WorldSBK protagonists in Assen are the new Pirelli solutions: the SCQ improves on the track record by over half a second, the new A0843 front development solution wins over most of the grid.
On the extra soft SCQ solution, Toprak Razgatlioglu takes pole position and sets the new track record with a time of 1'32.934.
In Race 1 of the Premier class, five different manufacturers are in the top six spots. Jonathan Rea wins, choosing the new A0843 front solution, outstanding result for Iker Lecuona on Honda (fifth), and Loris Baz on BMW (sixth).
Six-time World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) won Race 1 of the MOTUL Dutch round, the second event in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, thereby taking home his sixteenth victory on the Assen TT Circuit.
In terms of tyres, Pirelli is extremely satisfied with the way the new solutions brought to the Assen round performed. During free practice, the new front SC1 solution in A0843 specification (option C) received extremely positive feedback from the riders and was, in fact, used by most of the grid (13 out of 24 riders) for Race 1. The standard SCX solution for the rear (option A) proved to be a winning choice on this circuit too, chosen by 22 out of 24 riders.
The tyres selected allowed the riders to maintain a constant pace from the entire race length and to battle it out from the first to last lap, with the five different manufacturers in the Premier class finishing in the top six spots. The outstanding fifth place taken home by Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) on Honda is worth a mention, as is the sixth place finish by Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) on BMW.
The new extra soft SCQ A1359 solution also performed extremely well, allowing Toprak Razgatlioglu to set the new track record with a time of 1’32.934, breaking the previous record by more than half a second.
WorldSBK Race 1:
At the start of Race 1, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) started well from pole position, moving into the lead ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and their teammates, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). During the fourth lap, the six-time world champion gained the upper hand over the number-one rider for the lead, holding onto it for the entire first half of the race, whereas Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.It Racing - Ducati), thanks to an outstanding pace, moved into the podium position to bring up the rear of a tightly packed trio. The final laps were spectacular, with the Ducati riders constantly nipping at Razgatlioglu’s heels for second. After overtaking the Yamaha, Bautista launched multiple attacks on Jonathan Rea, all the way to the final chicane, but the Kawasaki rider defended extremely well, managing to finish first. Bautista finished just one tenth of a second behind him with Razgatlioglu third. In Race 1, the five different manufacturers competing in the Premier class finished in the first six positions. It was an excellent result for Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW), sixth, and for Iker Lecuona (Team HRC), finishing fifth behind Andrea Locatelli.
WorldSBK Race 1 Standings:
- J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
- Á. Bautista (Aruba.It Racing - Ducati)
- T. Razgatlıoğlu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
- A. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK)
- I. Lecuona (Team HRC)
- L. Baz (Bonovo Action BMW)
- P. Öttl (Team Goeleven)
- G. Gerloff (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
- S. Redding (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team)
- A. Bassani (Motocorsa Racing)
- X. Vierge (Team HRC)
- C. Ponsson (Gil Motor Sport-Yamaha)
- M. van der Mark (BMW M1000RR BMW Motorrad)
- R. Tamburini (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team)
- L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
- L. Haslam (TPR Team Pedercini Racing)
- K. Nozane (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team)
- L. Bernardi (BARNI Spark Racing Team)
- L. Mercado (MIE Racing Honda Team)
- H. Syahrin (MIE Racing Honda Team)
- O. König (Orelac Racing Verdnatura)
- Rt. M. Rinaldi (Aruba.It Racing - Ducati)
- Rt. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
- Rt. G. Ruiu (Bmax Racing)
WorldSSP Race 1:
Lorenzo Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team), Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha), and Nicolò Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) got off to a good start, whereas Glenn van Straalen (EAB Racing Team), starting from the fifth spot on the grid, reached a podium position in just a few laps. Bulega moved into a provisional race lead with his Ducati, closely followed by Aegerter and Van Straalen, but the latter managed to get the better of both rivals, taking the lead for a good part of the race. On the fourteenth lap, the Swiss rider managed to get past Van Straalen and his Yamaha and shortly thereafter, the red flag came out due to an accident involving riders Tom Booth-Amos (Prodina Racing WorldSSP) and Alessandro Zetti (Kallio Racing). This confirmed the positions of the most recent check point, giving Aegerter the win, second to Van Straalen, and third to Bulega.
WorldSSP Race 1 Standings:
- D. Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
- G. van Straalen (EAB Racing Team)
- N. Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)
- J. Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha)
- F. Caricasulo (Althea Racing)
- N. Tuuli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
- H. Soomer (Dynavolt Triumph)
- P. Hobelsberger (Kallio Racing)
- R. De Rosa (Ducati Orelac Racing Verdnatura)
- L. Taccini (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)
- A. Huertas (MTM Kawasaki)
- Y. Montella (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
- U. Orradre (MS Racing Yamaha WorldSSP)
- O. Bayliss (BARNI Spark Racing Team)
- B. Sofuoğlu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
- K. Smith (VFT Racing)
- Jaimie Van Sikkelerus (MPM Routz Racing)
- J. Buis (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti)
- F. Fuligni (D34G Racing)
- M. Kofler (CM Racing)
- E. McManus (Motozoo Racing by Puccetti)
- P. Sebestyén (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team)
- F. Fuligni (D34G Racing)
- Rt. L. Baldassarri (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team)
- Rt. M. Brenner (VFT Racing)
- Rt. O. Vostatek (MS Racing Yamaha WorldSSP)
- Rt. C. Öncü (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
- Rt. S. Manzi (Dynavolt Triumph)
- Rt. T. Booth-Amos (Prodina Racing WorldSSP)
- Rt. A. Zetti (Kallio Racing)
- Dsq. Tom Edwards (Yart - Yamaha WorldSSP)
WorldSSP300 Race 1:
At 12:45 in the afternoon, after the first 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup race, the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race got underway, with Victor Steeman (Kawasaki Ninja 400 / MTM Kawasaki), Samuel Di Sora (Kawasaki Ninja 400 / Leader Team Flembbo), and Yamaha rider Mirko Gennai (Yamaha YZF-R3 / Team BrCorse) finishing on the podium.
Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup:
Race 1 and Race 2 of the 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup were both won by young Brazilian rider Enzo Valentim (#39).
The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1:
In WorldSBK Race 1, the tyre combination used the most by the riders was the new A0843 SC1 development solution on the front (option C) and the standard SCX solution on the rear (option A). This was also the choice of Race 1 winner Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) and third place finisher Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK). Four riders, including Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.It Racing - Ducati) and Iker Lecuona (Team HRC), preferred the A0674 development solution (option A) at the front.
In WorldSSP Race 1, the entire grid chose the standard soft SC1 solution (option A) on the front. At the rear, most of the riders chose to race with the super soft standard SCX (option A), whereas the others opted for the soft standard SC0 solution.
Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1:
- Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) in 1’ 34.535 on the 2nd lap
- Most used front solution: A0843 SC1 development (13 out of 24 riders)
- Most used rear solution: standard SCX (22 out of 24 riders)
- Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 6 rear
- Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 71, including 37 front and 34 rear
- Air temperature: 18° C
- Asphalt temperature: 31° C
Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP Race 1:
- Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha) in 1’37.926 on the 9th lap
- Most used front solution: standard SC1 (31 out of 31 riders)
- Most used rear solution: standard SCX (21 out of 31 riders)
- Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Supersport class: 4 front and 5 rear
- Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 46, including 21 front and 25 rear
- Air temperature: 18° C
- Asphalt temperature: 30° C