda, concluded: “In the past thirteen years, myself, and all of those at the KRT workshop in Granollers, have dedicated ourselves wholeheartedly to the Kawasaki Superbike project and garnered seven WorldSBK rider titles in that time plus numerous team and manufacturer awards. Now – after Kawasaki competing for nearly four decades in the Superbike World Championship – we are proud to be part of a new era forming the infrastructure of the new Bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team.

“For sure we will spare some time to reflect on and celebrate the heritage of Kawasaki in Superbike racing but we are also extremely excited to be a core component of this new Bimota and Kawasaki joint venture. This is an evolution for Kawasaki’s approach to the top level of production racing and we are honoured to play our role in this new project. I am confident we have the technology and human resources necessary to succeed and it will be a fresh, energising experience fielding an impressive two rider team in the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.”

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The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s visit to the iconic TT Circuit Assen produced everything you would have expected. A shock winner, incredible fights for the win and impressive overtakes that left the crowd in awe. Here, we have a look at just some of the best moves – successful or otherwise – that came from the three races during the Pirelli Dutch Round.

AROUND THE OUTSIDE: Iannone’s attempt on Gardner at the Geert Timmer Chicane

Most overtakes at the final chicane come by diving down the inside, but Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) had other ideas when fighting Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in Race 2. The #87 defended the inside line but with Iannone having a slight pace advantage at that time, he tried to sweep around the outside of the first right-hander of the GT Chicane. Gardner had the ideal line though and he held position, but it showed that it’s possible to try moves around the outside there too.

OPENING LAP OVERTAKE: Rea utilises Turn 7…

The opening lap can always bring unusual overtaking hotspots and that was no different at Assen. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was on the charge in the early stages of Race 2 with Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) just ahead, until they got to Turn 7. At the left-hand corner, Rea dived up the inside of the rookie to move into a provisional P3 as he went in search of a maiden Yamaha rostrum.

RACE 1, LAP 1: Spinelli makes overtakes left, right and centre…

With rain falling before the race, tyre choice was up in the air. Everyone except Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) opted for slicks, with ‘Loka’ on an intermediate front and Spinelli and intermediate front and rear. It paid off for super-sub Spinelli, who moved up from 11^th on the grid as he overtook all the slick-tyre runners to claim a stunning, and unexpected, Race 1.

BAUTISTA GOES UP TWO PLACES IN TWO CORNERS: opportunistic from the Champion

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had to make a dramatic comeback in the Tissot Superpole Race, dropping from seventh on the grid to ninth on Lap 1, before fighting his way to victory lane. The #1 pulled off an incredible two moves in two corners with four laps to go, first going up the inside of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at the exit of Turn 3 before holding a tighter line against Rea at Turn 4, moving the reigning Champion from fourth to third.

THE TURN 8 HOTSPOT: Gardner vs Razgatlioglu

A maiden WorldSBK podium was on the line for Gardner in Race 2, and he grabbed the bull by the horns. He moved into second place in Race 2 when he overtook Razgatlioglu at the right-hander of Turn 8 with Bautista right in front. Although he was unable to hold onto second following Razgatlioglu’s charge to victory, the #87 came home in third for a rostrum; something he’d been threatening to secure for a while but kept falling just short.

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Well, the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship just keeps on giving as the Pirelli Dutch Round at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands gave ENORMOUS milestones. With first-time winners, new Assen winners and landmark achievements, the post-round stats speak for themselves.

950 – The 950^th WorldSBK race is now complete; like the 900^th and the 800^th races, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) won.

430/330 – Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) gave Yamaha a 430^th podium place in WorldSBK and gave Australia a 330^th podium place in WorldSBK; the last Australian podium was by Troy Corser at Misano in Race 1, 2010, for BMW.

160 – Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) took a first pole with Yamaha at Assen, the 160^th for the UK too, increasing their advantage over Australia in P2 with 86.

121 – Razgatlioglu took his 121^st podium and 42^nd win in WorldSBK in Race 2 at Assen, meaning he’s just nine podiums away from Troy Corser in second overall with 130 and only one way from Noriyuki Haga’s tally of 43, which is the fifth all-time place.

96 – Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) equalled Troy Bayliss’ tally of podium in Race 1, making it 94, before going onto pass him and finish the weekend with 96.

