WSBK Netherlands (1): Rea, in green and against all
Jonathan Rea perfectly mastered the first race of the World Superbike 2016 this midday in Assen. Davies and Hayden accompany the champion to the podium. Other pilots like Guintoli, Sykes and Van den Mark managed much less…
Jonathan Rea perfectly mastered the first race of the World Superbike 2016 this midday in Assen. Davies and Hayden accompany the champion to the podium. Other pilots like Guintoli, Sykes and Van den Mark managed much less…
First Superbike Assen race 2016
Tom Sykes took off very well from pole, as did Jonathan Rea who jumped from the 2nd row to second place ahead of Davide Giugliano and Sylvain Guintoli. Chaz Davies takes fifth place from Michael Van den Mark in the first series. Nicky Hayden, Alex Lowes, Lorenzo Savadori and Jordi Torres complete the Top 10. Lucas Mahias is 17th, Matthieu Lussiana 18th.
The two factory Kawasaki of Sykes and Rea complete the first lap more than a second ahead of Davies’ official Ducati! Giugliano was lost under braking at the last chicane and let Guintoli, VDM and Hayden pass. The Italian n ° 34 loses two new places at the start of the 2nd round, against Lowes and Savadori.
Rea takes the lead but the fastest man on the track is Davies who puts pressure on Sykes! Guintoli clings to his fourth place but certainly hears the n ° 60 Honda from the stage local screaming behind him. "Magic Michael" also exceeds our Frenchie at the very end of the 3rd round. Hayden and Lowes take Sylvain’s suction…
In front, Davies hoists his Ducati in the lead on the 4th lap. The n ° 7 is pursued by the two Kawasaki n ° 1 and 66 on which the Honda n ° 60 goes! Guintoli suddenly disappears from the radar screens: the No. 50 Yamaha has fallen into the third corner and must abandon the race. Mahias occupies a beautiful 14th place, Lussiana the 17th.
"Johnny" Rea tries to take over the reins of the race at the start of the 5th lap but widens and lets Sykes and Van den Mark pass. Very reassembled, the "Number One" almost goes high side at the exit of pin 5 but resists Hayden! In front, the other Honda "VDM" rider threatens Sykes…
In the 6th lap, Giugliano suddenly fell from 8th to 13th place and found himself three seconds ahead of a certain Lucas Mahias. Camier and his MV Agusta reach the Top 10. Giugliano and his Ducati join their box at the end of the loop. They leave a few moments later to collect data.
Chaz Davies, on the other hand, has no problem with his Panigale and is still leading the race. Behind "Chazie", Van den Mark delighted his audience by overtaking the two Ninja! Forced to put on more gas – and more brakes! – to keep pace with the young Dutchman, "Major Tom" ends up losing the lead in the entrance to the final chicane !
The battle for victory is now played between four men: Welsh Chaz Davies, Northern Irishman Jonathan Rea, Dutchman Michael van den Mark and American Nicky Hayden. Alex Lowes is more than seven seconds behind this quartet and cannot hope to reach the podium … Unless there is another incident ?
25 seconds behind the leaders, Lucas Mahias continues his remarkable first World Superbike race. The Franco-Grolandais rolls five seconds behind Josh Brookes and five seconds ahead of Alex de Angelis and Xavi Fores. Matthieu Lussiana is three seconds from the first point…
In front, Van den Mark brakes the world champion at the end of the 12th lap. The public screamed with joy as his driver passed in front of the pits but Rea recovered his second place in a winding portion of the circuit, on the 13th lap.
A few lengths away, the legendary "Kentucky Kid" observes the friendly merry-go-round of his opponents. Chaz Davies, meanwhile, knows nothing about the fight between Van den Mark and Rea but does not prevent them from staying in the wheel of the Ducati n ° 7 !
Van den Mark passed Rea at the end of the short pit straight at the start of the 16th lap, but the No.1 Ninja counterattacked again at the exit of the tortuous first section … The world champion wanted to stay in Davies’ pots at the end of the race.
Davies momentarily loses the lead at the end of this 16th loop but Rea does not seem determined to lead either and seems to let his best enemy pass in the championship before the last chicane. Honda n ° 60 continues to hang on at all costs while n ° 69 remains slightly behind.
Rea pulls the pin three laps from the end and double Davies! Van den Mark does not let the "Number One" escape and attacks him even at the end of the course. A little too wide at the exit of a fast curve, Michael gives the control of the race to Jonathan.
The penultimate lap has barely started when Van den Mark loses the front at the entrance to turn 3! Davies inherits second place and Hayden inherits third. 2006 MotoGP world champion decides to secure his first World Superbike podium and lets Rea and Davies go.
The ruthless "JR" kills the suspense by performing a final hot lap and wins the race with more than a second and a half ahead of Chaz Davies, his main rival in the world championship. Ten seconds behind Hayden, Leon Camier and Jordi Torres complete the Top 5.
Let us underline the superb 10th place of Lucas Mahias on the handlebars of Sylvain Barrier’s Kawasaki Pedercini. Congratulations also to Matthieu Lussiana who won the point for 15th place. Next points distribution: tomorrow at 1 p.m. Stay connected !
Related articles
-
WSBK – WSBK Netherlands (1): Rea winner ahead of Davies … and Van den Mark! –
WSBK Netherlands (1): Rea winner ahead of Davies … and Van den Mark ! Jonathan Rea handled this first Superbike race in Assen perfectly, waiting for…
-
WSBK – WSBK Netherlands (2): Rea unperturbed … and invincible? –
WSBK Netherlands (2): Rea unperturbed … and invincible ? Launched in the wet but disturbed by the return of the sun, the second race of the 2016 World…
-
WSBK – WSBK Netherlands (2): Jonathan Rea passes the six –
WSBK Netherlands (2): Jonathan Rea passes the six A little more jostled by his opponents than in the first round, Jonathan Rea was again unbeatable this…
-
WSBK – WSBK Netherlands: Guintoli wins his first victory! –
WSBK Netherlands: Guintoli wins his first victory ! It took nerves of steel to win in World Superbike this Sunday in Assen: as in practice, bad weather…
-
WSBK – WSBK Netherlands (2): Rea supplants, Guintoli crashes –
WSBK Netherlands (2): Rea supplants, Guintoli crashes The nerves of the World Superbike riders were put to the test this afternoon in the Netherlands!…
-
WSBK Netherlands (2): new double for Rea … Sykes and Kawasaki ! According to the new regulations, Rea and Sykes had to start from the back of the third…
-
WSBK – WSBK Netherlands (1): Guintoli wins the first round –
WSBK Netherlands (1): Guintoli wins the first round Starting like a cannonball , Sylvain Guintoli took advantage of the intervention of the red flag five…
-
WSBK Portugal (1): Ninja Jonathan Rea goes green… Extremely fast in practice and in Superpole, Jonathan Rea confirmed his great form in Portimao by…
-
WSBK – WSBK Assen: Sykes aims high in the Netherlands –
WSBK Assen : Sykes aims high in the Netherlands Tom Sykes has just signed the thirteenth pole of his career in World Superbike at Assen, the second this…
-
WSBK Netherlands (1): Davies’ Ducati gives Rea victory… Stuck in Davies’ rear wheel for the majority of that first WorldSBK round in Assen, Rea was…