Moto Media : Superbikes at Assen

Superbikes at Assen

Tuesday 29 April: The Assen TT Circuit is in the Netherlands.

Masterful display by Guintoli as he wins opening race.

Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) has taken victory in the first race of the day at a drying Assen circuit in the Netherlands. The 2013 WSBK runner up has climbed on the top step of the podium for the fifth time in his career, the second one this year after the win he scored at Phillip Island in Race 2.

The race was classified dry and as the lights went out it was Guintoli who took the hole-shot with Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and the Kawasaki Racing Team duo of Loris Baz and Tom Sykes giving chase.

A red flag in the closing laps as Sykes was closing in on the leading Aprilia riders meant the result would stand with Rea finishing 3rd.

Baz took 4th with Toni Elias (Red Devils Roma Aprilia) and Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) eventually classified 5th and 6th respectively a great race long battle.

Niccolò Canepa (Althea Racing Ducati) finished a superb 10th position to end the race as the highest EVO category rider.

Christian Iddon (Team Bimota Alstare), Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team) and Fabien Foret (Mahi Team India Kawasaki) all fell but should be able to take part in race two.

After a lengthy delay because of heavy rain and with conditions visibly better, compared to the situation that forced the Race Direction to red flag the initial race, the riders started a new Race 2 over a race distance of 10 laps. Eventually it was race one podium finisher Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) that emerged victorious ahead of Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) and Davide Giugliano (Ducati Racing Team) who completed the podium in tricky conditions.

Rea achieved the 12th WSBK race win of his career, the fifth one at the Assen TT Circuit,

whilst Lowes scored his maiden podium finish in the series and Giugliano the first top 3 placement of his new adventure as factory Ducati rider.

Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Leon Haslam (Pata Honda World Superbike) and Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) rounded out the top 6.

Sylvain Guintoli crashed at the chicane on lap 2 but was fortunate enough to be able to remount to salvage 9th at the flag, behind pole sitter Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team), seventh, and Chaz Davies (Ducati Superbike Team), eighth.

In the EVO class, Niccolo Canepa (Althea Racing Ducati) came home in 10th having the honour of being the first EVO classified rider in the race.

World Supersport: Michael van der Mark takes first WSS win at home

Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) has won his first World Supersport race after an enthralling early race fight with pole-sitter Florian Marino (Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres).

The Dutch rider had the packed grandstands on their feet as lap by lap he edged away claiming victory by over 9 seconds with the added bonus of a new lap record.
Early leader and former champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Team India Kawasaki) regrouped after a mistake early in the race only to be forced into retirement with a technical problem on lap 13.

Sofuoglu’s departure resulted in a three rider dice for the final few laps with Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta RC – Yakhnich Motorsport), Kev Coghlan (DMC-Panavto Yamaha) and Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) to sort out the final place on the podium.

At the flag Marino secured 2nd as Cluzel was classified 3rd ahead of Coghlan and Zanetti. Roberto Rolfo (Go Eleven Kawasaki) finished 6th.

Copy and photos courtesy of worldsbk.com