WorldSBK riders reflect on Assen race one plus WorldSSP/SSP300/R3 reports/results

WorldSBK 2024 – Round Three
Assen – Saturday

WorldSBK riders reflect on race one

Nicholas Spinelli – P1

“I think I’ll only realise tonight what happened. I was already happy this morning for the qualifying, then in the race, I trusted the team for the tire choice, and I have to thank them. They gave me the opportunity to be here and a fantastic bike. The power of the Panigale V4 R is really scary, considering I rode it for the first time just yesterday… but in the race, I was very calm. I could ride without pressure because no one expected anything, and we won the race. What a story! I wish Danilo a speedy recovery and hope he’ll be fit for Misano.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu – P2

“Firstly, congratulations to Spinelli. I needed just one more lap but the race finished like this. I was enjoying this race a lot. The first laps were exciting because the first sector was wet and we were sliding. You are trying to stay on the line for this. I needed a victory here for BMW but in the end we finished in second position. We will see what happens tomorrow but everyone is working hard for the best position possible.”

Alvaro Bautista – P3

“It’s a really weird weekend because we didn’t manage to work well during free practices and also today the rain mixed things up at the last moment. The first few laps were really hard because half the track was wet and it was very difficult to ride. Then the track dried out and I gained confidence. I might have had a chance to catch up with Spinelli but the red flag came out. But that’s okay. I had fun.”

Remy Gardner – P4

“The grid was hectic, I changed my mind like three times, but in the end we made the right choice by opting for the slick tyres. I tried to play safe in the early stages and find the limit, it was a bit scary to ride with slicks on wet asphalt, but lap after lap I got the feeling and I was quickly starting to catch the riders in front of me. Luckily the sun came out again so I could improve my lap times, but unfortunately the red flag denied us a likely podium finish. Honestly, I thought we were on the podium initially, Nicholas (Spinelli) was so far away! Anyway, we should be happy with the result, we know we can fight for the top positions and that’s the most important thing. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have some dry races trying to fight again for a place on the rostrum.”

Alex Lowes – P5

“A race like that, where you can easily lose too much, meant I was definitely too cautious on the wet part of the track. I was trying to hold my position early on but I didn’t realise that Spinelli was so fast at the start. I thought I was battling for the lead with Alvaro Bautista at one time but someone else was miles in front! I am quite happy really as the only place I was losing time was in the first few corners. At the end the rest of the track was pretty much dry and we learned a lot with the bike. I felt quite strong. If the race had gone to 21 laps I think there would have been a fight for a podium until the end, as Spinelli was going backwards on his tyre choice as the track dried out. It has been a tough weekend again so far, with changeable track conditions in every session. I’m happy. It’s easy to take a gamble and look a hero in a race like that, but it’s also easy to come away with nothing. A solid enough race.”

Jonathan Rea – P6

“I really enjoyed the Superpole session because I felt at one with the bike even in those tricky conditions, and lap after lap I built a good rhythm. You never know how fast to go because there is always a lot of risk, but the track was damp and drying out – this of course overheats the wet tyres and they move around. I kept thinking maybe someone is going to come in for the intermediate, but I had no time left. When I saw P1 on my pit board at the end, I was so happy! Not just for me, but all the guys in the team that need this lift. It was really nice for Yamaha as well and set us up for the race to make a good start. I hole-shot the start, but then in the first part of the race you don’t want to be the guy leading in those conditions because you don’t know how slippery it is. I made a couple of small mistakes and when Loka came through on the last corner, I lost two positions just off the back of the group and had a huge moment between Turns 2 and 3. Aside from that, it was a race where you just had to be patient until the track dried. It got almost completely dry and I could feel a few areas where we can improve the bike for tomorrow. Shame for the red flag to come out, I could smell a podium but I was just too far away at that point. A good solid day that leaves us wanting more!”

Axel Bassani – P9

“I took some risks to try to recover some positions, because the conditions were difficult for everyone. I liked the wet conditions at the start but after, when it started to dry out, our issues came back. It was then difficult to stay with the other riders and try to enjoy racing with them. Now we need to understand what is happening because it is difficult. But, this is only the third round of the year and the level is amazing this season. The feeling was good to fight inside the top three in the early laps but after, when you see the other riders start to overtake you and you can do nothing to stay with them, it is more difficult.”

