After a Saturday to remember for numerous reasons, the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads into Sunday with a very open mind and very open skies. The sun has finally come out and whilst showers are possible from midday onwards, Warm Up will have proven critical for at least the Tissot Superpole Race at 11am local time (CEST). On top at the close of the ten minute Warm Up, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) bounced back from Race 1 dramas to lead Sunday action in the morning.

After the #55’s Race 1 ended in a cloud of smoke, he bounced back in damp conditions and built into the session and took control ahead of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Honda’s Xavi Vierge (Team HRC), who was up inside the top ten in Race 1. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) clinched fourth, whilst Race 1 heroic winner Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) was fifth and again in the mix.

In the second group, it was a strong session for Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in P6, whilst Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) was seventh and will aim to fight back on Sunday after a second consecutive DNF. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was eighth, ahead of Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), who made it four Yamahas inside the top ten. Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) and Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) were the only other riders who went out, with the rest in the box.

Top six after WorldSBK Warm Up, full results here:

1 Andrea Locatelli (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 1’44.917

2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0270s

3. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) +0.491s

4. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) +0.785s

5. Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) +1.646s

6. Brad Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) +2.056s

Watch Assen from wherever you are and whenever you want with the WorldSBK VideoPass

Source: WorldSBK.com

Mallorca’s Marc Vich put in an exemplary performance in challenging conditions to take victory in Race 1 of the second round of the 2024 FIM Yamaha R3 World Cup at the TT Circuit Assen. Japan’s Takumi Takahashi and Poland’s Dawid Nowak completed the podium.

The 10-lap race was declared wet, meaning the 16 R3 bLU cRU riders had to start with identical Pirelli SCR1 rain tyres on the Dutch track, which was registered at a chilly 16 degrees Celsius. Polesitter Mario Salles took the holeshot into the first turns, but Cameron Swain stayed close and was able to make a couple of passes on the Brazilian. Unlike Barcelona where Gonzalo Sanchez took a huge advantage over the field, the riders remained tightly packed. By the second lap of the race the sun was out and Swain started to lose his feeling with the wet tyres, dropping a few places, while others felt more comfortable with the drying track. Salles saw his chance to make a break and pulled seven tenths of a second on his rivals, but Takumi Takahashi, Eduardo Burr, Dawid Nowak and Sanchez were all climbing up the standings.

The race was thrown wide open with five laps to go when the charging Salles and Sanchez collided at Turn 15. Both riders went to the medical centre, with Salles suffering contusions to his ankle and arm and Sanchez reporting leg pain.

The crash was deemed a racing incident with no further action taken and both riders are expected to take the start in Sunday’s Race 2.

The red flag was shown shortly after the incident, and with two-thirds distance having been completed the result was declared. Using his experience and cool-headed approach Vich had climbed into the lead during the drama and he took his first victory of the season. Japanese rookie Takahashi slotted into a superb second and Nowak completed the podium in third.

The Netherlands’ Indi Schunselaar scored points at home in tenth.

Race 2 will take place at 11:50 CET on Sunday April 21^st and you can watch LIVE right HERE 

FULL RESULTS – R3 bLU cRU World Cup – RACE ONE

Marc Vich, Race 1 Winner, said: “I didn’t know if I could get a victory here, before the race I checked my phone and it looked like it wasn’t going to rain much during the race and we had to start with wet tyres. I knew if I pushed in those early laps the tyres could get a bit worn out, so I waited carefully and when I saw the other riders dropping back, I began to push and kept a good rhythm until the end. I’m happy to win, but I would much prefer to win seeing the chequered flag and not the red flag. Tomorrow looks less wet, and I have some confidence knowing that I won even in the tough conditions today.”

Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Supersport World Championship continued to bring drama at the TT Circuit Assen, with Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) storming to victory on slick tyres. The #99 wins his second race of the season after charging from outside the points with 12 laps remaining to win Race 1 in the Netherlands.

