FIM Superbike World Championship Assen, Netherlands April 25, 2010 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Jonathan Rea (Honda CBR1000RR), 22 laps, 35:43.137 2. Leon Haslam (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -1.942 seconds 3. James Toseland (Yamaha YZF-R1), -3.928 4. Max Biaggi (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -4.067 5. Troy Corser (BMW S1000RR), -4.176 6. Carlos Checa (Ducati 1098R), -4.525 7. Jakub Smrz (Ducati 1098R), -4.682 8. Shane “Shakey” Byrne (Ducati 1098R), -7.698 9. Max Neukirchner (Honda CBR1000RR), -9.903 10. Ruben Xaus (BMW S1000RR), -11.465 11. Luca Scassa (Ducati 1098R), -15.489 12. Michel Fabrizio (Ducati 1098F10), -23.604 13. Sylvain Guintoli (Suzuki GSX-R1000), -29.085 14. Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -35.401 15. Matteo Baiocco (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -44.330 16. Roger Hayden (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -50.830 17. Broc Parkes (Honda CBR1000RR), -58.819 18. Leon Camier (Aprilia RSV4 Factory), -2 laps, DNF, crash 19. Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha YZF-R1), -11 laps, DNF, retired 20. Noriyuki Haga (Ducati 1098F10), -16 laps, DNF, mechanical 21. Lorenzo Lanzi (Ducati 1098R), -22 laps, DNF, crash 22. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki ZX-10R), -22 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 8 of 26 races): 1. Haslam, 148 points 2. Biaggi, 128 3. Rea, 110 4. Checa, 103 5. Toseland, 86 6. Haga, 85 7. Corser, 68 8. Guintoli, 55 9. Fabrizio, 53 10. Crutchlow, 49 11. TIE, Camier/Byrne, 48 13. Smrz, 38 14. Lanzi, 26 15. Xaus, 25 16. Sykes, 17 17. Neukirchner, 15 18. Scassa, 10 19. Andrew Pitt, 3 20. TIE, Vermeulen/Josh Brookes, 2 22. Baiocco, 1 More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati: TWO DIFFICULT RACES FOR THE DUCATI XEROX TEAM AT ASSEN Assen (The Netherlands), Sunday 25th April: 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 tyre 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 tyre 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.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: 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. More, from a press release issued by Infront Motorsports: Rea takes the double for Honda as the spectators win big at Assen The venerable Assen circuit has seen many moments of drama but the latest 4.542km version delivered two Superbike World Championship races today that were right up there with the very best. The local fans enjoyed two partial home wins as well, as Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea was victorious in each 22-lap race, riding for a squad based in the Netherlands. He had to work hard on a sunny afternoon in Holland to make sure he headed up two podiums ceremonies that featured British riders in each and every place for the first time since 2003. Pirelli brought nearly 4,500 tyres to the TT Assen Circuit consisting of 4 front tyre solutions and 3 rear solutions. We are delighted with the new SC1 development rear solution, whose performance was proven in Race 1 by Jonathan Rea (Honda), who took the win. After a temperature change of 6°C at the start of Race 2, all riders opted for the B front (SC2) tyre and A rear solution. The second race’s final result saw six manufacturers in the top seven positions, a perfect example of the Diablo Superbike tyres’ versatility. We work to deliver this versatility into new hypersport tyres like the Diablo Rosso Corsa, to be presented at the TT Assen tomorrow. The Diablo Rosso Corsa is the first motorcycle tyre with personalisable sidewalls that features WSBK technology, deriving its III zone compound and EPT (Enhanced Patch Technology) from our development efforts last season. Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director Pirelli Moto RACE ONE: Rea won a close opening race at Assen with two strong laps right at the end, finishing one second ahead of fellow Britons James Toseland (Yamaha Sterilgarda) and Leon Camier (Aprilia Alitalia). This was Camier’s first SBK podium finish, and it was memorable one. Slow-starting Carlos Checa (Althea Ducati) was a good fourth, with the BMW of Troy Corser fifth, having led for much of the race. Leon Haslam (Alstare Suzuki), the championship leader, struggled to 11th with a partial puncture. Suzuki, Ducati, Aprilia and now Honda machines have all won races in WSB so far this year. RACE TWO: The last double win for Honda happened in the UK in 2008 but today Jonathan Rea took a double on his CBR1000RR in the Netherlands, by winning race two by 1.942 seconds. The extent of his final victory did not do justice to the second combative race of the day, with the top six or seven riders frequently riding and fighting as one. Haslam overcame his race one troubles to go second. Third was James Toseland to give the second all British podium of the day. Max Biaggi was a strong fourth, Troy Corser