Xavi Vierge – P10

“Challenging conditions once again here at Assen. The team worked really well between FP3 and qualifying to refine the bike setup, and I felt much better during the Superpole. With mixed conditions in Race 1, we opted for slick tyres, which was the correct choice as the track was drying out. At first, some sections were still damp, and I felt strong and fast there, but I was slower through the dry sectors compared to other riders. This unfortunately affected our race as we didn’t have enough to be able to stay with them. Now, we’ll work in preparation for tomorrow to see if we can find a little more to stay closer. It seems the weather will be a bit more stable, so we’ll see if we can make a step forward.”

Nicolò Bulega – P11

“Unfortunately, we decided to race with the slick tyre a little late and that didn’t allow us to prepare the bike with the dry set-up. In the beginning, I struggled a lot and lost a lot of positions but even when the track dried the feeling obviously couldn’t be the best. Day to file but tomorrow we will do everything to get back to the top positions.”

Andrea Locatelli – P12

“The conditions were tricky on the grid, so for me the best choice was maybe to start with the intermediate, but in the end, we changed the rear and put in the slick but this was not the best thing because the balance was not the best with an intermediate on the front. I was fast in the beginning and second place after some laps, but then I dropped so fast and unfortunately, we had the mechanical problem. In any case, not a good result for today so let’s see tomorrow. We will try to find again the feeling, to work and be ready to fight again. We have two more races, but I can say just that this is not such a lucky day!”

Dominique Aegerter – P13

“That was a tricky day for sure. The wet Tissot Superpole qualifier wasn’t easy to manage and I couldn’t get a higher time than 19th, I’m sorry to the team. Then in Race 1 we opted for slicks and I think it was the correct decision, but in the early stages it was very tough to ride on wet asphalt. Lap after lap I got the feeling with the bike and improved my lap times, managing to recover six places to score decent points. Hopefully tomorrow the weather will be more clear and we’ll try to fight for a better starting grid position in the final feature race throughout the Tissot Superpole Race.”

Tarran Mackenzie – P14

“In qualifying I felt like I might have been able to do a little more. We’d changed the setting which gave me good feeling but towards the end maybe I needed to go a little stiffer; we were quite close to the guys in front though, so I was happy with that. In the race, it was quite strange to have a full wet first sector and then the rest of the track in either mixed or dry conditions, so it was a matter of figuring that out. I think we took the right decision anyway and have scored a few points. I felt pretty good overall and can hopefully improve tomorrow in the dry, and have another good day if it turns out to be wet.”

Adam Norrodin – P17

“I’m really disappointed with today’s race. The weather was strange, with some section of the track fully wet and others completely dry, so it was very hard to decide which tyre to use. We went with dry in the end, but already after two laps some rain returned. I decided to stay out because this track tends to dry out fast, but even when that happened, I found I couldn’t really exploit the fact I was on slicks and was struggling to ride. I finished seventeenth, but too far off the pace, so we need to try and find a way to improve already tomorrow.”

Andrea Iannone – DNF

“Speaking about speed, it was a positive day, but with adverse weather conditions the result is always unpredictable. Not having previous data on a wet track to refer to, it was difficult to calibrate everything. There is certainly still a lot of work to do but both the team and I are trying to give our best and we will try to improve tomorrow. I’m sorry about the crash, I touched the white line, and I lost the rear, then the front closed.”

Iker Lecuona – DNS

“I felt OK during the fully wet FP3 session, and I was really unlucky to crash during the very last minute. I braked a little too late and just lost it. I hit my right knee and immediately felt intense pain. I’m not fit to compete today and will undergo further checks tomorrow morning. Hopefully, the ligaments aren’t damaged, but the pain seems severe for it to be just a knock. We’ll reassess the situation tomorrow.”

WorldSBK Race One Report

A brave tyre gamble paid off for the Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) at the TT Circuit Assen in Race 1 of the Dutch Round. On a drying track the Italian rider, making his WorldSBK debut, was the only rider to opt for intermediate tyres and he was rewarded with a stunning victory.

Spinelli, a replacement rider for the injured Danilo Petrucci, was immediately able to get to the front of the field and led every lap before a red flag ended proceedings.

