Gordon Ritchie | April 21, 2024
Sunday WorldSBK Race Two
In a race where spots of rain on the visors of the top riders caused the action to spread out and then then close up again through the race, a final spurt from Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) saw him claim his and BMW’s first win at the classic Dutch circuit.
In the end, after some fantastically close and battling action, thre were three riders in with a chance of victory on the last of 21 laps.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was second, with the luckless Superpole race runner Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) finally taking his coveted first WorldSBK podium. He was just over a second from his first win.
Toprack Razgatlioglu got some revenge for the Superpole race with the race two win.
WorldSBK ‘rookie’ Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati) was top independent rider in fourth place, but three seconds behind the winner.
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) was fifth, with Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Ducati) sixth.
Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) was seventh, Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
Eighth.
Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was penalised by three seconds for cutting the track without losing enough time when he came back on, ending up ninth.
Once again HRC Honda rider Xavi Vierge was tenth – but with Honda independent rider Tarran Mackenzie (MIE Racing Honda Team) only 0.103 seconds behind in 11th place.
In the championship, after three rounds and nine races, Bautista leads with 123 points to Razgatlioglu’s 117. Bulega is third with 109 and Alex Lowes – despite falling in the final race and effectively taking out Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) is fourth overall with 94 points.
Sunday WorldSBK Race Two
| 1 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
|
| 2 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+0.625s |
| 3 |
Remy Gardner |
(GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) |
+1.022 |
| 4 |
Andrea Iannone |
(Team GoEleven) |
+3.120s |
| 5 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+3.217s |
WorldSSP Race Two
A dry start and then a very wet middle of the race saw the riders in the final WorldSSP Assen contest come in to the pits change tyres, from dry to wet options, under the flag-to-flag rules.
An eventual dry line did not stop the riders who had already made their wet choices at the end, but it made for many changes of lead and track position, as those riders who soldiered on with slick tyres longest usually lost out at the flag.
Aussies Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) and three lap leader Tom Edwards (D34G Racing Ducati) were once again front runners – until Power fell and Edwards ended up 25th.
Glenn van Straalen became a local legend by winning the second race at home for the home Ten Kate team.
The race would be won by local rider Glenn van Straalen (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) after he picked off Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Ducati) with four laps to go.
Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) was closing in on the Dutch rider at pace but he would have to settle for second, with Tuuli third.
Niccolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Ducati) was fourth, even after some off track adventures, with Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) fifth.
A great ride from Kaito Toba (PETRONAS MIE Honda Team) gave him his best result of sixth, while a seventh place for Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) saw him leave Assen without his previous championship leading status intact.
After Lorenzo Baldassarri (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Ducati) was disqualified for a technical infraction Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) was eighth, Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) ninth and local wild card Twan Smits (Team Apreco Yamaha) tenth.
In the championship, after three rounds and six races, Huertas leads with 86 points and Montella is second with 85. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) has the same 85 points as Montella but is third after finishing a penalised 25th in Race Two. Schroetter is fourth on 84 points. Four riders with two points between them on three different bikes…
Sunday WorldSSP Race Two
| 1 |
Glenn van Straalen |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
|
| 2 |
Adrian Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
+1.352s |
| 3 |
Niki Tuuli |
(EAB Racing Team) |
+2.944s |
| 4 |
Niccolo Antonelli |
(Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) |
+4.167s |
| 5 |
Bahattin Sofuoglu |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+10.872s |
WorldSBK Superpole Race
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) overcame the usual tough action in a ten-lap Superpole race to go from eighth on lap one (after being pushed wide) to an eventually storming winner. He outpaced early and long time leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) by 1.5 seconds in the final laps, carving through to win by 2.6 seconds at the flag.
Bautista made it look easy in the Superpole race.
Third place went to the determined Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) after he got back past eventual fifth placed rider Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) and then he pounced in the final corner for third when frustrated Aussie rider Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) left just enough of a gap to let Lowes past. Remy lost out by just 0.148 seconds…
Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) was sixth, Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Ducati) seventh and local rider Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) eighth.
A rapidly fading rear tyre saw possible Race One winner Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) only ninth. Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) completed the ten-lap race top ten.
Sunday WorldSBK Superpole Race
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
|
| 2 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
+2.686s |
| 3 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) |
+7.403s |
| 4 |
Remy Gardner |
(GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) |
+7.551s |
| 5 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+8.177s |
Saturday WorldSBK Race One
Wet track conditions were evident at the start of the first WorldSBK race at Assen, particularly around the tight first section of asphalt. It seemed obvious that the track would dry out to some degree, so the vast bulk of the field ran slick tyres.
Only one rider chose intermediates front and rear and he would go on to win the race. It was not that simple, of course.
Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Ducati), riding as a last minute replacement for the injured Danilo Petrucci, was taking part in his first ever WorldSBK race. His inters suited the early track conditions so well that he was seconds per lap faster than the following riders, and soon built up a cushion of 24 seconds on a changing cast of second placed riders.