fifth, after another classic race at the classic circuit of Assen. Sixth came Phillip Island race winner Carlos Checa on his Althea Ducati, only just ahead of another Ducati privateer, Pata B&G racing rider Jakub Smrz. Rider Comments Jonathan Rea: “It has been great and I could not have done this without my team. They gave me a fantastic bike. We changed the balance of the bike for this weekend and made it more comfortable. Both races are probably the smartest races I have ever ridden. I never got frustrated in traffic and when it was time to pull the pin I did. I am really happy with the double. It was a clean sweep, so I am proud as punch and I cannot wait to take this result on. I will savour the moment.” James Toseland: “To come from tenth on the grid to take a second and a third was a great result for the team and myself. It has been coming slowly but it was nice to get two consistent podium results. I said before the season started there could be some British 1-2-3 results, and there are a lot of British riders out there. But we are all running up the front and doing a fantastic job, so we deserve to be there. It is great for the fans in the UK and I am sure we are all looking forward to Silverstone.” Leon Camier: “It was a bit hotter today than the previous days so we were moving around a bit, but it was awesome to get a result for Aprilia. They have put a lot of effort into me, and good faith. It is gradually coming together, and now we are getting some good results.” Leon Haslam: “Race one was definitely the hardest race I have ever had, battling against a puncture, bit it is just one of those things. To get back on the podium in race two was great. I had a really great battle with Johnny and it was really good. There was a bit of argy-bargy out there and it was disappointing not to challenge in the last couple of laps. But, my second place extended my championship lead again, so it’s all good.” HASLAM EXTENDS ADVANTAGE AS REA MOVES UP: In the points table Haslam now has 148, Biaggi 128, Rea 110 and Carlos Checa 103. Rea doubled his career win total to four today, and in going third overall renewed a championship challenge that was waning after some recent disappointing results. Rea left Assen with the Superpole win, the new lap record of 1’36.312 (set in race two) and two wins. He now has his sights firmly set on Monza for the next round, on May 9. BMW JOIN THE PARTY FOR REAL: Troy Corser could not quite get to the fourth place he scored in Valencia at the previous round but this weekend’s two fifth places were even more impressive rides, particularly when added to the fact that Corser topped combined qualifying, and was third fastest in Superpole on Saturday. Corser is now overall seventh, on 68 points. Ruben Xaus fell in race one but got a top ten in race two on the other factory BMW. HAGA AND FABRIZIO TOIL IN THE SUN: A troubled time for the official Ducati team continued at Assen, as Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) retired in race two, and was only 11th in race one. His team-mate Michel Fabrizio scored in each race, 13th and 12th respectively. Checa was the highest placed Ducati rider today, fourth in the opener. Championship standing (after 4 rounds of 13): 1. Haslam 148; 2. Biaggi 128; 3. Rea 110; 4. Checa 103; 5. Toseland 86; 6. Haga 85; 7. Corser 68; 8. Guintoli 55; 9. Fabrizio 53; 10. Crutchlow 49 Manufacturers standing: 1. Suzuki 148; 2. Aprilia 134; 3. Ducati 130; 4. Honda 111; 5. Yamaha 93; 6. BMW 69; 7. Kawasaki 19 WORLD SUPERSPORT RACE Laverty wins again as top three move on up Eugene Laverty (Parkalgar Honda) made it two wins in consecutive seasons at Assen, as he also won his second race of 2010 today. In second place today, Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Motocard.com) now leads the title battle on 85 points, with third place finisher at Assen, Kenan Sofuoglu (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda), second in the series on 77 points. Laverty is now third overall, on 66 points, with nine races to go. Chaz Davies took his Triumph ParkinGO BE1 machine to fourth place, ahead of Matthieu Lagrive’s similar bike. Davies is not top Daytona 675 rider overall, fourth on 46 points. Results: 1. Laverty E. (IRL) Honda CBR 600 RR 34’45.753; 2. Lascorz J. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX-6R 2.796; 3. Sofuoglu (TUR) Honda CBR 2.962; 4. Davies C. (GBR) Triumph Daytona 675 23.040; 5. Lagrive M. (FRA) Triumph 675 Daytona 26.338; 6. Harms R. (DEN) Honda CBR 600 RR 32.544; 7. Rea G. (GRB) Honda CBR 600 RR 36.591; 8. Fujiwara K. (JPN) Kawasaki ZX-6R 36.697; 9. Roccoli M. (ITA) Honda CBR 600 RR 36.879; 10. Praia M. (POR) Honda CBR 600 RR”¦.. Championship standing (after 4 rounds of 13): 1. Lascorz 85; 2. Sofuoglu 77; 3. Laverty 66; 4. Davies 46; 5. Harms 35; 6. Rea 33; 7. Salom 32; 8. Foret 28; 9. Roccoli 24; 10. Fujiwara 23 Manufacturers standing: 1. Honda 95; 2. Kawasaki 85; 3. Triumph 55 Badovini the boss on raceday Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia) won his third race in succession today, outpacing pole man Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Race Junior Honda) and Davide Giugliano (Team 06 Suzuki). Three podium places occupied by three different makes of machinery. Michele Magnoni (SCI Honda Garvie Image) was fourth in the race, a second up on Sylvain Barrier (BMW Garnier) after Loris Baz (MRS Yamaha) fell late in the race. After three rounds, Badovini now has 75 points, Giugliano 45, with Berger and Barrier on 40 points each. Results: 1. Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 21’44.147 (162,192 kmh); 2. Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 2.213; 3. Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 4.323; 4. Magnoni M. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 RR 6.977; 5. Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 9.812; 6. Antonelli A. (ITA) Honda CBR 1000 16.677; 7. Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX-10R 16.713; 8. Mahr R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 17.069; 9. Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1198 17.198; 10. Tutusaus P.(ESP) KTM 1198 RC8R 18.927 Championship standing (after 3 rounds of 13): 1. Badovini 75; 2. Giugliano 45 ; 3. Berger 40; 4. Barrier 40; 5. Antonelli 28; 6. Baz 27; 7. Magnoni 27; 8. Tutusaus 20; 9. Petrucci 19; 10. Bussolotti 18 Manufacturers standing: 1. BMW 75; 2. Honda 53; 3. Suzuki 45; 4. Yamaha 27; 5. KTM 20; 6. Kawasaki 19; 7. Ducati 13; 8. Aprilia 9 More, from a press release issued by Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 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. More, from a press release issued by Althea Racing: Assen, April 25th 2010 – 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.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Alstare: LEON TAKES SUPERB PODIUM IN RACE TWO AND EXTENDS HIS SERIES LEAD. 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 tyre 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 – 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 tyre. 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. More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist: TROY BAGS A PAIR OF FIFTHS AND LEAVES ASSEN VERY HAPPY. Troy 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 tyres 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. Troy – Race 1: 5th, Race 2: 5th 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 tyre 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! More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Progress For Sykes As Vermeulen Makes Race Return With both regular Kawasaki Racing Team riders competing for the first time since the opening race in Australia, Tom Sykes and Chris Vermeulen each went into the points at Assen. After finishing fourth in the morning warm-up, thanks to some improved front fork settings, Sykes rode aggressively and well in the first race, inside the top ten for periods and only slipping to 12th on the last few laps. Vermeulen battled bravely despite his right knee injury causing him discomfort, finishing 17th from the 20 riders who made it across the line in the first 22-lap race. In race two Sykes was taken out by another rider when they collided on lap one, and the Englishman was unable to continue. He is still 16th in the championship, on 17 points. Vermeulen scored two points for 14th in race two, his determination to ride as best he could despite his lack of mobility and strength paying off in the end. He is 20th in the rankings. Tom Sykes: “After Superpole the boys and I had a look at the data and to their credit they came up with a good idea for warm-up, which was a vast improvement. We suddenly found some extra pace and were fast and consistent for this session. In race one I had an OK start but the weather conditions were a lot warmer than in the morning warm up. I got away in the top 10-11 and was holding my own but gradually lost a lot of grip in the front towards the end of the race and had to settle for 12th. Race two was a big disappointment for me as I got caught up with some desperate riders who made a mistake on lap one and I paid the price. Both the team and I were gutted as we were looking really good for an improved result for race two.” Chris Vermeulen: “We finished both races, one in the points. It was difficult to race and I had painkillers and taping on the knee all weekend. We managed to get there even if the bike set-up was not ideal because we had to compromise the settings and my riding position because of the injury. But that side is only going to get better. I am hoping it will be 100% better by the time we get to Monza but it may not be. With two more weeks of physiotherapy my knee will improve and I will see how we are in Italy. Scoring points is a real positive we can take out of this weekend.” More, from a press release