80 – Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) became the 80^th different WorldSBK winner in history, the 13^th Italian and the first for Marco Barnabo’s team in the Superbike class.

65/5/1 – In 65 previous Assen races prior to the weekend, only two riders had won at Assen from outside the top five on the grid: Chris Walker from P13 in the wet of Race 1, 2006 and Jonathan Rea, also for Kawasaki, in Race 2, 2017. This weekend, all wins came from P7 or further back on the grid: Nicholas Spinelli from P11, Bautista from P7 and Razgatlioglu from P9.

23 – Nicholas Spinelli became the 23^rd rider to achieve a podium in WorldSBK and WorldSSP, both coming in tricky conditions (Phillip Island Race 1, 2023 in WorldSSP, Assen Race 1, 2024 in WorldSBK).

14 – 14 years since the last Australian rider on the podium, Gardner took a maiden podium in World Superbike, becoming the 134^th rider in history to achieve a top three.

11 – Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) took P11 in Assen Race 2, a career-best finish.

10 – Two top ten finishes in the long races for Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) in the same round for the first time since Misano last year.

9 – Only nine riders have won their maiden WorldSBK races: Davide Tardozzi (Donington Park Race 1, 1988), Doug Polen (Sugo Race 1, 1989), Peter Goddard (Oran Park Race 1, 1989), John Kocinski (Misano Race 1, 1996), Yuichi Takeda (Sugo Race 1, 1996), Max Biaggi (Lusail Race 1, 2007), Alvaro Bautista (Phillip Island Race 1, 2019) and Nicolo Bulega (Phillip Island Race 1, 2024).

8 – It’s taken eight races for Alvaro Bautista to take the lead of the Championship, achieved with a win in the Tissot Superpole Race. This is the longest it’s taken him, after he led straight away in 2019 and took three races in 2022. In 2023, like in 2019, it was immediate after Race 1 at Phillip Island.

7 – Gardner’s podium means he is the seventh Australian to achieve a rostrum for the manufacturer and the 34^th rider overall. The other Australians are Mick Doohan, Peter Goddard, Michael Dowson, Andrew Pitt, Kevin Magee and Troy Corser – Corser with the most at 22 but no win.

5 – First top five finish of the season in the Superpole Race for Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) with P5.

3 – Razgatlioglu is the first rider to win three races in World Superbike this season. His three BMW wins mean he is equal on BMW wins with Chaz Davies from 2013 and a third of the way to matching Marco Melandri’s nine across the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

1 – Razgatlioglu won at Assen for the first time, which was also BMW’s first victory there. In Race 1, his P2 gave them their first podium at the track.

3/1 – Rea’s pole position with Yamaha meant he’s the 16^th different rider to get a pole for the manufacturer. He also becomes the fourth rider to achieve a pole position with at least three different manufacturers (Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha). The others are Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha, Ducati and Aprilia) and Stephane Mertens (Bimota, Ducati and Honda) with three, whilst Troy Corser holds the all-time record with six (Ducati, Aprilia, Petronas, Suzuki, Yamaha and BMW).

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Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) went in search of a return to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship podium on home soil at the TT Circuit Assen, although he fell just short. The best classification for the #60 was seventh, but he was close to the podium and victory across the Pirelli Dutch Round, and he spoke after Sunday’s action about how he feels to be back at the front of the field.

Although he didn’t win, with teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu claiming victory in Sunday’s Race 2 as BMW’s highlight for their first win at Assen, with van der Mark crossing the line in sixth and just five seconds behind the 2021 Champion. However, he was given a three-second penalty for cutting the final chicane and not losing one second. That came after he was seventh in Race 1 and eighth in the Tissot Superpole Race, where he finished ahead of Razgatlioglu.

Looking back on his home round, van der Mark said: “It was nice to fight again for the podium and stay with the top guys. It’s been a while. In Barcelona, I was pretty close but today I had a chance to fight with them. I would’ve liked to have been on the podium at Assen; I tried, for sure! I came pretty close, but I think we have to stay realistic. It’s been a while since I’ve been in these positions and this form. I struggled a bit at the end of the race because I went back into my old habits a little bit, pushing too hard in the wrong places, which is why I lost the top group, but I should be happy that we’re making steps.”

