Dutch World Superbikes: Honda double reduces Suzuki lead

Another fantastic battle in race 2 involving Vermeulen, Haga and Toseland could have gone any way until the final few laps when the first two broke away and Toseland settled for the final podium slot. But Toseland’s early race performance was astonishing as he powered past Kagayama (Suzuki), Pitt (Yamaha) and Haga at the same place, the final chicane, on successive laps to move into the lead.

“I’ve just ridden one of the best races I’ve ever ridden to finish third but fair play to Chris and Nori, they didn’t put a foot wrong. I know that because I didn’t make a mistake either!” commented Toseland. “I was pushing right to the end, losing the front, losing the rear, skipping about but I’m happy and that’s the first time I’ve been happy with third for a while because I know I rode hard and stuck my neck out. I’m just happy to have two podiums, which I’d like to dedicate to my manager and close friend Roger Burnett and to the family of young rider Chris Jones, who tragically got killed at Cadwell Park recently.”

Yamaha Motor Italia’s Noriyuki Haga's 36 point haul moves him up to fourth place in the title race, just nine points behind third placed Regis Laconi (Ducati), who was absent through injury sustained in a Friday practice crash. "We made great races with James and Chris. I was a little bit disappointed with the final result of both races because if I had lasted one more lap I would have tried something more to push. It was hot and sweat was already affecting my eyes after three laps. In the last two or three laps I felt like I was going to give up but I didn't and the result I know is not so bad."

Corser’s Alstare team-mate Yukio Kagayama finished sixth in race pne and 11th in race two, and is now sixth in the title chase though still in touch with the group battling for third in the title – Regis laconi who was injured and did not race on the weekend, the resurgent Haga on 203, last year’s champ James Toseland on the Ducati (197 points) and Kagayama’s total now is 187 points.

Said Kagayama, “This is not how I planned the weekend! Before today, I believed that a podium or two was possible, so I am not so happy. In race one, it took me five laps to find my rhythm, but by then the front group had gone. My bike’s balance was not perfect, but I think I lapped as fast as the leaders in the second part of the race, but it was too late. I had big problems in the second race with rear end chatter after five laps. I had started well in third and was fighting hard, but when the chattering started I couldn’t keep my position. In the end, all I could do was keep going and bring my bike home.”

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Lorenzo Lanzi, SC Caracchi Ducati: Lanzi proved adept once more in his rookie SBK season, taking seventh in race one, and an impressive sixth in the second race, holding off some much more experienced riders. “I was confident to get something more,” declared Lanzi at the end of the day. “Unfortunately the start position penalized me. At race-1 start all take the start as rockets, as at the holeshot I was just eleventh, then I found Kagayama very hard to pass; when I was leading we rode a bit faster, but Yukio is a fighter and when he was leading we lose some space from the leaders. At the end he’s been able to resist at all my attacks and I finished in seventh place. At race-2 start I keep a good start, but at the first corner I was outside of Martin when the Petronas changed his line, nearly setting me out of the track, so at the holeshot I was 1.5 seconds behind. Then I started to recover positions until sixth place, but it was too late for any attempt to do better. Anyway I’m quite satisfied about the week end’s result, with such a crew of champions it’s a good result.”

Max Neukirchner, Klaffi Honda: Neukirchner was the second most effective Honda rider on display at Assen, and was glad to rack up two good points scores, after some recent bad luck. His eighth in race one improved to seventh in the second running, bringing some cheer to the Klaffi Honda squad. “I am a lot happier because of the points we made this weekend,” said the young German rider. “In practice things were not so bad, even in Superpole, when we had a crash. It was not enough to make too bad an effect on our race weekend. I needed some points and we got them.”

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