Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128341
he r e was no way that the W o r ld Superbike Series could leave Assen with the same tiny margin of eight points separating the top four riders in t he championship. There may have been no pre-race favorite , just like most other events in the unpredictable 2004 season, but one could figure that there would be one crash or DNF fro m the lead ing four (five, with Assen special ist Pier-Francesco Chili still hanging In there by his fingernails) and t hat one of them would have a nightmare. It' s been the way so far at least . What a genuine surprise for t he 76,000 weekend spectators ranged around a blissfullywarm and sunny Assen circuit, wh ich all top five riders would be attacking for the win for at least halfthe race - and none wou ld have a DNF. Amazingly, the top four wou ld also still be with in 14 points of the new championship leader, James Toseland, when the day was finished. The Ducati Fila man was a revelation T 44 this weekend. He put his newfound speed down to a combinati on of the team's first mean ingful tests in ages (at Mugello, postBrands Hatch) and a complete blanking out of everything in his life that does not involve preparing to race Superbikes to win. It worked , as he took 45 points, jumped from fourth into the lead - and all thanks to his own endeavors, not t he mistakes or misfortunes of others. He wou ld have doubled up except for a resurgent Chris Vermeulen, who enjoyed a spectacularly small marg in of victory in race two, w ith Toseland only .037 of a second down , and Noriyuki Haga only . 117 of a second from the w in. It made t he squall of an otherwise exciting race one look pedestrian , as Vermeulen found the missing setup from the opener and a more co -operative gear shifter much to his liking. He and Toseland went through an astonishing last lap, overtaking where more experienced riders would not dream of doing so, swapping the lead like it was a red -hot coal. SEPTEMBER 15,2004 • C Y C LE NEWS There were other impressive rides , Leon Haslam be ing a standout figure on his Renegade Ducatl 999, but some of the regulars and their expectant teams would leave disappointed. Everyone left somewhat chastened by the knowledge that one rider would not be going home at all. European Superstock rider Alessio Pe rilli was killed afte r rejoining the track during a high-speed crash, be ing struck by ano ther rider, with three in total involved. With the celebrations of the subse quent race classes subdued, the other races nonetheless went ahead as sche du led . The first race commenced with the first five riders in the championship squabbling over the top posit ions. Toseland made a break from the front , with his teammate Regis Laconi, Haga, Vermeulen and the tailing Chili just beh ind. Haga got too close for com fort to Laconi on his attempt to overtake at the 40th Anniversary end of lap one, having to chop his line to avoid his brake lever hitting the sloweracce lerating Laconi's tailpipes. in full view of the busy gran dstands . Haga did go to second on lap two, shortly before the end of the lap, and at t he entrance to turn two on lap three, Chili upped himse lf from fifth to fourth at the expense of Vermeulen. Haslam was still a lonely sixth, with Marco Borciani