Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) shared the spoils on Sunday in Assen. In the ten lap Tissot Superpole Race Bautista led the field home after a stunning comeback ride saw him come through the field to take the lead from Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on the penultimate lap.
Starting from pole position, Bautista led the majority of the first half of Race 2 but with spots of rain in the air the field closed up. Razgatlioglu choose this as his moment to pounce but with Bautista retaking the lead before Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) and Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) mixed it in.
The Turkish moved into the lead for the final six laps but was under pressure throughout the closing stages. Bautista would finish less than a second behind the race winner with Gardner able to claim his first career podium. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) finished in fourth position ahead of Locatelli.
When WorldSBK returns to action there will be just six points separating Bautista and Razgatlioglu with Bulega a further eight points adrift after a difficult weekend. The Italian finished Race 2 in eighth position.
P1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team
"Grid position isn’t important because it’s the race that matters. I enjoyed this race. At the start there was a bit of rain. I stayed close just to watch the guys and understand what to do. I needed a good pace and I passed people step by step and finally I was in the lead! We made a mistake in the Superpole Race with the tyre so I used the SC0 tyre in the afternoon and it worked well. I want to say thanks to my team's hard work this weekend because finally we have won in Assen! I've never won here before and also for BMW they hadn’t won here. I'm very happy today!"
P2 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing - Ducati
"I'm really happy with how the whole weekend has been. To finish all three races on the podium in these conditions is a pleasure. Race 1 was really tricky and I enjoyed the Superpole Race a lot. There was some light rain in the afternoon and it was a bit difficult. I tried to keep a little bit of margin and I think second position was good. I'm really happy and we are building my confidence with the bike."
P3 | Remy Gardner | GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team
"It's been two years without a podium for me so yeah I've definitely had some really hard times. Obviously, everyone knows my GP story and then we didn't get a podium last year when I moved to WorldSBK. It’s been a big challenge for me and I just want to say thank you to my girlfriend and my team and everyone that has believed in me. Finally it's so good to be back on the podium again and I can't wait to go to the next race already."
WorldSBK Race 2 Results
1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
2. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +0.625s
3. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +1.022
4. Andrea Iannone (Team GoEleven) +3.120s
5. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +3.217s
6. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) +5.174
Championship Standings
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 123 points
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) 117 points
3. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) 109 points
WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Race Results
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati)
2. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) +2.686s
3. Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +7.403s
4. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +7.551s
5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +8.177s
6. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +9.114s
Dutch delight for van Straalen
In front of a home crowd Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) proved to be the star of the Supersport field by claiming his first career victory. In difficult conditions the Supersport field started the 18 lap race as rain started to fall around the 4.555km circuit.
While some riders opted to pit immediately at the end of the first lap some waited to change to wet tyres. The majority of the field, including the eventual winner, pitted a lap later and van Straalen gradually made his way through the field before taking the lead with just over four laps remaining. By keeping a cool head van Straalen became the first home winner at the Dutch Round in the Supersport class since Michael van der Mark in 2014.
By finishing second Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) is now the Championship leader although just three points separate the top four in the standings. Niki Tuili (EAB Racing Team) finished third to claim his first podium of the season.
P1 | Glenn van Straalen | Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing
"It was difficult to know when to make your pitstop but the grip in the wet was really good. I had a really good rhythm on the rain tyre and I was making some really good lap times. The gap was getting smaller to the riders in front. At the end of the race, when I was leading, I saw what the gap was and it wasn’t easy! I had to stay focused on the race and take it corner by corner to get to the end. It's really amazing to win here. It feels so good!"
WorldSSP Race 2 Results
1. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)
2. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +1.352s
3. Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) 2.944s
4. Niccolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) 4.167s
5. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +10.872s
6. Kaito Toba (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) +19.361s
Championship Standings
1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 86 points
2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 85 points
3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 84 points
Double victory for Daniel Mogeda
It was a dominant weekend for Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Trafic Kawasaki) dominated the Dutch Round of the WorldSSP300 championship. The Spanish rider’s reward for a double victory at the TT Circuit Assen is a Championship lead of six points.
The home crowd had plenty of reason to cheer with Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) finishing second having been narrowly beaten on the run to the chequered flag. The margin was just 0.04s at the end of the 12 lap race. A post-race penalty for Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team) promoted Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) to third position.
P1 | Daniel Mogeda | Team#109 Retro Traffc Kawasaki
"The weather made this a very difficult weekend but to win both races is great! The last lap was crazy but to win is even crazier! There were lots of riders fighting for the win and finally I took the win. I’m thinking about my team, my family, my friends and all the people that have been with me in the bad moments. I’m very happy to lead the championship but the championship is long. We have a lot of races to go but why can’t we target another victory in Misano!"
WorldSSP300 Race 2 Results
1. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffc Kawasaki)
2. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.040s.
3. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.222s
4. Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) +340s
5. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) +458s
6. Elia Bartolini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) +0.471s
Championship Standings
1. Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffc Kawasaki) 63 points
2. Inigo Iglesias Bravo (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) 57 points
3. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsport by SKM-Kawasaki) 53 points
Infront Moto Racing