Gordon Ritchie | April 23, 2023
Sunday WorldSBK Race Two
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) scored a hat-trick of race wins at Assen with an eventual clear margin of victory of 3.915 seconds in the 21-lap Race Two.
He had a battle on his hands in the early laps, with Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) taking turn to lead (if not across the finish line) and try to slow Bautista’s inevitable escape.
Rea was to crash while in third place, leaving Bautista the winner from Razgatlioglu.
Alvaro Bautista rolls on to another victory.
Third place went to a rider who likes Assen more than most tracks, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) who overhauled original fourth-placed rider Axel Bassani (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati) once again.
Bassani would be relegated to fifth place for a track limits infringement on the last lap, giving the closing Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) his best result in WorldSBK so far.
The top six was rounded out by Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha).
Scott Redding (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was seventh, Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati) eighth.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) crashed on the sighting lap but rced back to get a spare bike and rode from last position to ninth at the flag, less than 16 seconds from Bautista’s winning pace.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) concluded a disappointing Assen weekend with tenth place in Race Two.
There were a slew of fallers in Race Two, from Rea’s high-speed slide to the highest of highsides from Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing. WorldSBK Team) crashed at Turn Nine as Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) scored a point for 15th place.
Next Round, Barcelona-Catalunya, May 5-7.
2023 Assen WorldSBK Results—Race Two
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Duc) |
|
| 2 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
+ 3.915s |
| 3 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Yam) |
+ 7.416s |
| 4 |
Dominique Aegerter |
(Yam) |
+ 9.445s |
| 5 |
Axel Bassani |
(Duc) |
+ 9.500s |
Sunday WorldSBK Superpole Race
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took a narrow but assured win in the Tissot Superpole race on Sunday morning at Assen, heading up Jonathan Rea (KRT) by just under a second. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) was third.
The top three finished in a loose group after eight, not ten, laps, after a red flag to check on an a potential oil spill.
Alvaro Bautista leads Rea in the Superpole race.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was a convincing fourth, almost three seconds up on fifth palce finisher Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team).
Axel Bassani (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati), Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) and Scott Redding (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished in a group behind Bassani.
Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda) was ninth, and top Honda rider, while Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) placed tenth, leading an eight rider group home across the line. Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) was 12th and Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) 17th.
2023 Assen WorldSBK Results—Superpole Race
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Duc) |
|
| 2 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw) |
+ 0.916s |
| 3 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
+ 1.757s |
| 4 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kaw) |
+ 3.126 |
| 5 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Yam) |
+ 6.067s |
Saturday WorldSBK
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) won the Superpole qualifying competition, but both he and Axel Bassani (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati) were punished for riding slowly on the racing line, putting Bautista fourth on the grid and Bassani 11th.
Bautista and eventual seventh-placed finisher Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) swapped positions in the hunt for the podium early on but Bautista would eventually prove too fast for everyone, picking off eventual third place Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) relatively early and then Rea on lap nine. Bautista had a winning margin of over three seconds at the end of the race.
Bautista dropped Razgatliolu and Rea for a cruisey three-second win.
The 2022 big three proved too much for the rest, with fourth-placed Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) over ten seconds from the win after 21 laps. ‘Loka’ made a hard last lap pass on Bassani for fourth place, leaving his compatriot in a final fifth place.
Sixth place went to the fast-finishing Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha), who pipped Lowes right at the end.
Aussie rider Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) secured eighth place, finishing one up on Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati). Early top-five runner Scott Redding (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) dropped places dramatically to finish tenth.
Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) crashed out, leaving Xavi Vierge (HRC Honda) as top Honda rider in 11th place. Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was only 13th.
In his first WorldSBK race of the season, BSB champion Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing. WorldSBK Team) finished 18th.
2023 Assen WorldSBK Results—Race One
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Duc) |
|
| 2 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw) |
+ 3.148s |
| 3 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
+ 3.891s |
| 4 |
Andrea Locatelli |
(Yam) |
+ 10.105s |
| 5 |
Axel Bassani |
(Duc) |
+ 10.498s |
WorldSBK Superpole
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took the Superpole prize at a dry Assen but only by 0.027 seconds from 17-times Assen WorldSBK race winner Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team).
A close and tense finish to the pre-Race One competition that determines grid positions saw Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) take a front row start in third place.
Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) was fourth, just under two-tenths from Bautista’s best.