Spinelli’s lead was cut in extravagent fashion by the slick-shod riders behind him, and he was just about to be passed at two-thirds race distance by eventual second placed rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and third placed Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) when Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) had a sudden major tech failure. Oil dropping from his machine caused a red flag to be thrown.
Nicholas Spinelli and the Barni Ducati team pulled a master stroke to take a surprise race one win.
Amazing luck for the brave Spinelli and his rapidly fading inters. He won his first ever WorldSBK race, and the first for his Barni Spark Racing Team.
The race only went to 14 laps, not the planned 21, which was just as well for the Italian super-sub.
Off podium Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) was a strong fourth and closing in on the leaders. Fifth was early podium challenger Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and sixth was pole sitter Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) – who had more than one off-track excursion in the tricky conditions.
Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven Ducati) was an early force, but also an early faller in the opening race.
Local rider Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was seventh, with (Scott Redding (Bonovo Action BMW) eighth. Early lap podium contender Axel Bassani (KRT) ended up a season-best ninth and a rare top ten for Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda) saw him the top Honda rider again, with his team-mate Iker Lecuona not riding after injuring his knee in a practice fall.
An astounding race with drama on every lap, even if we only got 14 of them.
Saturday WorldSBK Race One
| 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 |
Saturday WorldSSP
Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) eventually took the win in WorldSSP Race One, which proved to be the odd-one-out on Saturday at a weather-affected Assen – in that it was to go the full duration of 18 laps. That’s more than the first WorldSSP300 race or WorldSBK Race One could do.
On a fully wet track the early WorldSSP race leaders were all on wets, with Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. Yamaha) looking good for a race win until very late in the race.
Aussie riders Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) and Tom Edwards (D34G Racing Ducati) were in podium contention until they too got passed in the latter stages by Huertas and pole man Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha). Manzi was finally second and Debise third, just holding off the local hero Glenn van Straalen (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha).
Adrian Huertas scored another win in WorldSSP.
Edwards was a strong fifth on his wet tyre options, with the advancing Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) held back in sixth.
Jorge Navarro (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) and John McPhee (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) looked set for podium challenges but Navarro’s wets took him to an eventual seventh, with McPhee finishing in 11th.
Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) was eighth, Lucas Mahias (GMT94 Yamaha) ninth and Luke Power tenth after his amazing front-running early ride.
One more WorldSSP race to go at Assen, on Sunday 21 April.
20
| 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 |
Friday WorldSBK
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) overcame high winds, some heavy rains and an occasionally dry circuit to lead the WorldSBK field on day one at Assen. The wind caused most riders problems, with both Bautista and second fastest rider overall, Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) commenting on how it affected them and their machines as they negotiated the classic Assen circuit in all kinds of track surface conditions.
Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) was third, with Independent Rider Michael Ruben Rinaldi (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati) fourth and 0.446 seconds back from Bautista.
Bautista is back to his best and topped Friday at Assen.
Jonathan Rea (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) was fifth at one of his favourite circuits, with first season WorldSBK sensation Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) sixth.
Thanks to his morning session time – before a red flag in FP2 due to a safety barrier issue and then a heavy fall of rain – Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was seventh, with his bother Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Ducati) eighth.
Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was ninth at his home round. The top ten was completed by Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha). The top Honda rider was Xavi Vierge in 16th.
2024 Assen WorldSBK Results—Friday
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) |
1:35.473s |
| 2 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) |
+0.211s |
| 3 |
Remy Gardner |
(GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) |
+0.354s |
| 4 |
Michael Ruben Rinaldi |
(Team Motocorsa Racing) |
+0.446s |
| 5 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Pata Prometeon Yamaha) |
+0.449s |
Friday WorldSSP
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) and his Dutch team-mate Glenn van Straalen (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) overcame some very Assen-esque weather changes to go first and second in Superpole – this year held on Friday, not Saturday, under the new regulations.
Manzi was almost a second faster than his team-mate on a day plagued by changeable weather and track conditions that only varied in their degree of wet and damp sections.
Stefano Manzi will start from pole in race one tomorrow.
Adrian Huertas (Aruba Racing Ducati) placed third. Anothr manufacturer took fourth place, thanks to Marcel Schrötter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).
Also riding for a Dutch-based team, Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Ducati) was fifth.
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Orelac Racing VerdNatura Ducati) ended his first Assen day in sixth place.
Fully three seconds back on the leader, Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse F3 800 RR) was seventh. The leading Triumph rider was Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph) in eighth place.
The top ten was completed by local wild card rider Tim Smits (Team Apreco Yamaha) and series regular Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha).
Aussie riders Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing MV Agusta) and Tom Edwards (D34G Racing Ducati) were 12th and 13th, respectively.
2024 Assen WorldSSP Results—Friday
| 1 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
1:45.203s |
| 2 |
Glenn van Straalen |
(Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) |
+0.990s |
| 3 |
Adrian Huertas |
(Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) |
+1.048s |
| 4 |
Marcel Schroetter |
(MV Agusta Reparto Corse) |
+2.224s |
| 5 |
Niki Tuuli |
(EAB Racing Team) |
+2.247s |
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