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

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

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

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

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

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Source: WorldSBK.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Source: WorldSBK.com

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

Check out more photos from Assen right HERE!

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Source: WorldSBK.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Source: WorldSBK.com

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

There was drama everywhere you looked in Race 2 for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship as Petr Svoboda (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) claimed his second victory of the Pirelli Dutch Round at the TT Circuit Assen after a track limits penalty for one of his rivals. Across the line, before penalties were applied, just 0.045s covered the top three but penalties for Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) and Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) meant Svoboda started his 2023 campaign with two wins from two in 2023.

THE FIGHT FOR VICTORY: two tenths across the top three…

Maier had initially crossed the line in first place but was deemed to have exceeded track limits on the final lap and was therefore demoted to second place. However, with Vannucci deemed to have committed the same offence, he was also demoted one place and dropped to third with Maier in second and Svoboda being promoted to first place to claim his first double in WorldSSP300 and starting his campaign with a maximum 50 points out of 50 to lead the World Championship standings leaving the Netherlands. 

Svoboda also claimed his second WorldSSP300 podium and it was Kawasaki’s 140^th rostrum in WorldSSP300. Maier took his second podium in his short WorldSSP300 career while it was Vannucci’s fourth in his WorldSSP300 campaigns so far as he took third place, as well as claiming Yamaha’s 70^th podium in the Championship.

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

Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) had crossed the line in fourth place but was demoted to fifth place for a last-lap track limits infringement with Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) the main beneficiary as he went from seventh to fourth ahead of Gennai. With Gennai in fifth place, French rider Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) claimed sixth spot with Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing), who crossed the line in fifth, demoted to seventh place.

COMPLETING THE TOP TEN: a fierce fight for strong points

Enzo Valentim (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) was classified in eighth place at the end of the 14-lap race with Kevin Sabatucci (Team Flembbo-PI Performances) in ninth and Italian rider Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) in tenth. Sabatucci was penalized with a one-place grid drop for exceeding track limits on the final lap at Turn 17, which was the same offence and penalty handed to Gaggi which demoted him to tenth place.

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 Julio Garcia (Team Flembbo-PI Performances) who was promoted ahead of Ruben Bijman (Arco Motor University Team) in 13^th; Bijman was penalised with a one-place penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap. 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.

Troy Alberto (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) took 16^th spot after benefitting from other riders being penalised for track limits infringements. Mattia Martella (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) crossed the line in 16^th but was deemed to have exceeded track limits on the final lap at Turn 17 so dropped to 17^th place. Alessandro Zanca (Team#109 Kawasaki) was classified in 18^th after he also exceeded track limits at Turn 17 on the final lap, dropping him from 17^th to 18^th, which late call-up Kas Beekmans (Sublime Racing by MS Racing) in 19^th; he was also deemed to have exceeded track limits on the final lap and was demoted one place. Wildcard Thom Molenaar (Molenaar Racing Team) equalled his best WorldSSP300 result with 20^th place.

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.

The top six from WorldSSP300 Race 2, full results here:

1. Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsport by SKM – Kawasaki)

2. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD Latin America Team) +0.055s

3. Matteo Vannucci (AG Motorsport Italia Yamaha) +0.205s

4. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) +0.392s

5. Mirko Gennai (Team BrCorse) +0.755s

6. Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) +0.955s

Fastest Lap: Saiz Marquez, Kawasaki – 1’48.962s

Championship standings

1. Petr Svoboda (Fusport – RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki) 50 points

2. Humberto Maier (Yamaha MS Racing/AD78 Latin America Team) 30

3. Samuel Di Sora (ProDina Kawasaki Racing) 30

4. Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez (Accolade Smrz Racing BGR) 26

5. Dirk Geiger (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) 25

6. Marco Gaggi (Team BrCorse) 17

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Round 3 of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has concluded and it was a memorable round for everyone as a raucous atmosphere with nearly 55,000 fans in attendance throughout. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) managed to make it a triple at the legendary TT Circuit Assen for the Pirelli Dutch Round, whilst the titanic trio were certainly back in action with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) back on the podium, although a crash in Race 2 left a bitter taste, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) was in contention with three solid podiums.

Top ten in the Riders’ Championship standings below, full standings here:

1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 174

2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 118

3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 104

4. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) 77

5. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 73

6. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 54

7. Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) 51

8. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) 50

9. Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) 49

10. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) 44

Manufacturers’ Championship standings can be found here.

Source: WorldSBK.com