Hannspree Ten Kate Honda’s Jonathan Rea stamped an indelible mark on the 2010 World Superbike championship today by winning both fourth round races at Assen in Holland – his third and fourth championship wins, the first of this season and his debut double.
Rea’s stunning weekend performance also included his maiden world championship pole position after yesterday’s Superpole and the fastest lap of the weekend in a dramatic and thrilling race two – setting a new lap record for the revised 4.452km Dutch circuit.
In race one, Rea battled with Troy Corser and Leon Camier in the early laps before stretching out a lead from James Toseland, who finished second, with Camier third. Race two was a stunning Assen classic, as the 23-year-old Rea traded places with Corser, Camier and series leader Leon Haslam, eventually leading Haslam home by almost two seconds.
Rea’s results today have leapfrogged him from fi fth to third in the championship points standings, with 18 points separating him from second placed Max Biaggi.
It was an encouraging weekend, too, for Rea’s Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team-mate, Max Neukirchner. The German, who celebrated his birthday just a few days ago, bounced back from a race one crash to record his best result of the season with ninth in race two.
Neukirchner has altered the set up of his Honda CBR1000RR significantly recently and has had to adapted his riding style as well. Starting from 16th place on the grid, the 27-year-old was encouraged to be matching the lap times of the leading riders throughout race two.
Jonathan Rea – 1st and 1st
You know, it’s been great, but I couldn’t have done it without my team; they gave me a fantastic bike today, so thanks to everyone – my crew chief, data guy, suspension guy, everyone involved. We changed the balance of the b ike quite a lot for this weekend and it’s made it more comfortable to ride. I guess you could say that today’s two races were probably the smartest I’ve ever ridden; I never got frustrated or caught in traffic and, when it was time to pull the pin, I did, and I’m really, really happy with the double. It’s a clean sweep with pole position, a double win and, I think the fastest lap, so I’m as proud as punch and I can’t wait to take this home. I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things and going to Monza but we’ll definitely savour the moment and I’ll stick around the hospitality this evening and definitely by the big boss a drink!
Max Neukirchner – 20th and 9th
We have changed the bike a lot this week and I adapted my riding style a bit better this morning in warm-up so we thought we could improve more in the race. The problem was that, although the settings were the same I hadn’t ridden this new style, which requires braking further into the corner, with a full tank. Anyway, I ended up losing the front, but brought the bike home. We went harder at the front and the rear for race two and it worked for me, so it feels like a great step forward today. I can’t wait to get to Monza – not only to close the book there after last year’s crash, but to improve the bike further. I’m also very happy for Johnny, who did a great job here this weekend. In fact, it’s been a good step forward for the whole team.
Ronald ten Kate – team-manager
It’s quite difficult to describe our feelings at the moment. Jonathan’s clean sweep this weekend happened to be completed in one of the most exciting races we’ve seen. His victories also put us back in contention for the championship race. The second outing also showed a breakthrough fo r Max who has been working so hard to change his riding style this weekend. It’s paid off with his best result of the season and the whole performance of the team gives us something solid to build on as we head into the middle part of the season.
Another podium for Max Biaggi in race 2 of the World Superbike Valencia round. After the second place in race 1, Max engaged in another splendid battle with Haga (Ducati) and Checa (Ducati). A struggle carried out on the thin wire of hundredths, considering the fact that the order of the final arrivals springs from the “combined” classification which summed the times of the two fractions in which race 2 was split, due to an accident in the third lap which forced a new start.
At the second start it was Leon Camier with his Aprilia Alitalia RSV4 who took charge followed by team mate Max. The Brit’s fantastic attempt ended in the 12th lap in a slide without consequences. But with those laps out front Leon showed great progress in riding the 4 cylinder Aprilia.
From that point on Haga, Biaggi and Checa took off in a race of their own. Max surpassed Checa several times, even approaching Haga in the sum of the times. He crossed the finish line in second place, but the classification which combined the times of the two fragments of the race “relegated” him to third place. A very important placing because it was obtained in front of Leon Haslam, in lead in the world classifications (123 points) now 18 points in front of Max, in a solid second place with 105 points.
Max Biaggi stated: “It was a beautiful race, entertaining as race 1 was also, there was a bit of confusion at the restart due to the filler left on the asphalt to clean up after the accident. I gave my best and we lost second place by next to nothing, maybe because of a wobble in the very last lap. I tried to resist against the Ducati but toward the end of the race with the tires worn, the two cylinders had an evident advantage, especially Haga’s. This is a positive result in the championship scenario. We’ll see what happens in Holland: one thing is certain, as always we will give it our all”.
