WSBK – Statements from World Superbike riders in Assen – Statements from the first WSBK round

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World Superbike riders’ statements in Assen

WSBK - Statements from World Superbike riders in Assen - Statements from the first WSBK round

The fourth round of the 2016 World SBK took place this weekend in Assen, the Netherlands. To complete our near-live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders at the end of their two Dutch races.

WSBK Round 1 Statements

Site readers – who, as everyone knows, are a little more fortunate than the others – have already been able to watch the Mondial Superbike and Supersport races on Saturday and Sunday, almost live, on the Assen circuit (for latecomers, read, then).

Find below the statements of the drivers who distinguished themselves on Saturday during the first round, and on the following page the statements of those who animated the second WSBK race on Sunday. Honor to – double – winner !

Jonathan Rea, 1st:
"It’s great to win another race in Assen. The tuning of our bike was new: we changed it for the race after the warm-up. I put my head in the handlebars a few laps before the end. It’s really hard to lead, but I’m so, so happy because I think we were in trouble since Aragon and before. To score 25 points here is awesome. I think the potential of this bike is huge, but I still have to work to exploit it properly. This race gave us a lot of information and to score 25 points in this situation is incredible for me, inside and for my championship. I would like to thank all the Dutch fans for the warm welcome they give me each time we come here. Thank you also to my team for their hard work and their spirited morale. After Aragon I felt we were a bit overwhelmed but now I feel we are sticking our heads out of the water".

Chaz Davies, 2nd:
"There wasn’t a lot of rubber on the track today because of the rain. We were clearly competitive, but we had to deal with rapid wear on the front tire, even without hitting it too hard during the race. I tried to set the pace and stay away from the fight behind me, but the wind made things more complicated. It was easier to follow than to lead, and I only understood that in the last laps. I gave it my all to get the win, but I almost lost the lead in the first corner of the last lap and couldn’t attempt another attack. We’ll have another chance tomorrow".

Nicky Hayden, 3rd:
"The start of the race was really intense due to the poor dry run – two laps on race tires in Superpole 2 in fact – so we didn’t know what to expect. I got off to a great start and was able to stay with the leading group. But they were pretty quick and every time I tried to relax I could see a little gap growing in front of me. Towards the end I started to feel more comfortable with the bike and the conditions so I thought I could do a little trick in the last two laps. I got a heat in the fifth corner, just after Michael crashed, so I thought it was better to secure third. This is my first WorldSBK podium and my first in a long time, so I want to thank the team for their excellent work. Can’t wait to be tomorrow and hope we can fight better".

Leon Camier, 4th:
"I’m really happy with the result, it’s very important for me and the team, for the work everyone has done race after race. I think the lap times were good enough to ride with the guys in front but our problem was that we were starting too far on the grid. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to do the same tomorrow, but I’ll do my best to collect as many points as possible".

Jordi Torres, 5th:
"Today, we drove in the wet in FP3, then the race was contested in the dry: so it was a bit complicated. Superpole 1 went well, we secured the first two places (with his teammate Reiterberger, Editor’s note)but unfortunately I’m not the best to complete a fast lap and I finished SP2 in ninth place. After the Superpole, we continued to work on finding a setting that would better save tires during the race. I had a great time with Markus and Camier today. I think we managed our race well, using our brains out and not pushing too hard too early which would have ruined the tires. I’m only disappointed that I didn’t stay with Camier at the end, but tomorrow’s race remains !"

Lorenzo Savadori, 6th:
"It was a good race. It’s just a shame because I was able to stay with the first ones for the first few laps and it looked like I could keep going. We suffered a bit after the halfway point where we couldn’t keep up. We still have to understand the reasons for this problem, and once that is done, we can do even better. I’m happy with the way the race went because we had free practice in the wet, we had some problems in the Superpole and the race was dry. I couldn’t close the gap on the first ones because I lost seven seconds in two laps, but we are getting closer and closer. I would like to thank the team and Aprilia Racing for the progress we are making".

Lucas Mahias, 10th:
"I am delighted to give the team their best result of the season and I hope to be able to give even more satisfaction. I must admit that I was a little worried before arriving at Assen: I already knew this track thanks to the experience of last year in Supersport, but I was then still recovering from my operation and I did not was not at best. Now I’m fine, I’m finding the right turn-based trajectories, my confidence in the Kawasaki Ninja is increasing and I’m sure I can improve my race result even further tomorrow.".

Matthieu Lussiana, 15th:
NC.

Sylvain Guintoli, fall:
"I am obviously disappointed with the results of the first race. I was pushing really hard to join the lead group, and it so happened that on my last lap we did indeed catch up with Jonathan and Tom. The wind was really strong, especially in turn 3 and it was lifting the bike. I passed a bit faster than the previous lap and lost the lead very, very early. I tried and it didn’t this time around, but we’re going to keep attacking and trying because we want to be in the front group. We have qualified well and we want to run ahead to learn as much as possible and promote our progress. Unfortunately, this stuff happens in the race, so we’ll try again tomorrow".

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