Van der Mark fell just short of his podium target, but he did get to see teammate Razgatlioglu take a hard-fought victory in Race 2, which was impacted by light rain falling and dampening the track a little bit but not enough for intermediate tyres. The Gouda-born star spoke about the Turk’s victory after the race in typical van der Mark style, with a bit of humour mixed in his answer.

“The atmosphere is fantastic, I saw in the race how strong he was, and I made a little cheeky pass on him as well to wake him up a bit,” joked van der Mark. “It was nice to fight with him. It was fantastic to see him taking this win and I hope, soon, we will have two BMWs on the podium. You can always learn from Toprak, and we will even afterwards.”

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2024 was always going to be a season to remember but already, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has showcased a mega opening three rounds and nine races. At Assen, we had a second maiden winner of the season in extraordinary circumstances, a new Championship leader and huge passion from the fans, making this week’s hot headlines echt pittig from the Netherlands.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I almost cried! Many people come to support me… I felt the power so I needed to win this race to give them a present”

A massive Turkish following came to Assen to support Toprak Razgatlioglu, who was nearly moved to tears when he gave them a win in Race 2: “Everyone started to sing ‘Toprak, Toprak’ and I almost cried; many people come to support me and not just from Turkey but from all of Europe. The Turkish guys come and it’s family but it’s really important because I feel the power, so I needed to win this race to give them a present. I was just fighting for this. After the race, I was almost crying because of people shouting ‘Toprak’. Germany is close to Assen and a lot of people came from there; I’m happy for this and I think it’ll be bigger in the future. It’s good for the Championship too with everyone enjoying it. It’s been a very special weekend for me to win here and with BMW.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) “I think it’ll be a three-rider fight”

Talking about where Toprak is better compared to last year and where he’s weaker, Alvaro Bautista said: “Watching from the outside, Toprak was stronger on braking and entry to the corner last year, leaning with more confidence. This year, he brakes hard but on corner entry, it’s not the same; I don’t know if he hasn’t got the confidence or the bike doesn’t allow him to do it but for sure, on acceleration and top speed, he’s much better than last year. If he had the same top speed of last year with this bike, he’d be worse because in the flowing areas, he’s slower than last year. I think that Bulega, Toprak, myself – and other riders in some races – but I think the Championship will be between us. In all conditions, we’re strong so I think it’ll be a three-rider fight.”

Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team): “The team made the decision… lucky with the red flag!”

Speaking after his epic race win on Saturday, Nicholas Spinelli was rather humble: “I’m very, very happy because on Friday, I tried the Superbike for the first time. It’s incredible with a lot of power! With my team, before the race, I asked them whether I should do slicks or intermediates. The team made the decision as I don’t have any experience but it was very good as in the first laps, it was raining in the first sector, so I could get a good gap. However, when the gap started coming down, I was thinking ‘when will the race finish?!’ but I was lucky with the red flag! Top ten would be a good result but this is better!”

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) “What a f*****g idiot I am for leaving the door open to Alex…”

Despite a podium in the Tissot Superpole Race, Gardner was frustrated to wait a race extra for a maiden WorldSBK podium: “I said to my girlfriend before the weekend that if we’re going to get a podium, it’ll be here. I was a bit doubtful after yesterday and this morning… what a f*****g idiot I am for leaving the door open to Alex this morning! I as kicking myself big time… I managed to get it back on the box in the afternoon but I think the bike just works well here, I’ve been enjoying the track and the front end has felt good. Everything’s working, feeling good with the team and experience, putting it all together and that’s about it. Winning races in Moto2™ and the Championship, you expect yourself to be at the front anywhere you go. It’s not that easy to come from a completely different Championship with a completely different concept and go fast on a completely different bike. More than anything, what’s been hard has been understanding the tyres and what tyres work when. If I didn’t have the experience, I would have gone for the SC0 perhaps.”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “Every time I get a podium, it’s a surprise”

Nicolo Bulega maintained a bright mindset with P8: “Every time I get a podium, it’s a surprise. It’s difficult to get to a new track without testing, bad weather and be first for almost the full Superpole Race and stay in the front group in Race 2. We have to take the positives from this weekend; I know I won in Australia and in Barcelona, I did a good weekend with two podiums and here it seems it’s not very good. However, it’s been a difficult month with the operation and I wasn’t able to train like always. Assen is a difficult track physically too, so I take the positives and try again at Misano.”

