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/1519483
the first V4R Ducati, when riding right over the edge served him so well for half a season. In the end, there was a strong top three ready to battle it out for podiums, with Razgatlioglu win - ning from Bautista and Gardner in a confident third to record his first career WorldSBK podium finish. He was just a second away from the win. Fourth was Iannone and fifth Locatelli. In the championship fight, after nine races across three dif - ferent kinds of rounds, Bautista has 123 points, Razgatlioglu 117, Bulega 109 and race-two faller Lowes 93. WorldSSP The cold springtime weather at Assen played its miserable tricks on everyone, and especially the WorldSSP riders. It was wet at the start of race one, but not raining. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.IT Duca - ti) came through to win the open- ing race from Superpole winner and second-place race one rider Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Yama- ha). They both finally overhauled long-time leader Valentin Debise (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha) on wet tires. Wet to start, dry to finish, it was a race of many parts and lots to do with tire choices. Tom Edwards (D34G Ducati) was a potent early force and fin - ished fifth, as was another young Aussie, Luke Power. It was too good to last, but Ed- wards would still finish fifth on his wet-tire choices. Fourth place was taken by local rider for Ten Kate Racing, Glenn van Straalen. And it was better to come for him, again partly because of the weather. In the second race, a dry start led to a rapidly wet main body of the race. Fortunes waxed and waned, young Aussies were again in surprise podium positions, but after everyone swapped dry tires for wets, van Straalen took his first win and at his home race, no less. Huertas chased hard but did not have enough time to catch the Ten Kate Yamaha rider. Third was Niki Tuuli on his EAB Ducati, us - ing the wet and dry parts of the track to keep his tires cool. The changes in fortunes in the race as the conditions went from wet dry/wet/drying were stark, with the riders who pitted for wet tires earliest the early lap losers, but final race winners. It was visu - ally chaotic, but wonderfully so. Lorenzo Baldassari (Orelac Racing Verdnatura Ducati) was a leader and then seventh, but when his mechanics took the bike away from Parc Ferme be - fore the checks and weight tests were done, he was subsequently disqualified. In the pre-break points, Huertas leads after six races with 86, Mon- tella and Manzi have 85 and MV Agusta rider Schroetter 84. Four different riders on three different machines, covered by two points. The next round will be—two months from now—at Misano in Italy, between the 14th and 16th of June. CN WSBK RACE 1 1. Nicholas Spinelli (Duc) 2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) 3. Alvara Bautista (Duc) 4. Remy Gardner (Yam) 5. Alex Lowes (Kaw) WSBK SUPERPOLE 1. Alvaro Bautista (Duc) 2. Nicolo Bulega (Duc) 3. Alex Lowes (Kaw) 4. Remy Gardner (Yam) 5. Jonathan Rea (Yam) WSBK RACE 2 1. Toprak Razgatlioglu (BMW) 2. Alvaro Bautista (Duc) 3. Remy Gardner (Yam) 4. Andrea Iannone (Duc) 5. Andrea Locatelli (Yam) WIND IN THE P54 Glenn van Straalen won the second Supersport race, which was a first for the Dutchman.