With Race 1 seeing a number of worthy riders vying for the victory, there was little doubt that Race 2 would provide similar close-rider racing on the Dutch circuit. With each manufacturer with a horse in the race, Assen proved to be not only a venue where opportunities could be created, but it also seemed destined to shake up the World Superbike Championship Standings.
Taking the double was Johnny Rea on the Ten Kate HANNspree Honda, but the victory didn’t come easily for Johnny. First off the line was the BMW of Troy Corser, who had another great race on the S1000RR, but unfortunately could not go the distance again and make a podium out of it.
Race 2 saw the return of points leader Leon Haslam to the forefront of the race. Haslam finished second in Race 2 and swapped a number of passes with Rea, while James Toseland pursued the pair, butwas nearly two seconds behind Haslam, and four seconds behind Rea at the finish line. Despite the intense action at the beginning and middle of the race, the last remaining laps of Race 2 saw both Rea breaking away from Haslam, and Haslam distancing himself from the rest of the pack.
Picking up the table scraps was James Toseland, who podiumed for the second time this weekend. JT was just out of reach of Max Biaggi, who continues to have a strong season on his Aprilia RSV4. Of course Troy Corser was the surprise finish, with another fifth place spot for the BMW crew. The pack of contenders was rounded out by Checa and Smrz respectively, both having good races, but unable to push further up into the field.
The good new stops there here though, as both Xerox Ducati riders failed to make an impression in Race 2. Fabrizio finished 12th while Haga found himself in DNF land after technical problems sidelined his Ducati 1098R. Race 2 at Assen was also a miserable showing for the Kawasaki Crew, as Team Green made up three of the bottom for spots at the finish.
With the race weekend concluded, Haslam continues to lead in the points standings, with a 20 point gap over Max Biaggi. Johnny Rea was the real winner though, as his double victory launched him into 3rd place overall, 38 points back from Haslam.
World Superbike Highlights from Race 2 at Assen, Netherlands:
Results from Race 2 of World Superbike at Assen, Netherlands:
Pos | No. | Rider | Country | Bike | Diff |
1 | 65 | J. Rea | GBR | Honda CBR1000RR | |
2 | 91 | L. Haslam | GBR | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 1.942 |
3 | 52 | J. Toseland | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | 3.928 |
4 | 3 | M. Biaggi | ITA | Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. | 4.067 |
5 | 11 | T. Corser | AUS | BMW S1000 RR | 4.176 |
6 | 7 | C. Checa | ESP | Ducati 1098R | 4.525 |
7 | 96 | J. Smrz | CZE | Ducati 1098R | 4.682 |
8 | 67 | S. Byrne | GBR | Ducati 1098R | 7.698 |
9 | 76 | M. Neukirchner | GER | Honda CBR1000RR | 9.903 |
10 | 111 | R. Xaus | ESP | BMW S1000 RR | 11.465 |
11 | 99 | L. Scassa | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 15.489 |
12 | 84 | M. Fabrizio | ITA | Ducati 1098R | 23.604 |
13 | 50 | S. Guintoli | FRA | Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 29.085 |
14 | 77 | C. Vermeulen | AUS | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 35.401 |
15 | 15 | M. Baiocco | ITA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 44.330 |
16 | 95 | R. Hayden | USA | Kawasaki ZX 10R | 50.830 |
17 | 23 | B. Parkes | AUS | Honda CBR1000RR | 58.819 |
RET | 2 | L. Camier | GBR | Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. | 2 Laps |
RET | 35 | C. Crutchlow | GBR | Yamaha YZF R1 | 11 Laps |
RET | 41 | N. Haga | JPN | Ducati 1098R | 16 Laps |
RET | 57 | L. Lanzi | ITA | Ducati 1098R | – |
RET | 66 | T. Sykes | GBR | Kawasaki ZX 10R | – |
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