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven): “We received support from Ducati but I need more”

Without a prior test for the first time in his WorldSBK career, Assen’s tricky weather didn’t help Andrea Iannone’s title charge, whereas he also called for more support from Ducati: “With one practice in normal conditions, we’d have arrived on the podium because we learnt. It was a complete disaster in the Tissot Superpole Race, the tyres went immediately and I finished without rubber; I arrived on ice! In the end, we recovered and it’s a great point to start at the end of Race 2. I think we can win but we need to work; we need to test and work. I don’t have the bike at 100%, especially on the electronics side. For this, I think to win and always get the podium, we need to work and improve my feeling. At Misano and Cremona, we’ll try to work a little bit more. We received a bit of support from Ducati but I need more. Well go to the test to try and improve but I hope I can have a little bit more support. I spoke with Gigi, Marco and everybody and they all support me but it’s the last details, it’s different. I felt like we can win. I need that everything is perfect and I push for that. It’s possible, we have a chance to win and I want to achieve.”

Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK): “It was a mistake trying to pass”

Talking about the crash with ex-teammate Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes held his hands up: “Jonny was doing the opposite to me in terms of he had a good start and was coming back whereas I struggled and went back at the beginning before coming back into it later on. Our bike’s been working great but it’s not the easiest to pass people on as we haven’t got the best acceleration. I got a really good run off the last corner compared to Jonny and broke later to try and pass him. Turn 1 was the best chance to pass but it’s easy for both to go wide or I go wide and then the other rider passes you back. So I tried to stop the bike a bit more at the apex so not allow him back through but as it got tighter, I crashed, all by myself but because I was passing him, where could he go? So, he hit me as he had nowhere to go; I didn’t smash into him or anything like that. It would’ve been another good chance for a solid performance but it was a mistake trying to pass.”

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha): “I expected to be more competitive”

A weekend with a first Yamaha pole, Jonathan Rea wanted more in the races: “Certainly, I expected to be much more competitive but a sixth and a fifth, I got taken out in the last race but it’s racing. What really sucks is that we’ve got four days testing planned but due to the resting restrictions, I can’t use all the days and we have to be clever with how we budget that too. I need time on the bike, the crew and the crew needs time to understand. We need to make steps forward with the bike in all areas; a chassis point of view, electronics and step by step, understand each other more. At Assen, I understood the feeling but riding the R1 round here, it’s really nice but like a completely different track. Different gear patterns at different corners but as you could see with ‘Loka’ and Remy, they did a really good job, so I just need to find that last bit of being competitive. To be competitive and win, I think we need to make a step as a team, manufacturer and a rider myself, everyone has to take responsibility for that. When you see how serious manufacturers are taking World Superbike, I feel like we need to take that next step now.”

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Sunday at the TT Circuit Assen was a mixed bag for Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with another MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rostrum added to his collection in the Tissot Superpole Race before a crash with Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) in Race 2 ended his race and dropped his former teammate down the order and out of the points-paying positions. It was Lowes’ first retirement of the season after he’d enjoyed a strong start including at the Pirelli Dutch Round.

STARTING ON A HIGH: third place in the Superpole Race

Lowes started the Superpole Race from fifth on the grid but was soon in the podium fight. He started the final lap in fourth place, behind Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), but ended it in third. He passed the #87 at the final chicane to claim his third rostrum of the season and start his Sunday in style, pulling off the typical Assen overtake.

Reflecting on the podium, Lowes said: “We used the SCQ tyre and obviously there wasn’t much dry track time this weekend. I felt great at the start, I was able to make some passes and the speed on the bike was good. Like everybody, I think the tyre didn’t quite last. I was having a good battle with Jonathan, and I just managed to look after the tyre enough to do the famous Assen last corner attack on Remy. It was nice to be back on the podium and a solid way to start the day. I think he expected me to not be there, he passed me quite easily a couple of laps before. He opened the corner right up and it would’ve been rude not to have a go!”