“I still have a lot to figure out – said Leon Camier – I especially need to improve the feeling with my RSV4, above all I need to understand were and how to intervene to stay consistently out front with the leaders. There are a lot of little things that need to be adjusted and they are decisive in order to be quick. I believe that this weekend we took some important steps in this direction.
A good result is not far off”.
The streak of positive results continues for Max Biaggi and the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team. In fact, the Roman rider, astride his RSV4, took second place in race 1 on the Valencia circuit. Max, who rocketed out of the third box of the grid, maintained his starting position, then engaging in a tight and passionate duel with James Toseland (Yamaha) to take second place behind the Brit Haslam who, taking advantage of the battle behind him, was able to decisively increase the gap.
An unfortunate race for the other Aprilia Alitalia rider, Leon Camier, who got caught in a slide (without any physical consequences) in the seventh lap after an excellent start which found him gaining several positions until he reached and kept fifth place. The young Englishman’s progress is quite evident.
“It was a tough race – commented Max Biaggi – right from the beginning when I didn’t feel entirely comfortable. I battled and passed Corser and found myself in a battle with Toseland. James defended very well. It was difficult to pass him and when I finally did I was able to find my lines and my pace, but Haslam was too far up front and we were only a few laps from the finish. But it is a nice second place and these are important points”.
Leon Camier: “I was pushing quite hard when I fell. I braked hard over a depression and I lost the front end. There is work to be done if we want to compete with the leaders, especially in braking and covering the turns”.
Team Suzuki Alstare rider Leon Haslam bounced back from a disappointing eleventh place in race one to take a superb runner-up spot in race two in Assen today.
His main rivals, Max Biaggi (Aprilia) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) were unable to fully capitalise on Leon’s eleventh in the first race and Biaggi now trails Leon by twenty points in the standings. Leon’s lowly eleventh in the first race was a result of a loss of air pressure in his front tire and that meant he couldn’t push hard at all. At first he thought it was a brake problem, but he kept going somehow and collected five valuable points. Jonathan Rea (Honda) won the race, with fellow Britons James Toseland (Yamaha) second and Leon Camier (Aprilia) third.
Race two was an absolute scorcher – one of the best in World Superbike history. Rea won it, but only after the ‘mother of battles’ with Leon, Troy Corser and Toseland, which saw plenty of close contact involving elbows and handlebars.While Leon was able to celebrate extending his lead in the series, it was not such a good day for team mate Sylvain Guintoli. The Frenchman hardly recovered from his position in qualifying and never found his rhythm in either of today’s 22-lap races, finishing in 14th in race one and 13th in race two.
Leon Haslam – Race 1: 11th, Race 2: 2nd
Today was very, very hard, but I am happy because I have extended my lead in the series. In race one I had a problem with the front end and was struggling in 16th after five laps. I wasn’t sure if it was a brake problem, but when the bike was checked over after the race, the team discovered that air had escaped from the front tire. It was a real struggle to keep going especially when I was with a couple of other riders, but I was determined to bring the bike home one way or another. The team changed the front discs and pads (in case they were part of the problem) for race two and I was able to do a normal race. It was a fantastic race, with plenty of close contact. Elbows were everywhere and we were close enough to touch each other’s handelbars. It was very hard, but fair, and we all enjoyed it a lot. It must have been great for the fans and of course, having both podiums filled by Brits was also great.
Sylvain – Race 1: 14th, Race 2: 13th
This was a weekend to forget and I don’t really even want to think about it anymore. It didn’t start well and never really improved. It did get a bit better yesterday and I might have been able to rescue something if I had managed to find my rhythm today. But I didn’t, and having a problem with another rider in race two didn’t help either. I’m not sure if it was Sykes or Lanzi but there was an impact and that affected the steering of my bike. I was lucky not to crash, but I thought I might as well keep going and see what happened. The steering felt strange and I just could push any harder. I think it’s better I forget today and start thinking about the next race in Monza, because that is something positive.
A positive day here in Holland for the Althea Racing team with both of the riders finishing inside the top ten in both races.
Carlos Checa was again a protagonist of the day’s races, finishing fourth in race 1 and sixth in the second race, in what was a difficult weekend for the Ducatis, at a disadvantage with regard to acceleration and top speed compared to the four cylinders.