BACK ON TOP: Huertas returns to the top step

It was a race of two halves, with Huertas’ gamble paying off, winning the race on slick tyres on a drying track. Behind the Spaniard was Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), who stole second place on the final corner – claiming a 16th second-place finish. Rounding off the podium and finishing as the top rain tyre runner was Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), who claimed a third WorldSSP podium and his first podium outside of France.

TYRE GAMBLES: a mix of tyres in tricky conditions

There was drama before the race began, with Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) pulling into the pits. However, once the lights went out, it was a perfect launch off the line for Manzi from pole position. It was a disastrous start further down the field, with Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) crashing on the exit of turn one. However, with half the track still wet it allowed Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) on rain tyres. Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) would also crash at the start of the race before Lorenzo Baldassarri (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) became the victim of the tricky conditions.

Debise eventually took the race lead and built a comfortable advantage. However, slick tyre runners got quicker, especially Huertas, who charged through the field to inside the top 10 with eight laps remaining. The #99’s pace built as the track continued to dry with a six-second difference per lap, allowing Huertas to catch and take the race lead away from Debise quickly.

PODIUM DECIDER: a dramatic last lap to decide the top three positions

On the final lap of the race, Manzi made his way into third position, charging to close the three-second gap to Debise in second place. The #62 made the move stick on the entry to the final corner on the final lap of the race. Debise ran wide, which put the Dutch crowd on their feet for a photo finish between Debise in third and Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) in fourth.

UNEXPECTED RESULTS: the battle for a spot in a competitive top 10

Van Straalen ended his home round in fourth position, ahead of Edwards in fifth, who spent the entire race on the slick tyres. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) was sixth, taking the fastest lap of the race in the process and finishing as the top MV Agusta. Jorge Navarro (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) was seventh, ahead of Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha), with Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) rounding out the top 10 finishers.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 1, full results here:

1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)

2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +8.149s

3. Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team) +9.180s

4. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +9.291s

5. Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) +14.695s

6. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) +19.375s

Fastest lap: Federico Caricasulo, MV Agusta – 1’40.176s

Watch WorldSSP Race 2 on Sunday at 15:15 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

A tyre gamble and a fortunately timed red flag allowed Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) to claim a stunning debut win in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, while it was also the team’s first win in the WorldSBK class. After bursting into the lead and pulling out a 25-second lead on intermediate tyres before his rivals started closing him down but, with the red flags shown at the TT Circuit Assen, the Italian was able to take a debut win during the Pirelli Dutch Round.

TYRE CHOICES: most on slicks… one on an all-intermediate call

Spinelli gambled with tyres by starting with a front and rear intermediate tyre on his Panigale V4 R, becoming a race leader in his first WorldSBK outing and moving four seconds clear at the end of Lap 1, before that increased to 14 seconds at the end of Lap 2. In doing so, he became the 10^th youngest race leader in WorldSBK history. At the end of the opening lap, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) and Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) all opted to pit, with Sam Lowes having an issue and dropping a lap down.

CONDITIONS IMPROVE, IANNONE CRASHES: Spinelli leads the way with a big margin

With conditions improving, riders on slick tyres were able to find grip and time, although Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) pushed a bit too hard and crashed at Turn 3 and he retired from the race. By the end of Lap 8, Spinelli’s lead was being cut with it coming down to 19 seconds as the track continued to dry. The fight was for second on track but a potential victory on the cards, with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) all in the mix. The #54 ran wide at Turn 1 at the start of Lap 9, which allowed Bautista and Alex Lowes through, but he remained in contention for the podium.

RED FLAG COMES OUT: Spinelli on top, Razgatlioglu just beats Bautista

At the start of Lap 13, the gap was down to 11 seconds as he ran about three seconds slower on his intermediates, with Bautista leading the hunt of the Italian. However, on Lap 14, Razgatlioglu overtook Bautista at the final chicane to move into second place and was soon on Spinelli’s tail with his pace advantage. However, with the #54 closing in, the red flags were shown due to oil on track after Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) had a technical issue at Turn 15 on Lap 15. It’s the first time WorldSBK’s had two debutant winners in a single season – after Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in Australia and Spinelli – since 1996 and only the third time in history. The red flag meant Razgatlioglu finished second with Bautista third. It was Razgatlioglu’s 120^th podium as he closes in on Troy Corser in second place in the all-time list, while it was also Bautista’s 94^th rostrum to put him level with Troy Bayliss.