FINISHING IN THE GRAVEL: a collision with Rea ends their hopes

After securing a front-row start for Race 2, Lowes was hoping to utilise that for another podium. With rain starting to fall in the early stages of the race, it provided another layer of complexity to the battle, and Lowes was close to the podium fight. However, he came down at Turn 1 after a crash with Rea, with the #22 forced to retire while his former teammate was able to continue albeit well out of the points, finishing in 19^th.

Explaining what happened at Turn 1, Lowes said: “It wasn’t really an incident for him. I crashed up the inside trying to pass him. I could see he was dropping from the group a little bit and I struggled at the start on the SCX tyre, I couldn’t really get it going, but after three or four laps I felt strong, and I was going forward. I tried to pass into Turn 1. It’s a corner that really tightens up if you’re not careful you run wide, you can take both riders wide or leave the door open for the guy to pass back. I was trying to squeeze the brake a bit to make the apex. I crashed by myself and obviously, because I was in a position where I was trying to make the pass, he had nowhere to go. Nothing for him, my fault, I’ve apologised to him. He’s a good friend of mine. It was a mistake from me. I crashed and he had nowhere to go, sorry to him.”

REA’S VIEW: “Frustrated because you don’t need to be kicked when you’re down”

Six-time Champion Rea also gave his view, saying: “I was off the group. I lost the tow from Iannone, then Alex tried to make a pass at Turn 1. He stuck the pass, to be fair, but unfortunately for him he tucked the front right on the apex and I was just there so his bike collected mine. Down I went. I’m frustrated because you don’t need to be kicked when you’re down. It just feels like it’s hard to catch a break, but we can take some positives from the weekend.”

© Photos by Thomas Seidenglanz

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Alongside the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the legendary TT Circuit Assen was the Northern Talent Cup, as the Cup launched its 2024 campaign in style. It was as dramatic as you’d expect at the incredible circuit combined with ever-changing weather conditions, with Antoine Nativi (Racing Nativi Team) taking the Race 1 victory and Tobias Kitzbichler (Racingteam Kitzbichler) winning Race 2.

RACE 1: Nativi storms to opening win of 2024

Antoine Nativi (Racing Nativi Team) won the first Northern Talent Cup race of the weekend in Assen, his maiden victory in the category. The Frenchman was fastest ahead of polesitter Thias Wenzel (Kiefer Racing) and local hero Jurrien van Crugten (BB64 Academy) in the wet race interrupted by a red flag.

The NTC grid were all on wet tyres, but without Kyano Schoo (KS-Racing) and Delano Greven (DG Motorsport), both Dutchmen having failed to meet the minimum qualifying time, so it was just 22 drivers who started the thirteen-lap race.

Fast as lightning off the line, Thias Wenzel opened a gap immediately ahead of teammate Binder (Kiefer Racing) and Kitzbichler (Racingteam Kitzbichler) behind. On lap 3, Anakin Zelenak (Mass Sports Racing by JRP Motorsport), having made up six positions, crashed out of third place. Rider OK. With seven laps to go, Van Crugten was up to second behind Wenzel, but with a three-second gap to the leader.  Just as it looked like Van Crugten might make a push for the lead, Irmscher (Racingteam Irmscher) crashed out of eighth and the race was red-flagged. Rider OK.

On the restart of five laps, it was Wenzel and Binder with good starts off the line, with the Swiss taking the holeshot. The teammates battled it out until the German asserted his place at the front, though he couldn’t make a gap to the rest of the field. Van Crugten, who got a terrible start that saw him outside the top ten had risen through the field quickly and within a few laps was on the back wheel of the race leader.

On the last lap, a fierce four-rider battle raged behind between Nativi, Van Crugten, Phommara and Wenzel. In the final sector, Phommara went with an audacious move around the outside of Van Crugten and Nativi that almost saw him take the lead into the final chicane. It wasn’t to be though, as Nativi held his line and in a close finish took the chequered flag ahead of Van Crugten, Wenzel & Phommara. Van Crugten was adjudged to have exceeded the track limits on the last lap at Turn 17, following contact with Phommara (Phommara-Racing), so Wenzel was classified second and Van Crugten had to settle for third, and the final podium place.

