WorldSBK Press Office

Straight off the back of MotorLand Aragon, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship heads to the iconic TT Circuit Assen for the fourth round of the season, with no time to rest. As the European season is well and truly underway in 2018, 18 points split the top three in the standings and for the first time in history three riders have two wins each after the first three race weekends. There will be plenty out with a point to prove in The Netherlands; Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will look at continuing his string of seven consecutive victories around Assen, whilst Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) searches home glory.

Undeniably a favorite circuit of our three time world Champion, TT Circuit Assen has been a happy hunting ground for Jonathan Rea in recent years. Taking seven consecutive wins, and 11 overall, the British rider is the man to beat around the 4.5km track. Continuing to work on the set-up of his ZX-10RR alongside the new regulations, the 31 year old has faced some tough challenges in the opening rounds but continues to lead the world championship standings by 12 points. Winning two out of the opening six races so far, Rea will be hoping to take his first double of the season.

Sitting in second position of the world championship standings, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took home the same amount of points as Rea last time out, as well as taking his seventh victory around MotorLand. With 12 race starts around ‘The Cathedral’, Davies has taken four podiums, all of which came with Ducati. Suffering some bad luck in Saturday’s race one here last season, the British rider has the pace here and will be coming with added confidence from MotorLand.

Top independent rider Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Team) continues to impress onboard his Panigale, as the Spanish rider sits in fourth position overall in the standings. Following some stunning performances throughout the opening rounds which has seen Fores secure his best result in the series, with a second position in Thailand’s race one. Fighting for the lead on more than one occasion, he now heads to Assen which has been a tough track for him in the past. Fourth position in race one last year has been his best result, however with a new confidence and fast pace, he will be hard to rule out.

The man all the crowd will want a piece of this weekend, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) heads to his home circuit full of determination to take the victory. Coming close in his six appearances so far, it has been all or nothing for the 25 year old as he’s taken three third positions and two DNF’s. Building his confidence with the YZF-R1 throughout 2018, and coming off the back of a podium in Thailand, van der Mark will be hoping to replicate his WorldSSP victory here in 2014.

Making his WorldSBK debut around TT Circuit Assen, Jake Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) is preparing for another challenging weekend as he continues to learn to his Honda Fireblade CBR1000RR SP2 machine. Not yet breaking into the top 10 in 2018, the American rider will be hoping the popular TT Circuit Assen will be one which sees him make the break into the top ten. Heading to his team’s home circuit, Gagne has experience around the circuit from his time in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, which will no doubt put him in a strong position heading into the weekend.

Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) will once again be joined by Davide Giugliano this weekend as Eugene Laverty remains sidelined with injury. Italian Savadori has a strong history around the Dutch circuit, taking three top six finishes in his WorldSBK appearances so far. Continuing to bounce back from his injury sustained in Australia, the Italian will be hoping to make up some good points from these back to back races. Not forgetting his strong history here in the STK1000 championship, Savadori will be hoping to make another step with the Aprilia this weekend.

As he continues on his journey on the return to WorldSBK, Loris Baz (GULF Althea BMW Racing Team) heads back to the iconic circuit which holds a lot of history for the Frenchman. Taking a podium here in 2013 with Kawasaki in WorldSBK, he also took his best 2017 MotoGP™ result here with a top eight finish. Taking points from every race so far in 2018, he will be hoping to become a more regular top ten finisher as the season well and truly gets underway.  

MV Agusta Reparto Corse’s lone rider Jordi Torres took stock from a solid race two around MotorLand Aragon, as the Spanish rider is searching for a stronger pace with his new team. Involved in two big crashes at both Buriram and MotorLand, it has been a tough start to the season for Torres but he remains positive and looks ahead to a circuit which has treated him well in the past – taking four top seven finishes since 2015 here.

On track action in the MOTUL Dutch round begins on Friday 20th April, with WorldSBK FP1 at 09:45LT. Racing action gets underway at 13:00LT on Saturday ahead of lights out on Sunday at 13:00LT.   

WorldSSP

As the FIM Supersport World Championship heads to TT Circuit Assen, they have a big challenge ahead with no time to rest on their laurels after Round Three at MotorLand Aragon. With three different winners across three different races, there is nothing to split the front runners of one of the most competitive classes of the series. Assen is an iconic circuit which provides stunning racing, and with the fast and flowing nature of the track there will be sparks flying in The Netherlands.

Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) continues to lead the way in the championship standings despite a tough weekend in Spain which saw the reigning world champion disappointed to leave with a top four position. With two appearances around Assen in WorldSSP, the French rider took second here last season as his title charge really began to take shape. With the bike to beat underneath him, he will be back fighting this weekend.

Rookie to the class, Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) stunned the crowds at MotorLand as he secured his debut victory, dominating the second half of the race. Finding his feet in the series came easy for the German, but now he must continue with consistency to stay up in the fight. Taking on another track he is familiar with, and has won around in the past, his confidence and pace will take some beating in The Netherlands.

Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing) has impressed in the opening rounds, so much so that he sits in the top five in the championship standings after a strong result in Spain. Following a tough few seasons on board the Triumph machine, his recent results at Phillip Island and MotorLand are proving the British rider has the pace to impress. Taking a top ten here last season, he could be an interesting rider to watch.

Continuing to find his pace with the Honda CBR600RR, Niki Tuuli (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) is seventh in the championship standings as we head into Round Four of the series, but he is yet to shine with his new team. A podium contender last season, the Young Finnish rider has the pace but is struggling to transfer it to his new team. With tough memories of TT Circuit Assen from last season, he will be working hard to leave with a smile on his face.