JUST MISSING OUT: Gardner fourth, Rea sixth

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) equalled his best WorldSBK result to take fourth place, finishing just six seconds away from Spinelli, with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in fifth and Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) dropping down to sixth – still taking his best Yamaha result – but in what was the chasing group after starting from pole position. The last rider of the second group was Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) who finished seventh, just a tenth behind Rea.

BEST OF 2024: Redding claims first top ten of the season

Behind the battle for the podium was a smaller group fighting for the top eight, with Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) taking his best result of 2024 in eighth, finishing six seconds down on van der Mark but ensured three BMWs were in the top eight. Axel Bassani (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) was quick in the opening stages and claimed ninth, his best result with Kawasaki, with Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) completing the top ten to equal his best result of the season.

IN THE POINTS: Bulega’s Championship lead cut, Locatelli points despite technical problem

Bulega dropped out of the top ten to finish in 11^th place, ahead of Locatelli who was classified in 12^th despite his technical problem. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was 13^th after fighting his way up the grid, with Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) equalling his best finish of 14^th and Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) completing the points scorers.

Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW), Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda), Philipp Oettl (GMT94 Yamaha) and Sam Lowes were the last classified riders. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) retired after a technical problem, with Tito Rabat (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Iannone also non-finishers.

The top six from WorldSBK Race 1, full results here:

1 Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team)

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +1.979s

3. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +2.089s

4. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +4.851s

5. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +5.147s

6. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +5.376s

Fastest lap: Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW – 1’35.777s

Don’t miss tomorrow’s Tissot Superpole Race at 11:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) returned to the front of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field by claiming pole position in Saturday morning’s Tissot Superpole session and backing that up with a top-six finish in Race 1. Although it wasn’t the rostrum, he and everyone at Yamaha would’ve been hoping for, it was a best Yamaha finish for the #65 and he was just a few seconds away from the podium at the TT Circuit Assen.

The rain came down at the start of the Superpole session although it didn’t wet the track too much more, with it drying out towards the end of the 15-minute session. Rea spent the entire session out on track, gradually improving his time to a 1’42.650s to claim pole by a tenth ahead of Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). It was his first Yamaha pole, the 44^th of his career and Great Britain’s 160^th.

Discussing his pole, Rea said: “I really enjoyed the Superpole session because I felt at one with the bike, even in the tricky conditions. Lap after lap, I felt the rhythm. You never know how fast to go because there’s a lot of risk, but the track was damp and drying out. That overheats the tyres, and you move around. I kept thinking someone would come in for an intermediate, but I had no time left, so when I saw P1 on my pitboard, I was so happy. Not just me but all the guys in the team, we needed this lift. It’s nice for Yamaha too.”

In Race 1, Rea dropped down the order to sixth, but it was still his best Yamaha result, even if the #65 would’ve been hoping for a podium or more after lining up from pole. With tricky conditions, and rain falling before the race but stopping and the track drying enough in most points for riders to use slick tyres, it was chaotic with a group of five or six riders behind race winner Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team).

On his race, Rea said: “It set up us for the race to make a good start. I got the holeshot but, in the first part, you never want to be the guy leading in those conditions because you don’t know how slippery it is. I made a couple of mistakes. The defining moment of my race was probably ‘Loka’ coming through at the last corner, I lost two positions just off the back of the group. I had a huge moment between Turns 2 and 3. Aside from that, you had to be patient until the track dried out. The track almost got completely dry, there was a dry line through sector one, and the rest of the track dried throughout the race. There are some areas we need to improve the bike tomorrow. A real shame the red flag came out because I felt like I was making some progress at the end. I could smell a podium, but I was just too far away.”