Phommara, Kitzbichler and Binder completed the top six in this five-lap race. Local rider Tom Kuil (Zelda People Racing) finished 11th in the first race of the weekend.

RACE 2: rookie Kitzbichler shines in the Netherlands

Race 2 was won by Tobias Kitzbichler (Racingteam Kitzbichler) in stunning fashion, having led from the first lap until the end unchallenged. The Austrian crossed the finish line first after fourteen laps at the TT Circuit Assen, ahead of Dutchman Van Crugten (BB64 Academy) and Frenchman Nativi (Nativi Racing Team).

With the same grid as Race 1, in similar conditions, and with each rider that much more experience on the new Honda and in the tricky weather, the stage was set for an exciting rematch. The two Kiefer Racing teammates Wenzel and Binder made great starts and seemed to yet again establish themselves at the front of the race. Would it be a repeat of Race 1? Not exactly. On lap 1 the Kiefer teammates were left in the dust of a charging Kitzbichler who roared past and disappeared into the distance, 1 second a lap faster than his nearest rival for the first 10 laps.

Behind the Austrian, and with 10 laps to go, a battle for second place was shaping up between Van Crugten, Antoine Nativi and Ferre Fleerackers (Junior Black Knights). The Dutchman, struggling with the clutch at the start, had dropped as low as 21st, but like a rocket ship, he weaved his way through the field so that within five laps he had already joined the group fighting for second place.

In the end it was Van Crugten who came out on top of the compelling battle for second place. He finished just over six seconds behind Kitzbichler, but just ahead of Nativi and Fleerackers. Behind this trio, though at some distance, and completing the top seven, were Binder (Kiefer Racing) in fifth, Phommara (Phommara-Racing) in sixth and polesitter Wenzel (Kiefer Racing) in seventh place.

At the end of a successful first weekend for the NTC Frenchman Antoine Nativi sits atop the standings with 41 points ahead of Kitzbichler & Van Crugten, tied for second with 36 points each.

The Northern Talent Cup now looks forward to Round 2 at the Sachsenring in just under two weeks.

Source: WorldSBK.com

Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) continued to shine in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, even if the sun didn’t too much at the TT Circuit Assen. Fourth place in Race 2 was the highlight for ‘The Maniac’ during the Pirelli Dutch Round but his pace when the rain started to come down during that race was phenomenal, as the Italian hauled himself up the order to fight for the podium places.

With conditions all weekend inconsistent, even during races, it was hard for riders and teams to understand setups and tyres as they would have in a completely dry or completely wet weekend. Iannone’s Tissot Superpole result on Saturday was P9 – just over a second off the pace – with this his first visit to Assen in WorldSBK, and no prior testing at the venue unlike Phillip Island and Barcelona. Iannone showed strong pace in Race 1 before a Turn 3 crash forced him out of the race.

On Sunday, with the skies a little brighter for WorldSBK despite some rain hanging in the air, Iannone dropped to P15 in the Superpole Race before fighting back in Race 2. As he dropped outside of the top nine in Sunday morning’s race, he started from 11^th with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) taking tenth after he also fell out of the top nine. However, in mixed conditions as the rain fell in the second part of the race, Iannone surged through the field to claim fourth place.

Reflecting on his weekend, Iannone said: “It was a really strange weekend because the weather was crazy! In any case, we tried our best. On Saturday, we made a mistake unfortunately because we had really good potential. I thought we were better than Sunday. Saturday was important for Sunday because we learnt. I think we closed the round in a good way with a good feeling. In the Superpole Race, I destroyed the tyres immediately on the first lap, so in the second race we finished well and fought for the podium and victory. We are competing with the factory teams, this is good. We achieved a great result.”

The WorldSBK rookie was also asked about his feeling in the wet but drying track conditions, or when a small amount of rain was falling, with Iannone happy with how he performed in the challenging conditions despite still learning on his Panigale V4 R. He said: “My feeling was good, also on Saturday, with the half and half conditions, so the feeling with the bike is really good. Sometimes we feel a bit more inexperienced because we don’t have data like everybody, it’s my first year in WorldSBK and everything is new. We’re learning every day. We want and need to try to fight for victories. In the end, it’s important we always remember that this is my first year.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com