issued by Team Pedercini: Clear sky and warm temperature today in Assen for the fourth round of the World Superbike championship and the third race of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. During the morning warm up the Pedercini team riders worked on the last minute adjustments of their Kawasaki ZX 10R bikes, in order to be ready for the races. In Superbike, due to their yesterday’s difficult qualifying session, Baiocco and Hayden lined up from the sixth row. In race one after a quick start Hayden reached the eighteenth position. Unfortunately Roger was not able to find the just concentration to keep a fast race pace and he finished in nineteenth place. Matteo Baiocco start was not so good. The Italian rider struggled very soon with some tyres problems and only near to the end of the race he was able to find a good race pace, ending in eighteenth position. Baiocco began race two in similar vein but his crew made some changes to his bike and the Italian rider was able to reach the fifteenth position and his first point in the 2010 World Superbike championship. His team mate Roger Lee Hayden ended race two in sixteenth place. Both Pedercini riders are relatively satisfied with their today’s results having experienced set-up problems during qualifying which resulted in twenty first and twenty second place on the starting grid. Superbike – race 1 : 1) Rea (Honda) 2) Toseland (Yamaha) – 3) Camier (Aprilia) 4) Checa (Ducati) 5) Corser (BMW) “¦”¦ 18) Baiocco (Kawasaki) – 19) Hayden (Kawasaki) Superbike – race 2 : 1) Rea (Honda) 2) Haslam (Suzuki) 3) Toseland (Yamaha) – 4) Biaggi (Aprilia) 5) Corser (BMW) “¦”¦ 15) Baiocco (Kawasaki) – 16) Hayden (Kawasaki) Roger Lee Hayden : “Race one wasn’t my best race. I made some small mistake and I was not able to find the right concentration and the good rhythm. For race two my technicians made some modification to my bike’s setting and I was able to make up some places from my grid position. It’s been a difficult weekend and it’s been clear we didn’t have the pace of the front runners, but we’ve found out how to make the bike better and this is very important in view of the next races”. Matteo Baiocco : “In race one we tested a new tyre, but unfortunately it doesn’t work properly and I was not able to find the right feeling with my bike. For race two we decided to use a tyre we tested during the qualifying session and my crew made also some small changes to my bike’s set up. Both this modification have definitely made the bike easier to ride and in race two I was able to made my best lap of this Assen weekend. I’d really like to thank my team for all their efforts this weekend and now I look forward to getting better results in upcoming races”. In Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, due to his excellent qualifying performance, Petrucci started from the second row in sixth position while Leeson lined up from the twentieth place of the grid in today’s 13-lap race. Not a good start for the Pedercini team’s riders. Petrucci did not take advantage from his start from the second row of the grid. In the first few laps he was eight while Leeson only twenty fifth. Near to the middle of the race Danilo Petrucci was battling for seventh in the second group of riders. Excellent performance for Leeson who made up several places up to sixteenth. Petrucci ended the race in seventh place while Leeson obtained an amazing fourteenth position, reaching for the second time in his carrier some championship points. Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race : 1) Badovini (BMW) 2) Berger (Honda) 3) Giugliano (Suzuki) 4) Magnoni 5) Barrier (BMW)”¦”¦”¦. 7) Petrucci (Kawasaki) “¦”¦ 14) Leeson (Kawasaki) Chris Lesson : “It was a good race. I started in twentieth position and I ended fourteenth. My start was nort so bad but in the first curve I had a gear problem and I lost a lot of positions. Starting from the first few laps I pushed very hard and I found a good pace. I was able to overtake a lot of riders and only during the last laps I had to reduce my rhythm because the front tire had no more grip. I’m pretty happy because I reached some more points for my championship standing and I want to thank my crew who has done such a wonderful job this weekend”. Danilo Petrucci : “I’m pretty happy with my Assen race. Unfortunately my start was not so quick and I struggled very soon with a rear tyre problem and this not allowed me to reach a better position. I gave it everything I had because of the problem at the rear tyre I just could not run the pace of the guys at the front. In the end it was impossible for me to do more than I did in this race. All things considered I’m happy with my race result and I want to thanks to the guys in the team who have done a great job”. More, from a press release issued by Team PATA B&G Racing: Team PATA B&G Racing will leave Assen with satisfaction after a great performance dispayed by Jakub