Can Rea get a rostrum on Sunday? Find out using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Race 1 at the TT Circuit Assen for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship did not disappoint, with Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claiming his fifth podium with BMW in just his seventh race with the German manufacturer. Razgatlioglu was catching race winner Nicolas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) in a race which was red flagged with seven laps remaining due to track conditions.

Throughout the whole race, Razgatlioglu battled with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing—Ducati), with positions between the WorldSBK Champions changing on every lap. However, the #54 overtook at the final corner, with the red flag coming out just half a lap later.

Speaking after a tricky race, Razgatlioglu said: “It’s the first time I’m racing this bike in these difficult conditions. The first set up was full wet, but everyone used slick tyres and tried to find a good line. In general, in the first laps, I’m just watching other riders. I saw some dry lines, so I started pushing. I needed one more lap for the victory, but this is racing, we saw the red flag, and everything is finished. I was fighting with Alvaro. In general, I’m happy because we got a podium again. It looks like we’re strong but we’re still learning.”

The race winner was Spinelli, who was announced as a replacement rider for Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) for Assen. Petrucci is currently unfit after suffering fractures to his jaw and right collarbone. Allowing the Italian to cross the line to win on Saturday and become the 80th WorldSBK race winner and add his name to the history books as the 12^th youngest winner in WorldSBK history.

Spinelli was in the lead of the race at the end of lap one after making a gamble to race with intermediate tyres, while Razgatlioglu and Bautista were on slicks. The #24 was two seconds ahead of Razgatlioglu when the red flag came out, forcing Razgatlioglu to wait until Sunday to attempt to win.

Speaking about Spinelli’s tyre gamble, Razgatlioglu said: “I understood that he used the wet tyres, but I saw after the race he used the intermediate tyre. This is good because it tells me they also have very good grip. I went to the grid on intermediate tyres. It was easier to riding, slick tyres felt strange because of sliding. I saw Iannone’s crash, he touched the white line. I’m riding calmly, taking good points for the Championship. We got a podium, this is perfect for me. We have another race tomorrow.”

Watch more unbelievable action from Assen on Sunday using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

A new face made their debut in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the TT Circuit Assen and wasted no time in making their mark. Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) claimed an incredible victory in his first race, giving the Barni Ducati team their first win in the WorldSBK class. The #24 was the only rider to use an all-intermediate combination and it paid off as he built up an incredible gap before a well-timed red flag from Spinelli’s view helped him to victory.

SPINELLI’S STORY: P11, intermediate tyres… victory

The Italian was quick in a wet Tissot Superpole session and took 11^th place on the grid, showing his wet weather prowess which he did in WorldSSP last year with a podium in Australia. Using the intermediate tyres, he surged up the order to take the lead on the opening lap and opened up a gap of around 25 seconds. Although he lost masses of time in the final few laps, a red flag thanks to oil on track at Turn 15 allowed him to hold on for victory ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Spinelli’s win is just the third time WorldSBK has had two debutant winners in a single season, in 1989 after Doug Polen and Peter Goddard and 1996, with John Kocinski and Yuichi Takeda.

HIS THOUGHTS: “I won, in front of Toprak and Bautista, the name of some legends”

On the win, Spinelli said: “It’s incredible! My first race, I won, in front of Toprak and Bautista, the names of some legends. It’s incredible because I tried the Superbike yesterday for the first time, so when I tried, I said, ‘wow, it’s incredible’. Step by step and session by session, my feeling is really good. I’m very happy for the team as well.”

WHY INTERMEDIATES? “I didn’t have the experience… it was a team decision!”

“I made the decision because I don’t have experience with the bike,” began Spinelli when asked about the reasons he went for intermediates. “I said with my team that I didn’t know what the good tyre would be, so it was a team decision to go for the intermediate. In the first laps, I rode very well because I had a very big gap, up to 25 seconds, but in the latter laps, the gap got closer. When I saw four seconds on the last lap, I said, ‘it’s finished for me!’. Then I saw the red flags and for this, I’m very lucky, but this is racing.”

