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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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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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

Six weeks on from the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s last racing action, the TT Circuit Assen hosted Round 3 of the 2023 campaign and there were many ups and downs across the grid during the Pirelli Dutch Round. History was rewritten in the Netherlands, there were positives for riders at the front of the field but also some negatives in the lead group while there were difficult weekends for others as WorldSBK burst back into action for the start of the European leg of the season.

It was a weekend to remember for Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) as he claimed a hat-trick of wins to extend his Championship lead. Race 2 victory gave him his 40^th win in WorldSBK but it was also a momentous occasion for Ducati: they became the first manufacturer to record 400 victories in WorldSBK history and it was also their 700^th race on the podium in the Championship’s history. Bautista has now taken Ducati’s 350^th win, which came at Aragon in 2019, in WorldSBK and their 400^th victory.

At Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK, there were positives to take from the Dutch Round even if the victories they wanted did not come. Toprak Razgatlioglu was able to fight with Bautista through the first half of races at Assen, looking to disrupt the reigning Champion’s rhythm in order to stay ahead, while Andrea Locatelli continued his run of incredible consistency in 2023. In nine races this year, his lowest finishing position is fifth and he has already matched his podium tally from 2021, with four, and doubled his podium visits from last season. At Assen specifically, in nine races, he has three podiums in three visits and has never been lower than fifth.

Independent teams and riders also had positives at Assen. Although 2013 Champion Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will be aiming much higher than 15^th place, he claimed his first point since returning to the Championship after the start to his season was plagued by technical issues and he and the team will be hoping this is a turning point. At the front, there was an incredible battle for fourth place between Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team9 and Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing). Bassani took fourth place across the line but was demoted one place for exceeding track limits on the final lap as the pair made contact. Fourth is Aegerter’s best WorldSBK result to date, beating the sixth-place he secured in Race 1 at Assen.

As Bautista was taking victories in the Netherlands, teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi was having a difficult weekend. Technical issues on Friday limited his running and a wet Free Practice 3 meant he couldn’t work on the bike for dry conditions, with all three races held in the dry. He was 15^th after Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session and finished Race 1 in the same position. In the Superpole Race, he did make gains on Lap 1 but dropped down to 13^th at the end of the eight-lap fight before making his way into tenth place in Race 2.

While there were some positives for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) to take from Assen, there were also some negatives. Rea has 17 wins at the iconic circuit, more than any rider at any track, and he now has a record 25 podiums there after taking second place in Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race. Despite his incredible record, and showing strong pace, he was unable to pick up another victory and his weekend ended when he crashed into the gravel at Turn 9 on Lap 6.

After appearing to make a step forward in the two tests between rounds, Assen proved to be difficult for Team HRC. Lecuona left the Dutch Round without scoring points, after crashing out in Race 1 at Turn 1 and Race 2 at Turn 4 while he finished 11^th in the Superpole Race. For teammate Vierge, he claimed 11^th in Race 1 and ninth in the Superpole Race but he was unable to convert his third-row start in Race 2 into a strong result, as he crashed out of the race at Turn 1.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Home hero Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) had a premature end to Race 2 during the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship visit to the TT Circuit Assen for the Pirelli Dutch Round. The Dutchman had a highside during Lap 2 of the 21-lap race at the final chicane which launched him off his bike and out of the race. He was initially taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash, before being transported to Assen Hospital for further assessments on a suspected left femur fracture. Following the further checks at hospital, the left femur fracture has been confirmed for van der Mark.

Van der Mark had been enjoying his home round and took 13^th place in Race 1 before taking tenth in the Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday morning. The Dutchman had been looking to move up the order before his crash as he looked to give his fans on home soil a reason to cheer but he crashed at the chicane off his BMW M 1000 RR machine. Van der Mark had secured one top-six result in the 2023 season, which he came into fully fit after last year’s injuries, as well as scoring points on a regular basis.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The opening European round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship saw a return to form for Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), with the Ulsterman back on the podium in two of the three races. However, Race 2 saw him swap places and trade paint once again with his fellow ‘titanic trio’ members Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK). In the heat of the battle, Rea crashed out at Turn 9 from a podium position as he pushed for a first win of the year.

Speaking about the crash, Rea spoke of the incident and offered insight into renewing his rivalry with Bautista and Razgatlioglu, with the three most-recent Champions duking it out: “It’s unfortunate that the weekend ended like that as we have a lot of positives to take away. I lost track position with Toprak early on but when I got back through, I had a little bobble coming out of the last corner and he came back through into Turn 1. From there, it was difficult, because with Alvaro in front, it was able to understand the gap coming through the fast sections where I could grit my teeth and make up the margin coming through Turn 6 to Turn 8. With Toprak in the middle, he was also in between mine and Alvaro’s speed there, so I wasn’t able to fully gain. Anyway, I was there and I was more comfortable than yesterday.”