Smrz despite not being able to score the expected result. In race 1 the Czech rider got a good start and remained in the leading pack with Corser, Rea, Toseland and Biaggi, with Checa and Camier behind them. Smrz maintained position halfway into the race, but when he started to attack them ran into shifter issues causing the bike to malfunction. As a consequence, he had to settle for seventh place. In race 2 the battle got even tougher. Smrz made a good start yet again and got in the leading pack, which was made up of ten riders who all fought hard. In one of these duels, Smrz went wide , thus losing contact with the front runners. He however gained several positions to battle for the podium with the leading pack as the race was decided in the final sprint. The rider of PATA B&G Racing finished seventh. Lorenzo Baroni also did well, displaying a good performance in Superstock 1000. The Italian lost a few positions at the start due to a bump with another rider in the first corner and finished ninth. JAKUB SMRZ | Ducati 1098R | 7th , 7th: “I gave it my all, but we didn’t have any luck today. I believe I could’ve battled for the victory in race 1, unfortunately the shifter issue caused me to go wide a few times. In race 2, after losing a couple of seconds halfway into the race, I gained a few positions, but I couldn’t pass the factory bikes that were in front of me”. LORENZO BARONI | Ducati 1098R | 9th: “I had a very good pace, I could’ve fought for the top 5-6. Too bad I didn’t get a good start. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of time in the first laps trying to pass the slower riders. I honestly couldn’t have done more”. Mirco Guandalini – team manager: “I’ d like to thank the team and both riders for doing a great job. We were always in front this weekend and we did well in race too. We were unlucky in race 1 , in the second 5 riders finished the race within 6 tenths of a second. It was very hard to do more than this. I have to congratulate Baroni as well, he pulled off a great recoovery”. More, from a press release issued by Honda: REA DOMINATES ALL ASPECTS OF ASSEN RACE WEEKEND The glorious weather that blessed the entire World Superbike weekend at Assen was mirrored in the performances of the locally based Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team and its British rider Jonathan Rea. The 23-year old rider from Northern Ireland secured the first Superpole win of his career in qualifying, the new lap record and two race wins, boosting him to third in the championship. A two-day test at Assen in the period after the last round at Valencia allowed Jonathan and his Dutch crew to make a major change in his set-up, and this had instant and repeatable results at the new length Circuit van Drenthe. The podium ceremonies at Assen were all British affairs, with James Toseland (Yamaha) and Leon Camier (Aprilia) joining Jonathan in race one, and Leon Haslam (Suzuki) and Toseland again inside the top three in race two. Rea’s fellow Hannspree Ten Kate rider Max Neukirchner fell on lap five of race one, but remounted to finish in 20th place. He had been 16th in qualifying, making it to Superpole 2 but no further. In the second race he was a battling ninth, only nine seconds from the win as he made real progress with his set-up. Max is now 17th in the overall standings. ECHO CRS Honda’s Broc Parkes raced hard after qualifying for Superpole on Saturday, but went out of the first race with a technical issue on lap ten. He rallied in race two but could only finish 17th, missing out on points just as he had missed out on the first three championship rounds with a tibia fracture. Parkes was also stopped from taking part in the first practice session at Assen, having inadvertently missed the new rider’s briefing, and was only allowed out on track in the first qualifying session on Friday afternoon. Squadra Corse Italia Garvie Image entrant Vittorio Iannuzzo did not ride at Assen, due a hand injury suffered at the recent Valencia race. In the overall championship standings, Haslam has 148 points, Max Biaggi (Aprilia) is on 128, and Rea has now overtaken Carlos Checa (Ducati), with Jonathan on 110 points and Checa 103. The next race takes place at another historic circuit, Monza, on May 9. LAVERTY WINS IN FINE STYLE AS SOFUOGLU SETS NEW LAP RECORD Parkalgar Honda’s Eugene Laverty took his second win of the year as he outpaced Kawasaki rider Joan Lascorz by 2.796 seconds at a new-look Assen circuit. In doing so he moved to within 19 points of the championship lead, held by Lascorz. Laverty took the race lead from Sofuoglu after only two laps and re-passed Lascorz immediately when the Spanish rider attempted to get by him shortly after, upping his pace and pressure to put clean air between Lascorz and himself. A small mistake near the end by Lascorz put paid to any final threat he posed to Laverty. Hannspree Ten Kate’s Kenan Sofuoglu was the pole man but despite