THE TEAM’S VIEWS: “He’d never ridden a Superbike… we decided to give him this opportunity!”

Reacting to the team’s first win in WorldSBK, Team Manager Marco Barnabo said: “We are very happy to have won this race. Obviously, we are sorry that Danilo got injured and couldn’t lead this race, for which he could and would have been a protagonist. Anyway, we are happy because it is our first victory in the Superbike World Championship. After Danilo got injured, we had to decide whether to keep the bike off or put someone in his place. We decided to have Spinelli, who had won the Italian Supersport with us and then for many reasons we couldn’t go on with him in other World Supersport seasons. So, we decided to give him this opportunity and to have won the race with him, who had never ridden a Superbike, and came here in really difficult conditions, it was very, very nice. Fantastic.”

ZAMBENEDETTI SAYS: “A special moment… an incredible race!”

In the middle of the pit lane celebrations, Ducati Corse Technical Director Marco Zambenedetti said: “It was an incredible race! I’m really happy for Barni, the team and all the staff. In the end Spinelli did a great job, he took some risks but I’m happy. A special moment for Barni, after many races.”

Don’t miss out on what will be a spectacular Sunday at Assen, watch it all using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship was back in action at the TT Circuit Assen for a thrilling race, with changeable conditions throughout. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Trafc Kawasaki) took victory after an amazing end to the race – stealing the race lead at the perfect point and making it count.

MAGIC FOR MOGEDA: Mogeda wins in an all-Spanish podium

As always, WorldSSP300 provided everything, with battles throughout the field, twists in the Championship, and unpredictable results. However, after entering the last lap in third position, Mogeda made his presence known – pouncing to take the race lead on the last lap and defending to the line to take his first win. Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) finished in second after a brilliant race from P7 on the grid to claim his maiden podium. Inigo Iglesias rounded out the podium and came across the line in third to make it the first all-Spanish podium in WorldSSP300 since 2019.

REDUCED RACE: a crash from Buis brings out the red flag

Jefferey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) made a historic start to the race, stealing the race lead at the end of the first lap from P10 on the grid. The first incident of the race came on lap two, with Emiliano Ercolani (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) and Matteo Vannucci (Pata Yamaha AG Motorsport Italia) crashing on lap two of the race. However, one lap later, Buis crashed on the exit of the final corner, collecting Julio Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) – bringing out the red flags. Buis was declared unfit due to concussion and would be transported to hospital for further assessment.

The race was restarted, with Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) starting in P1 for a five-lap reduced-distance race. The Dutch rider led on the restart of the race to begin yet another WorldSSP300 classic. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) pulled off an unbelievable save on the #26 machine. Meanwhile, Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki) and Samuel Di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) were the next fallers at turn five.

SPOTS OF RAIN: a drama-filled last lap

The final lap was filled with drama, with Iglesias battling in a 16-rider group for the race lead. Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PL Performances) crashed on the final lap of the race. However, Mogeda took the lead on the final lap of the race, holding his line at the final corner and crossing the line to win after a perfect drive out of the final corner.

INSEPARABLE: less than two seconds separate the top 10

Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) brought his Kawasaki to the line in fourth after Veneman finished fifth on the #7 machine – receiving a penalty after the race. The Dutch rider ended the race ahead of Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing), who also received a penalty and rounded out the top six. Ruben Bijman (Team Flembbo-PL Performances) was seventh, ahead of Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse), who was eighth after qualifying on the front row in the Tissot Superpole. Marc Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) finished ninth and was the only KOVE machine in the restart after his teammate on the #48 was unable make the restart. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) rounded out the top 10 in yet another unpredictable WorldSSP300 race.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Race 1, full results here:

1. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki)

2. Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) +0.083s

3. Inigo Iglesias (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.086s

4. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.658s

5. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.660s

5. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) +0.670s

Watch WorldSSP300 Race 2 on Sunday at 12:45 Local Time (UTC+1) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) claimed his first pole position for Yamaha in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship after a dramatic Tissot Superpole session at the TT Circuit Assen. The #65 had endured a difficult start to life in blue but he mastered the wet-but-drying conditions perfectly to take pole position at a circuit he’s enjoyed so much success at, with Rea joined on the front row by Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and 2021 Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).