“It was great to see Race 2 from my position!” declared Carlos. “Unfortunately there was an obvious difference in acceleration between us and the four cylinders and we weren’t 100% there with regard to the rideability of the bike. Anyway the overall balance was not bad when you look at my results. We have a good package but we are lacking acceleration and speed compared to the four cylinders. I couldn’t do more than I did but I’m still fourth in the standings, in what will be a long championship.”
Shane Byrne was also satisfied with his results, maintaining interesting lap times in both races. “The pace was unrelenting”, said the Englishman, “and the races were extremely hard-fought. I couldn’t reach the leading group but I’m fairly happy with the results of the two races.”
Genesio Bevilacqua, team owner, commented at the end of the two races, “Today we saw the difference in speed between us and the four cylinders. I believe that with the current regulations it is almost impossible to do more with regard to acceleration and, above all, with regard to top speed. The rules penalize the twins. Carlos amazed me again in Race 1 while in Race 2, after a bad start, he rode another great race. Shane, in the first race, showed that he hadn’t yet found the necessary pace but then in the second he found a good balance. Looking at the times, he can improve further.”
Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike rider James Toseland made every lap count in Assen today, storming to two podium finishes and claiming hard earned points which move him up the championship table. The first race saw the British rider tear through the pack from his tenth place grid start position, making short work of his competitors with clean decisive overtakes, making up eight places to sit in second by just past mid-race point behind leader Jonathan Rea. An inspired overtake three laps to the end on the penultimate corner saw him temporarily lead the race, however Rea was able to get past at the end of the start straight, securing the win just 1.1 seconds ahead of Toseland. Team-mate Cal Crutchlow had a great start, making it up to sixth on the first corner before a bunched up pack of riders pushed him wide, dropping him to 13th initially. He fought back with a determined push and was the fastest lapping rider mid way through. He finally crossed the line in eighth having made up five positions on the tricky to overtake circuit.
Race two and again Toseland charged through the pack, making fifth position by lap seven. He spent several laps following a furious battle in the top four between Haslam, Rea, Corser and Camier before slipping through and fighting his own battle to take third. Positions changed several times in the tightly bunched pack however he held onto third over the line for his second podium of the day. Team mate Crutchlow had a less fortunate race, with a technical issue with the rear suspension forcing an early retirement. Toseland now heads to the next round in Monza having climbed to fifth position in the standings on 86 points, just 17 behind Carlos Checa in fourth. Team-mate Crutchlow remains in tenth position just four points behind Michel Fabrizio in ninth.
James Toseland, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (2nd, 3rd)
“We’ve had another tough weekend, especially Friday and Saturday, but we’ve pulled through. Once again the team has worked fantastically well, especially this morning, we had a new linkage system on the rear end just to try and sort some issues and it seems to have worked. It’s been a long weekend but to come from tenth on the grid and get a second and a third, two podiums is just a great result for me and the team. It’s been coming slowly, we’ve come from far behind in the first two races so it’s fantastic to be up there at the front and fighting. There are a lot of Brits out there, and we’re all racing at the front and doing a great job, everybody deserves to be in it. I’ve had great support from my family and friends and want to thank everyone for supporting me in getting back to where I should be.”
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team, (8th, DNF )
“It’s been a very frustrating end to the weekend for me, I know I had the pace to achieve really good results and be up there fighting with the front guys in both races. I made a good start in the first but lost a lot of places on the first corner when the pack pushed me wide, but fought back and was one of the fastest riders on the track mid-race. Race two was even more frustrating as I was determined and ready to fight for a podium. Unfortunately the technical issue was out of my control so there was nothing I could do.”
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager
“We had a great result today, especially considering how we got it, after a lot of challenges over the last two days. James also put all his heart into his racing today. I’m sorry for Cal, I think he had the ability to have a great two races, especially in the second one. Unfortunately we had a technical issue, we don’t know what yet but we will figure it out. We’ve made big advances with our electronics and also with our chassis which could be seen with James’s performance. We are now getting to a point where we have a very competitive bike with a set up that works on different tracks, but obviously we will continue to work for the next level. We head to Misano for testing next week motivated to keep on improving. A big thank you to all the team and the riders who worked so hard this weekend.”
In the European Superstock 600 Championship MRS Racing rider Jeremy Guarnoni took an impressive second place podium finish, less than two hundredths of a second off the front and earning 20 championship points on his Yamaha R6. He maintains his position as the championship leader, 11 points ahead of his closest rival after three rounds.