leading for the first two laps, and setting a new lap record of 1’38.608 on lap 13, he could not stay with Laverty, and eventually Lascorz on the final lap. Sofuoglu is still second overall in the rankings after four of 13 rounds, on 77 points, and set a new track best lap of 1’37.908 on Saturday to take pole position in final qualifying. Honda is now ten points ahead of Kawasaki in the overall Manufacturers’ Standings, 95 points to 85. Rookie WSS rider Gino Rea, from the Intermoto Czech Honda team, took his CBR600RR to seventh place today, fighting with Katsuaki Fujiwara (Kawasaki) and his own team-mate Massimo Roccoli. Gino moved up in the rankings again, and is now sixth. Roccoli was ninth and out of sorts after a big crash last time out in Spain, while Parkalgar Honda’s Miguel Praia fought off the pain of his recent Valencia injury to finish a creditable tenth. Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Michele Pirro fell on lap three of the race, rejoined, but had to retire in the pits, dropping to 11th in the championship in the process. WSBK Rider Comments SBK Rider Quotes Jonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 1st and 1st – 3rd overall. “It feels like a home win because I have spent the past two weeks here in my motor home behind the Ten Kate workshops. It has been great today and I could not have done this without my team. They gave me a fantastic bike. We changed the balance of the bike for this weekend and made it more comfortable. Both races are probably the smartest races I have ever ridden. I never got frustrated in traffic and when it was time to pull the pin I did. I am really happy with the double. It was a clean sweep, so I am proud as punch and I cannot wait to take this result on. I will savour the moment.” Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 20th and 9th – 17th overall. “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.” Broc Parkes, ECHO CRS Honda: DNF and 17th – “My comeback weekend was a tough one, really tough with my injury, and we missed the first hour of practice as well. I am still struggling with the leg quite a bit, and we definitely have work to do before Monza. We have problems with set-up and hopefully we will find it before Monza.” WSS Rider Comments Eugene Laverty, Parkalgar Honda 1st – 3rd overall. “That was fantastic for us. I was not expecting to ride away at the front like I did at the end, but I knew the bike would be getting better as the race went on, so I stayed up there. When Lascorz passed me inside I passed him again at turn three, which isn’t a regular passing place. The gap just kept going up and that left me an easy last lap compared to last year. A fantastic weekend and a big thank you to all the team.” Kenan Sofuoglu, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 3rd – 2nd overall. “It was not a really good race because at the beginning I felt I was the fastest but later in the race I could not pass them. Maybe the warm conditions were not so good for my bike, as it was impossible to brake hard. It would have been nice to have won the race but I took the points and I go to Monza with the intention to do better than this.” Gino Rea, Intermoto Czech Honda: 7th – 6th overall. “I had a good battle and with someone unexpected as well in Fujiwara. Just to ride behind him was pretty shocking at the start. When I got behind him at the beginning I thought he could stay with the group in front and he would pull me up, but he was actually holding me up in quite a few places. He was late on the brakes, so that made it quite hard to overtake him. From there the group in front pulled away and had to beat both Fujiwara and Roccoli to the line. We are working in the right way, consistent, but we need to close the gap to the front group.” Massimo Roccoli, Czech Intermoto Honda: 9th – 9th overall. “It was a difficult weekend for me again after the crash in Valencia but the team did a very good job. I tried to push but I did not want to fall again. I like Assen but it is very difficult, so we did not make the best race but we scored some good points for the team and the bike was perfect.” Miguel Praia, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: 10th – 13th overall. “Coming here I was not feeling physically strong, after my crash in Valencia. We changed the handlebars on the bike again to help me and I felt more comfortable, but because I had so little mobility I could hardly move around on the bike at all. I was tenth but in these conditions it was a good result. The bike was fantastic, so it is just a shame I was not so fit.” Michele Pirro, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: DNF – 11th overall. “My start was not so bad but I ran off track onto the gravel and when I got down to the hairpin I fell. I think maybe there was still some dust on the tyres. I got back on again but I had lost a footpeg and could not finish. I hope for better things at Monza next time.”