The red flag was brought about by a technical failure for Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and ensured the first WorldSBK victory for the long standing Barni Spark Racing Team.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) joined Spinelli on the podium but the red flag, on Lap 14, cost them the chance to win the race. The duo had closed down a margin of over 20 seconds at one point before being in position to attack for the win prior to the stoppage.

Earlier in the day Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) splashed his way to Superpole success in wet conditions. The Northern Irishman claimed the 44th pole position of his career and his first for Yamaha. He will start tomorrow’s ten lap Tissot Superpole Race from pole position and came away from Race 1 with a sixth place finish.

Championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started from the front row of the grid but had to settle for just 11th position at the end of the race. He maintains a championship lead but is now just one point ahead of Razgatlioglu and Bautista.

WorldSBK Race One Results

WorldSBK Superpole

WorldSBK Championship Points

WorldSSP Race One

Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) claimed his second World Supersport victory of the season in thrilling fashion at the TT Circuit Assen. Having started the race on slick tyres the 18 lap race was a test of patience for the Spaniard as the conditions improved and he was gradually able to make progress through the field.

Huertas had dropped to 20th position at one point before gradually making his way through the pack to take the lead on the penultimate lap. It was a superbly judged race by Huertas to win from Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) and Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team).

Debise led most of the race with the Frenchman having started on wet weather tyres. In the difficult conditions he maintained a consistent pace throughout before being beaten to the line by Manzi.

Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) was the leading WorldSSP Challenge rider in fifth position and had battled with countryman Luke Power in the early stages of the race. Power actually led some of the race early on before a late mistake saw him lose ground.

Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) finished in sixth position but set the fastest lap of the race to claim pole position for Race 2 tomorrow.

WorldSSP Race One Results

WorldSSP Championship Points

WorldSSP300 Race One

A five lap shoot-out saw Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki) claim the first WorldSSP300 victory of his career. Mogeda started the race from the fifth row of the grid but made rapid progress to the front of the field and claimed the win on the last lap with the leading eight riders separated by less than a second with Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) finishing on the podium for the first time in his career in second position.

Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) finished third and now leads the Championship by six points. Mogeda will also start Race 2 from the front row after setting the second fastest lap of the race. He will start behind Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) who set the fastest lap.

The race was red flagged following Jeffrey Buis’ (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) crash, as he clashed with Julio Garcia (KOVE Racing Team). Buis suffered a concussion and was declared unfit for Race 2.

WorldSSP300 Race One Results

WorldSSP300 Championship Points

FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup Race One

Mallorca’s Marc Vich put in an exemplary performance in challenging conditions to take victory in Race 1 of the second round of the 2024 FIM Yamaha R3 World Cup at the TT Circuit Assen. Japan’s Takumi Takahashi and Poland’s Dawid Nowak completed the podium.

The 10-lap race was declared wet, meaning the 16 R3 bLU cRU riders had to start with identical Pirelli SCR1 rain tyres on the Dutch track, which was registered at a chilly 16 degrees Celsius.

Polesitter Mario Salles took the holeshot into the first turns, but Cameron Swain stayed close and was able to make a couple of passes on the Brazilian.

Unlike Barcelona where Gonzalo Sanchez took a huge advantage over the field, the riders remained tightly packed. By the second lap of the race the sun was out and Swain started to lose his feeling with the wet tyres, dropping a few places, while others felt more comfortable with the drying track.

Salles saw his chance to make a break and pulled seven tenths of a second on his rivals, but Takumi Takahashi, Eduardo Burr, Dawid Nowak and Sanchez were all climbing up the standings.

The race was thrown wide open with five laps to go when the charging Salles and Sanchez collided at Turn 15. Both riders went to the medical centre, with Salles suffering contusions to his ankle and arm and Sanchez reporting leg pain.

The crash was deemed a racing incident with no further action taken and both riders are expected to take the start in Sunday’s Race 2.

The red flag was shown shortly after the incident, and with two-thirds distance having been completed the result was declared. Using his experience and cool-headed approach Vich had climbed into the lead during the drama and he took his first victory of the season. Japanese rookie Takahashi slotted into a superb second and Nowak completed the podium in third.

FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup Race One Results

FIM Yamaha R3 bLU cRU World Cup Championship Points

2024 WorldSBK Calendar