Troy Corser left Assen today, happy with two fifth places on his BMW S 1000 RR and is already looking forward to his next race. After what seems a long time Troy now has a bike that can compete with the best, thanks to the recent good work done by the team. Troy got the holeshot, led the first race for ten laps and looked in command until his tires started going off five or six laps or so before the end. He didn’t get the holeshot in race two, but charged past Jonathan Rea (Honda) after seven laps and once again controlled things from the front. This time his lead lasted four laps, but at least he showed that he and the bike can run at the front for more than just one lap. Rea won both 22-lap races today, much to the huge delight of his team who are based nearby. He had to fight for his first ever double and the second race will go down as one of the closest fought races in World Superbike history. James Toseland (Yamaha) took second in race one, with Leon Camier (Aprilia) third, making it a clean sweep of British riders. The second race saw another all-Brit podium, with Leon Haslam (Suzuki) second and Toseland third.
The podium was not far off, but I’m really happy how today and this weekend has gone. It was really good to lead a race again – and not just for one lap! I felt very comfortable in the lead both times and enjoyed riding the bike without thinking about it. Now, I’m looking forward to getting back on the bike again and going racing! I always knew that we would get to this stage, but I didn’t know when it would happen. Our bike is as fast as anything out there, except for maybe the Aprilias, and the only thing I am missing now is getting out of the turns as quickly as some of my competitors. I suffered a bit in the final chicane, but was pretty much a match for everybody else in the rest of the track. The rear tire didn’t last long enough in race one, so I had to adjust the electronics to compensate for it and that slowed me a little in the second part of the race.
In race two, the rear was pretty chewed up at the end, but I was happy in both races because I felt I was actually racing for a podium, not just riding around for points. The racing was really close today and many times we nearly touched elbows or handlebars and it must have great viewing for the fans at the track and on TV. I got pushed out a few times, but it was all pretty fair and just normal for this series. Now that I am comfortable on the bike I don’t mind the cut and thrust because it is part of the package and I can give as good as I get. I know I probably don’t say this often, and probably not this season so far, but today I am very happy!
A difficult fourth World Superbike round for Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio at the TT Circuit of Assen. In Race 1 neither Noriyuki or Michel got off the line particularly fast, Noriyuki in 13th and Michel dropping to 14th position from eighth on the grid. For the first half of the race the Ducati Xerox riders oscillated between 13th and 16th position and by mid-race they found themselves in a duel with the two Suzukis of Haslam and Guintoli. When the Suzuki riders made some mistakes, Nori was able to pass both of them and Michel too got by Guintoli. Over the 22 laps Noriyuki made up several places, to move from sixteenth at the end of lap two to tenth, the position he held from lap seventeen until the finish line. Michel closed Race 1 in thirteenth position.
The Ducati Xerox men made similar starts to Race 2. Noriyuki went wide at the first corner when he tried to pass riders by going around the outside. Feeling strong vibrations from the engine of his 1198, which only became worse during the first couple of laps, and realizing there was an engine problem, Noriyuki was forced to return to the box, thus retiring from the race. Michel, in the first half of the race, had a good pace which allowed him to make up a few positions but he then suffered from a sudden drop in the performance of the rear tire which badly affected his lap times; he concluded the race in twelfth position.
After this fourth round of the World Superbike Championship, Japanese rider Noriyuki lies in sixth position in the general standings, with 85 points. His team-mate Michel is in ninth with 53 points. Ducati is in third position in the manufacturers classification, with 130 points to Aprilia’s 134 and Suzuki’s 148.
Noriyuki Haga (Race 1 – 10th , Race 2 – DNF)
“It was a very difficult day for us today. In Race 1 I didn’t make the good start that I needed to, and from the fourth row I had to push very hard even to make up one or two positions. In Race 2, I realized already during the warm-up lap that the engine vibrations I was feeling were maybe stronger than normal. I hoped it wouldn’t be a problem and started the race but it became worse as I rode and I knew there was something wrong technically. It’s very disappointing of course because this year, more than ever, it’s important to be consistent – there are so many of us fighting for the positions that count and it’s becoming more and more of a battle.”
Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 – 13th , Race 2 – 12th)
“In Race 1 I got off to a bad start and it was difficult to match the pace of those ahead of me. We made a few changes to my 1198 between the two races and for the first half of race 2 it was better; I was able to push hard and make up a few places. But then, in the second half of the race, practically from one lap to the next, the rear tire performance dropped dramatically. I risked falling a couple of times and realized I had to take it easy if I wanted to finish the race. I’m looking forward to Monza where I hope we can perform a lot better in front of my home crowd.”