Flying the flag for MV Agusta in the series, Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag), is getting himself accustomed once again with the series following a year in WorldSBK. Following a tough start so far, the Italian is looking to improve his pace as the European season well and truly begins for the riders. With a tough battle out on track, and the Yamaha’s the bikes to beat, he will relish the challenge ahead of him.  

Australian fan favourite Anthony West (EAB antwest Racing) is the leading Kawasaki machine in the world championship standings, after three solid races to start his season. With a full time ride acquired for the season ahead, he is pleased to have a strong team around him as he hunts down rostrum glory. A tough history in The Netherlands won’t put this Australian off from heading out on track and aiming for the best.

Follow all the WorldSSP action throughout the weekend as everything leads to the lights out, at 11.30LT on Sunday.

WorldSSP300

If the Aragon opener was anything to go by, the 2018 season of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship will be one to remember for a long time. With an electrifying race under the Spanish sun setting the stage for an epic season, the 300 class now moves north to the Netherlands. It will be the first experience for many at the TT Assen circuit, a legendary track with the infamous Geert Timmer chicane becoming a true baptism of fire for the WorldSSP300 rookies.

Koen Meuffels (KTM Fortron Racing Team) was one of many fresh faces in the WorldSSP300 re-start eager to leave a mark early on –  and get himself noticed he did, taking the lead on the penultimate straight before stealing the win on his debut. The first WorldSSP300 leader of the year heads home for the second round, and will be willing to prove his worth once again in front of his home fans.

Meuffels will find stiff competition at Assen however, with the rest of the Dutch contingent also making an impressive start at Aragon. Leading the fight will be Scott Deroue (Motosport Kawasaki), beaten to the punch on Sunday but with plenty of Assen experience. The Dutchman won here last year but has been unable to climb back to the top of the podium. Barely an hour away from his hometown of Nijkerkerveen, the stage is set for Deroue to quell his hunger at TT Assen. His teammate Robert Schotman (Motosport Kawasaki), fifth in Spain, should also be in contention for the Cathedral crown.

Taking the Superpole last Saturday, Mika Pérez (Kawasaki ParkinGO Team) led more laps than anyone at MotorLand Aragon but could only finish third. Still, the Spaniard was one of only two riders to win consecutive races last season (the other being Deroue), and will be a clear championship contender if he can add consistency to his undoubtable pace. At Assen last year a slip left him out of the points – a mistake he’ll be desperate to not repeat.

Mykyta Kalinin (GP Project Team) is another WorldSSP300 sophomore striving for a win at Assen, with the Ukrainian stepping up his game this season. Starting 15th on the grid in Spain, his climb to the top was one of the highlights of the round.

The DS Junior Team were poised for a triumphant start to their season, with Ana Carrasco (DS Junior Team) adding to the talents of Dorren Loureiro (DS Junior Team). In the leading pack for the entire race, their slightly disappointing sixth and eighth-place finishes, respectively, should not disguise the speed both showed the entire weekend.

Meanwhile, Glenn Van Straalen (KTM Fortron Racing Team) made his one appearance in WorldSSP300 last year at Assen as a wildcard, but still managed to cross the finish line in second. He will look to go one further this weekend, and make it two in two for KTM.

STK 1000

he European Superstock 1000 Championship returns to Assen for the second race of the season, after an action-filled Sunday race lined up a thrilling season ahead. With a healthy mix of rookies, returnees and veterans, the 2018 season started off without last year’s winner and runner-up, leaving a space for one of 21 hungry candidates to fill.

First to strike was Markus Reiterberger (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW), who had already made his intentions known at Jerez last year with the final win of the 2017 season. At the Aragon relaunch and with a permanent ride secured for the year, he dominated free practice and qualifying before shooting to the win on Sunday, albeit not as easily as he would have hoped. The former WorldSBK rid

er will want to open a gap with all his pursuers early on, and Assen will prove to be vital.Hot on his heels at MotorLand Aragon (and even in front for a few laps), Maximilian Scheib (Aprilia Racing Team) was unlucky to suffer an apparent technical failure with just a couple of laps to go, with his bike nearly coming to a halt enough time for the Chilean to just miss out on the podium. Still, he brought the battle to the German, and seems prepared to do so again this Sunday.

Florian Marino (URBIS Yamaha Motoxracing STK Team) was just 19 points away from taking the STK1000 crown last year, before an untimely accident in the final race left him out of the points and out of contention for the title. The Frenchman should be a clear favourite this year, but at MotorLand Aragon he finished 20 seconds off the lead, back in fifth position. A good result at Assen will be crucial if Marino wants to stay close to the runaway group of riders ahead.

Making the best out of their front row grid start, Italians Roberto Tamburini (Berclaz Racing Team SA) and Federico Sandi (MOTOCORSA Racing) stormed to second and third-place finishes in Spain. Both the BMW and the Ducati kept up well with Reiterberger and Scheib and proved to be a step above the rest of the field. Tamburini doesn’t have his best record at Assen, with a ninth place last year his best finish to date (yet his worst for the 2017 season), while Sandi has one Assen race to his name, an 11th place last year.

Jan Buhn (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW) had an unlucky start to his season, going down on the first corner and ultimately abandoning the race with a lap to go. He will be encouraged by the pace shown by his teammate, however, and will be hopeful to record his first STK1000 points this weekend.