Alvaro Bautista was top dog in Superpole.
BMW got a boost from Scott Redding (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) as he finished fifth fastest, after previously showing good pace at times on Friday. The second row was completed by sixth placed Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team).
Top Independent rider was Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) in seventh place, with two more Independent competitors, Axel Bassani (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati) and Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Ducati), joining the Swiss rider on the third row of the grid.
Iker Lecuona (HRC Honda) was top Fireblade rider, in tenth place, with Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) just one place behind.
Local hero Michael van der Mark (ROKit BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was 15th, with returning rider from injury, Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), up ahead in 13th place overall.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was 16th.
2023 Assen WorldSBK Results—Superpole
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
(Duc) |
1:33.542s |
| 2 |
Jonathan Rea |
(Kaw) |
+ 0.027s |
| 3 |
Toprak Razgatlioglu |
(Yam) |
+ 0.119s |
| 4 |
Alex Lowes |
(Kaw) |
+ 0.199s |
| 5 |
Scott Redding |
(BMW) |
+ 0.212s |
Friday WorldSBK
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) topped both Friday WorldSBK free practice sessions at Assen, making the perfect return to race action after a long gap since the first two long haul rounds of the year in Australia and Indonesia.
His 1’34.316 personal best lap was 0.231 seconds quicker than second-placed rider Alex Lowes (KRT). Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) ended Friday third, and like every single other WorldSBK rider he set a better time in the afternoon session than the morning.
Fourth-placed Dominique Aegerter (GRT Yamaha) was also top Independent rider, with his team-mate Remy Gardner (GRT Yamaha) in fifth place.
Alvaro Bautista was in control on the number one Ducati.
Michael van der Mark showed relatively well in front of his home fans in sixth place, and was best BMW rider.
Despite losing his best time to a track limits infringement, Axel Bassani (MotoCorsa Racing Ducati) was seventh fastest, one place up on the factory Yamaha of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team).
Garrett Gerloff (Bonovo Action BMW) was ninth on day one and an out-of-sorts Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team) was tenth.
In his first race weekend since moving over from BSB, British champion Bradley Ray ended his Friday at Assen a respectable 17th fastest, 1.576 seconds from the fastest rider at the flowing Dutch circuit.
In all, 25 riders competed in FP1 and FP2 in what is the first European race weekend of 2023.
2023 Assen WorldSBK Results—Friday
| 1 |
Alvaro Bautista |
Duc |
1:34.316 |
| 2 |
Alex Lowes |
Kaw |
+ 0.231 |
| 3 |
Jonathan Rea |
Kaw |
+ 0.257 |
| 4 |
Dominique Aegerter |
Yam |
+ 0.284 |
| 5 |
Remy Gardner |
Yam |
+ 0.397 |
Friday WorldSSP
Mandalika breakthrough race winner Can Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) proved fastest in the opening WorldSSP sessions at Assen, ending day one just 0.005 seconds ahead of championship leader Nicolo Bulega (Aruba Racing Ducati) in dry but cool conditions.
Returning from a PI shoulder injury, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team Ducati) was third quickest.
A third Ducati, belonging to Raffaele De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) placed fourth overall.
Can Oncu has definitely found his form in WorldSSP.
Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) was fifth for his Dutch team on Friday, when they unveiled their latest eco-friendly credentials and special Assen paint job.
Just to ensure that Ducatis were the early bikes to beat, Federico Caricasulo (Althea Racing Ducati) was seventh.
Jorge Navarro (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) ended up seventh, ahead of the first Triumph on the overnight ‘grid’, belonging to Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph).
Just back from injury, after the same PI crash that involved Montella, Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki) was ninth for his Benelux-based home team. Literal Dutch home boy, Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Yamaha) was tenth.
Oli Bayliss (D34G Racing Ducati) was involved in a big crash early in the morning session, breaking his left big toe. He was only declared fit to ride in time for FP2 and qualified 29th from 31 riders.
2023 Assen WorldSSP Results—Friday
| 1 |
Can Oncu |
(Kaw) |
1:37.591s |
| 2 |
Nicolo Bulega |
(Duc) |
+ 0.005s |
| 3 |
Yari Montella |
(Duc) |
+ 0.581s |
| 4 |
Raffaele De Rosa |
(Duc) |
+ 0.634s |
| 5 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Yam) |
+ 0.725s |
For more WorldSBK news and results, click here
