WSBK – WSSP Netherlands: Van den Mark gets his first victory –

WSSP Netherlands: Van den Mark obtains his first victory

WSBK - WSSP Netherlands: Van den Mark gets his first victory -

It was in front of his home crowd, on the Assen circuit, that Michael van den Mark won the first victory of his young and promising career. Second in the race ahead of Jules Cluzel, Florian Marino takes the lead in the championship… Supersport Race Assen Florian Marino started from pole position but was overtaken by Kenan Sofuoglu in…

It was in front of his home crowd, on the Assen circuit, that Michael van den Mark won the first victory of his young and promising career. Second in the race ahead of Jules Cluzel, Florian Marino takes the lead in the championship

Supersport Assen Race

Florian Marino started from pole position but was overtaken by Kenan Sofuoglu in the first stretch. The two Kawasaki lead the first corner ahead of the three Hondas of Michael van den Mark, Jack Kennedy and Lorenzo Zanetti. Follow Jacobsen, Cluzel, Wahr, Coghlan and Russo, etc..

Jules climbs to sixth position before the end of the first loop while Van den mark surprises Marino when braking the short straight of the circuit. Suddenly, Sofuoglu gives gas – on a wet area? – and loses five places !

Van den Mark therefore inherits the lead in the 3rd lap. He then has a small half a second ahead of Marino. Kennedy clings to his third place but is followed by Zanetti and Cluzel, themselves chased by Sofuoglu !

In the 4th lap, the triple Turkish champion plunges his ZX-6R under the F3 of our "Coq Supersportif". Stung to the quick, Cluzel manhandles his MV Agusta like never before: he wrings the throttle to the maximum, pulls the brake lever like a savage and would surely honk if he could. !

Marino does not amuse the gallery either: the French n ° 21 does not give up a tenth at the local stage Van den Mark. The two young drivers move away from Kennedy, threatened since the start of the race by Zanetti … but overtaken by a very recovered Sofuoglu !

Cluzel and Zanetti ensure the atmosphere by successively overtaking Kennedy. The MV Agusta n ° 16 and Honda n ° 26 resume their fight with a vengeance, while Coghlan takes the sixth place by sliding his R6 under the CBR of Kennedy … who loses the front at the same time in the first corner of the 9th lap !

In front, Michael and his Honda n ° 60 accelerate and widen the gap on Florian and his Kawasaki n ° 21: 1.7 seconds at the halfway point! Sofuoglu and his Kawa ‘n ° 54 continue to nibble ground and are less than a second from our compatriot at the end of the 10th lap…

One tone below in terms of chrono, but two tones above in terms of fighting, Cluzel and Coghlan continue their superb duel. Zanetti is lodged in their aspiration and enjoys the show … before taking advantage of a mistake? After all, Cluzel had mown Coghlan in Aragon !

Six laps to go, the audience applauds Michael as if he had already won the race! The young pilot is four seconds ahead of Marino, suddenly abandoned by Sofuoglu! The Ninja n ° 54 is the victim of a mechanical problem and again deprives its driver of big points…

Kenan’s retirement benefits twice – on the track and in the championship – Cluzel and Coghlan who are now fighting to climb to the third step of the podium. With three laps to go, however, it was Zanetti who made a superb and unstoppable attack on Coghlan in the last chicane..

Michael VDM is alone in the lead but does not parade for all that: the Honda Pata rider turns one second faster than his pursuers! Two laps from the checkered flag, Florian Marino is in second position, more than eight seconds behind the leader…

Jules Cluzel also isolated himself at the end of the race, pointing 15 seconds behind the incredible Michael Van den Mark. The last lap is led by Kevin Coghlan and Lorenzo Zanetti, the Englishman finally ahead of the Italian at the finish line.

The child of the country (low …) Van den Mark wins with nearly ten seconds ahead of Florian Marino under the clamor of the public gathered en masse on the main stand. The Kawasaki rider takes advantage of his new very good result (4th in Phillip Island, 3rd in Aragon and 2nd in Assen!) To take the reins of the championship.

Cluzel completes the 66% French podium and is in fourth place in the provisional standings with 41 points, 8 less than Florian, 4 less than Michael VDM and 3 less than Kevin Coghlan. Kenan Sofuoglu’s counter remains stuck at 25 points: the Turk slips in 7th place overall.

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