On the first race day on Saturday, Rea was in the fight for victory and led the opening eight laps before being passed on Lap 9 by Championship leader Bautista, who used the Ducati power on the run to Turn 13 to get ahead. Rea managed the gap to Razgatlioglu to secure P2 and his first dry podium of the season, but cited that front tyre wear was key in ending any hopes of the top step. With the improved feeling on Sunday, it’s a story of what could have been for the six-time World Champion.

“Going into Turn 9, I crashed on the front, zero idea how, we’ll have to check some data,” explained Rea. “There was some pressure on the gear cell, maybe I was putting some pressure on the arm of the gear lever… it’s been happening all weekend to be honest, but this one time, at Turn 9, as soon as I opened the throttle and engaged third gear, that was enough to take the engine breaking, lose traction and crash. Frustrated, but we have more positives to take from this weekend than negatives. I felt like I wasn’t over my head, so whether it was clumsy big feet or mechanically how the arm of the gear shifter was and maybe we can improve something.

“It’s been a tough start to the year but I feel like we’re competitive; we can expect to fight for podiums every weekend. This weekend, I felt more comfortable and I didn’t feel like the mistake was because of that. It’s a long season, we need to take the small positives and sometimes; a podium can feel like a win at the moment for KRT. We have to absorb that feeling and be happy with the job we’ve done, but there’s a lot of work to do. We’ll roll our sleeves up ready for Barcelona!”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship got underway at TT Circuit Assen this weekend with the Pirelli Dutch Round and Race 2 provided to be as unpredictable as ever as Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) became the first Brazilian rider to claim victory in WorldSSP300 in the Championship as he held off Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) with just 0.045s separating the podium trio.

THE FIGHT FOR VICTORY: 0.045s across the top three…

The race was as unpredictable as ever in WorldSSP300 as Maier held on to take victory through the final chicane, ahead of Vannucci in second place and Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) in third. The trio were separated by 0.045s across the line at the end of the 14-lap race with the three riders so close, they were making contact across the line as they battled it out for victory.

Maier’s victory means he becomes the fourth youngest winner in WorldSSP300 at 17 years, five months and 26 days old; behind only Unai Orradre, Manuel Gonzalez and Bahattin Sofuoglu. Brazil become the tenth country to win in WorldSSP00 and it is Maier’s second podium in the Championship. Vannucci’s second place gives him his fourth podium and Yamaha’s 70^th in WorldSSP300, while Svoboda doubled up on podiums with Kawasaki’s 140^th podium in WorldSSP300.

JUST MISSING OUT: in the top six and close to the rostrum

Fourth place went to Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) in the hard-fought 14-lap race at Assen as he finished ahead of German rider Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) in fifth place. Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) took fifth place and all of the riders in the top six took turns to lead the race at some point, proving once again how competitive and unpredictable WorldSSP300 will be this season.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: a fierce fight for strong points

Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing), who crossed the line in third place in Race 1 but was demoted to fourth for a yellow flag infringement, was seventh in Race 2 as he looked to continue his strong start to the campaign while eighth place went to Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PI Performances). Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) battled his way up the order to take ninth place in the classification, ahead of Enzo Valentim (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) who rounded out the top ten.

IN THE POINTS: leaving the Netherlands with points in the bag

British rider Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project), who switched manufacturers from Yamaha to Kawasaki for 2023, was 11^th ahead of Ruben Bijman (Arco Motor University Team) in 12^th during his first weekend for his new team; he switched from Kawasaki to Yamaha for 2023. Julio Garcia (Team Flembbo-PI Performances), who impressed last year as a wildcard at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, was 13^th ahead of compatriot Daniel Mogeda (Kawasaki GP Project) in 14^th. The last point went to Yeray Saiz Marquez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) in 15^th place and he also secured the fastest lap of the race.

Rookie Mattia Martella (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) was 16^th and just missed out on points in Race 2, but he was able to finish ahead of Italian rider Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki) in 17^th. Kas Beekmans (Sublime Racing by MS Racing), who received a late call-up for the Dutch Round, was 18^th ahead of Troy Alberto (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) in 19^th and wildcard Thom Molenaar (Molenaar Racing Team) in 20^th. The Dutch rider impressed in Superpole but was not able to convert that into his first points finish, but he did equal his best result in WorldSSP300 with 20^th.

HOUSEKEEPING: to note from WorldSSP300 Race 2

Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) crashed out of the race on the opening lap of the race when fighting in the front group when he highsided on the exit of Turn 5 and putting him out of the race. Mexican rider Juan Pablo Uriostegui (Team#109 Kawasaki) was a retirement after he crashed at Turn 8 on Lap 4. Lap 11 proved to be a difficult one for MTM Kawasaki as both of their riders crashed out at different corners. 2020 Champion Jeffrey Buis crashed at Turn 11 before Loris Veneman went down at Turn 16; both riders retired from the race. Devis Bergamini (ProGP Racing) crashed out of the race at Turn 7 on Lap 13 and he retired from the race.

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Source: WorldSBK.com