SOME RAIN FALLS AGAIN: wet but a rapidly drying track…

Rain started falling just seconds before the pit lane opened to add even more drama to the 15-minute session, although the worst of the track conditions were towards the end of the lap even with constant improvement. At the halfway stage of the session, Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) was the pacesetter with a 1’43.444s before he went even faster on his next lap to post a 1’43.026s and even further to a 1’42.650s, showing the track evolution as it dried out, although he did face competition from Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who was just a tenth away from the #65.

TAKING A FRONT ROW: Rea to lead away the grid

Despite the track drying, times didn’t improve too much with Rea able to hold on to claim a first Yamaha pole position, and making it poles with three different manufacturers, joining Noriyuki Haga and Stephane Mertens and only behind Troy Corser with six. It’s his 44^th pole position and his first in 203 days, with his last coming at Portimao last year, while it was also Great Britain’s 160^th pole position. He was 0.094s clear of Bulega, who had been so impressive in the fully wet FP3 session. He’s made it three front row starts in three rounds in his rookie season. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) claiming third place with a 1’43.003s, around 0.353s down on Rea.

TWINS INSEPARABLE: Sam leads Alex in Superpole

The second row will feature Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and twin brother Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with the pair going from fourth and fifth respectively. Sam posted a 1’43.190s to lead his brother by just a couple of tenths and they’ll be hoping they battle each other on track potentially for a podium. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) has been fast at Assen so far and secured a second row start as he looks for a first rostrum in WorldSBK.

CHAMPION WITH WORK TO DO: P7 for Bautista, Spinelli impresses

Defending Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) will line up from the third row after taking seventh. It’s a season-best Superpole result for the #1 and he’ll be hoping he can repeat his feats from Australia and Barcelona where he was able to challenge for the podium. He’s joined on the front row by former teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) in eighth with Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) in ninth. After a difficult weekend so far, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) will lead away the fourth row, joined by stand-in rider Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) who took 11^th.

DRAMA FOR THE HOME HERO: tyre gamble fails to pay off…

Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had tried a tyre gamble by pitting for fresh wet tyres but a crash at Turn 5 on his first flying lap with the new tyres ruined his chance of hauling himself up the order. After he didn’t pit following his crash, he lost his last lap time and will line up from 13^th place.

The top six from WorldSBK Superpole, full results here:

1. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) 1’42.650s

2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.094

3. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.353s

4. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +0.540s

5. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +0.792s

6. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.983s

Race 1 is up next, and you won’t want to miss it! Watch everything from 14:00 Local Time (UTC+2) using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) won’t take any further part on Saturday at the Pirelli Dutch Round following his Free Practice 3 tumble at the TT Circuit Assen. The #7 crashed on the entry to Turn 16 and was initially taken to the medical centre for a check-up before he was re-assessed before the Tissot Superpole session after he suffered from a right knee contusion. Following his reassessment, Lecuona was declared unfit for Saturday’s action with knee pain and functional impairment on his right knee. His participation for Sunday will be determined ahead of tomorrow’s Warm Up session.

The 2024 season has proven tricky so far for Lecuona and Honda. The one-time podium finisher missed the Australian Round through injury after a crash in the pre-round Official Test, although he was back for Round 2 in Barcelona. He has a best result of 13^th this season – in Race 1 at the second round – but did not score points in the Tissot Superpole Race or Race 2 on home soil, after he was taken out by Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) in the latter.

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Source: WorldSBK.com