Submitted by David Emmett on
Results and summary of the second World Superbike race at Assen:
Johnny Rea completed the double at Assen today, taking another solid victory after a breathtaking race. BMW's Troy Corser once again got the holeshot, leading Alstare Suzuki's Leon Haslam and the Ten Kate Honda of Johnny Rea into the first corner. Within a couple of corners, Rea was past Haslam, and for a few moments, it looked like Haslam could suffer a repeat of race 1, when low pressure in the front tire slowed the Suzuki rider badly. But by lap 2, with Haslam still fully in the running, it was clear that the problems had not reappeared.
The race quickly turned into the kind of fully-blown spectacle that World Superbike rounds at Assen so quickly turn into. By lap 6, a freight train of 8 riders had formed, consisting of Rea, Haslam and Corser, along with the Alitalia Aprilias of Leon Camier and Max Biaggi, the Althea Ducatis of Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne, and the Sterilgarda Yamaha of James Toseland, who was storming through the field once again.
A dogfight developed for the lead, with Troy Corser and Johnny Rea swapping the lead early, before Leon Haslam barged past Rea at the GT chicane at the halfway mark, and then Corser at the same place a lap later. Corser tried seizing the lead on the way into Turn 2, Madijk, but Haslam slammed him aside, sliding back into the lead a corner later. Rea followed Haslam through a few corners later, sliding through at the Stekkenwal to take over 2nd.
This was the signal for all hell to break loose, with the passes getting more brutal and more daring as the race wound down. Corser passed Rea on the entry into the new Ruskenhoek, an audacious pass at high speed, but Rea was straight back as the heeled over left for the Ruskenhoek proper. Behind Corser, Leon Camier bundled under James Toseland at Mandeveen, but Toseland was having none of it, and was back by the next corner.
At the front, Johnny Rea bust past Haslam and back into the lead at the Haarbocht, a move which Haslam reciprocated again at the Ruskenhoek, copying Corser's adventurous example. Not to be outdone, Rea took on Haslam at Hoge Heide, the fastest and scariest part of the track. Rea's reward was short-lived, though, as Haslam was back again at the GT chicane. Turn 1 saw Rea get back again, and this time, he made it stick on the Alstare Suzuki rider.
The two had now opened a gap back to the battle for 3rd, which was now big enough to leave them unthreatened. Rea put the hammer down for the last five laps, pulling out nearly two seconds over his fellow Briton Haslam, to secure his double victory for the HANNSpree Ten Kate team.
Rea's and Haslam's breakaway was assisted by the bickering which was going on behind them. Aprilia's Leon Camier and Yamaha's James Toseland were scrapping hard over the final podium place, an argument which Camier seemed to have settled in his favor, until a mistake saw him run wide, touch the astroturf on the outside of the Meeuwenmeer, and send his bike tumbling wildly through the grass. Camier's error handed Toseland third place, his second podium of the day, and far more than he had expected after a very mediocre Superpole. Max Biaggi got past Troy Corser to take 4th, with Carlos Checa edging Jakub Smrz for 6th.
A technical problem for Noriyuki Haga saw the Japanese rider's hopes of a title become yet more distant, while Michel Fabrizio's 12th place finish completed a miserable weekend for the Xerox Ducati team.
Haslam's 2nd place saw him extend his title lead over Max Biaggi to 20 points, while Johnny Rea leaps up into 3rd place in the championship, 38 points behind the leader Haslam.
Results:
Pos | No. | Rider | Country | Bike | Diff |
1 | 65 | J. Rea | GBR | Honda CBR1000RR | |
2 | 91 | L. Haslam | GBR | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 1.942 |
3 | 52 | J. Toseland | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | 3.928 |
4 | 3 | M. Biaggi | ITA | Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. | 4.067 |
5 | 11 | T. Corser | AUS | BMW S1000 RR | 4.176 |
6 | 7 | C. Checa | ESP | Ducati 1098R | 4.525 |
7 | 96 | J. Smrz | CZE | Ducati 1098R | 4.682 |
8 | 67 | S. Byrne | GBR | Ducati 1098R | 7.698 |
9 | 76 | M. Neukirchner | GER | Honda CBR1000RR | 9.903 |
10 | 111 | R. Xaus | ESP | BMW S1000 RR | 11.465 |
11 | 99 | L. Scassa | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 15.489 |
12 | 84 | M. Fabrizio | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 23.604 |
13 | 50 | S. Guintoli | FRA | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 29.085 |
14 | 77 | C. Vermeulen | AUS | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 35.401 |
15 | 15 | M. Baiocco | ITA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 44.330 |
16 | 95 | R. Hayden | USA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 50.830 |
17 | 23 | B. Parkes | AUS | Honda CBR1000RR | 58.819 |
RET | 2 | L. Camier | GBR | Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. | 2 Laps |
RET | 35 | C. Crutchlow | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | 11 Laps |
RET | 41 | N. Haga | JPN | Ducati 1098R | 16 Laps |
RET | 57 | L. Lanzi | ITA | Ducati 1098R | |
RET | 66 | T. Sykes | GBR | Kawasaki ZX 10R |
Comments
Classic Superbike
Six different manufacturers over the top six bikes and even the Kawasaki showed a glimpse of promise this weekend(more so for 2011 perhaps). Cannot argue with the format even if the machines are a world away from their showroom brethren. Jonny just seemed to have that little extra today. He was made to work for it though. Corser and the Beemer looking really good. I don't know if it is his fitness or his hunger in comparison to the young bucks, but once more Troy slipped backwards towards the end of the races. Not something the other 38 year old Biaggi can be accused of. In the grand scheme of things Haslam is looking more and more the man with the biggest target on his back. To bring it home in the points with only 11psi in the front tyre is champion quality stuff.
Development gap.
For what I've heard, the problem is BMW is using their own traction control system. It is simply not up to par yet, causing the tires to wear quicker and Corser to drop back towards the end of the race. If the system gets better, Corser may be good for some surprises. He obviously still carries the ambition.
Intense
The middle laps of the second race had some of the best racing I've ever seen, in any motorsport. Classic, classic stuff. The TV producers were switching cameras ever 2-3 seconds to try to catch it all.
Re: Intense
I thought racing like that could only be had in a 125cc race. Ridiculous. I'm going to have to figure out how to work the Utah round into the household budget.
Great races today
All 3 of the races today were great. Superbike was all out racing which I credit a lot to the Assen track and a bit to the changes made to keep the flow of the track up. It looks like this is the year not to be on a Xerox Ducati.