Gordon Ritchie | April 20, 2018
2018 Assen WorldSBK and WorldSSP Friday Results—Local hero Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) set local pulses racing twice in quick succession, by recording the fastest time of the first day and then performing a remarkable save at the end of a scary slide only two corners later.
2018 Assen WorldSBK Friday Results
Van Der Mark delivered for the home fans on Friday at Assen.
His table-topping 1:35.156 lap time survived late assaults in the final sunny FP3 session from several proven competitors – and one new one.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was second fastest but a sensational push to the top from rookie Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba Racing IT Ducati Junior Team) was only bested eventually by VDM and Melandri.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), quickest man earlier in the day, was relegated to fourth fastest at the end, with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) completing the top six riders at the finale of a hot and busy day.
Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team Ducati) was seventh, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) eighth and Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) ninth.
The top ten variety was added to by the inclusion of Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), with 11th fastest Loris Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) making it six different manufacturers in the top half of the opening day results.
The only Honda rider on show in FP3 was PJ Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team), in 14th place, as Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) had suffered a huge highside in FP2, fallen heavily, bruising his hip and suffering abrasions on his elbow. He will try to get back into action on Saturday having been declared fit after his big fall.
The top ten riders today have now qualified automatically for Superpole 2 on Saturday morning, to determine their final grid slots for race one, on Saturday afternoon at 13.00.
WorldSSP
Krummenacher Leads Day One
Krummenacher’s good 2018 form continued in Assen.
Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) reasserted himself at Assen after two practice sessions, heading the Friday combined times just a few days after crashing from the leading group at the previous Motorland Aragon round, and then restarting to score points.
Motorland race winner Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing Yamaha) placed second on a sunny and hot first day in The Netherlands, just 0.034 seconds from the best Friday lap.
Over half a second behind the lead Jules Cluzel (NRT Yamaha) was third. The increasingly competitive Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing Triumph) fourth, and first non-Yamaha rider to enter Superpole 2 automatically.
Another rider on a three-cylinder Supersport bike, Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag) was fifth, with Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) sixth, riding in temperatures of over 26°C.
Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) was seventh and the first Kawasaki rider home was Hikari Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in eighth place.
Local rider and ESS part-time competitor Rob Hartog (Team Hartog Against Cancer Kawasaki) finished his opening day ninth, with Niki Tuuli (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) rounding out his day as top Honda runner in tenth place.
A fast crash in FP1 saw Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing Kawasaki) suffer a right wrist fracture and a concussion, being declared unfit as a result.
