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WorldSSP300: What can Deroue do in front of his home fans?

Tuesday, 25 April 2017 09:00 GMT

Young meets the old in The Netherlands

Following the sensational debut race for the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship at the Pirelli Aragon Round, the 35 youngsters head to the legendary TT Circuit Assen – some for the first time – to see what drama can unfold for Round Two. Scott Deroue (MTM HS Kawasaki) leads the championship following his win in the opening round, and will be looking to impress in front of his home fans. However this won’t stop the rest of the field who are keen to make their first step onto that all important podium. The swooping 4.5km circuit is the perfect setting for the WorldSSP300 machines, as the tight turns and high speed corners will produce thrilling racing which will no doubt go down to the last lap, and with 35 adrenaline fuelled riders hurtling into the infamous Gert Timmer chicane, all bets are off.

Scott Deroue made history around MotorLand Aragon, taking the first ever pole position and victory in the WorldSSP300 class, and showed true pace and skill aboard his Kawasaki. Leading the way from the opening lap, the 21 year old was up against some stiff competition and weather conditions throughout the 13 lap race. Taking the fight to the final corner he crafted a perfect last lap, securing the victory out of the final corner. Hailing from the city of Nijkerkerveen which is just over an hour away from the legendary circuit, Deroue will have some strong home support at the Acerbis Dutch Round.

 Young Spaniard Daniel Valle (Halcourier Racing) impressed in the Pirelli Aragon Round, and is already hungry for more as he sets his sights on the victory in round two. 17 year old Valle has limited experience in the racing world however with the skills shown in the stunning battle at the debut round, you would be fooled.  With the support of the Yamaha YZF-R3, Valle will have a strong base around Assen, which has a strong history with the Japanese manufacturer.

On one of just three Honda CBR500R machines, Mika Perez (WILSport Racedays) caused a stir around MotorLand Aragon, fighting for the victory until the final lap in front of his home fans. The reigning European Junior Cup champion has a strong experience racing through tight fields, and finished on the podium around Assen in 2016; with background knowledge of all the circuits on the WorldSSP300 calendar, he will be one to watch out for in The Netherlands.

Borja Sanchez (Halcourier Racing) sits in fourth position in the championship and was another rider to impress in the opening round in Spain, despite missing out on securing a debut podium finish. With history in the CEV Repsol Moto3 class, Sanchez will be able to build on his previous pace and make another step towards taking the top three, but he will have some stiff competition. 

We are yet to see the full potential of Mytyta Kalinin (Team MOTOXRACING), as the Ukranian rider crashed out of the Pirelli Aragon Round after fighting up for the victory. Qualifying on the front row, the 18 year old clearly has a strong pace on his Yamaha machine and it will be interesting to see how he can perform across the full race distance. Again on a bike which Assen has been kind to in the past, Kalinin will be looking to put his demons to bed early on in the season, with the hope of creeping up the championship table.  

Ana Carrasco (ETG Racing) suffered a tough debut weekend last time out, but was able to take a top ten finish away with her following a steady start. Bringing her knowledge of the Dutch circuit, the 19 year old will hope to be up and fighting for podiums at the Acerbis Dutch Round.

Keep up with all WorldSSP300 news, reactions and previews ahead of the second round of the series as it takes on its inaugural season within the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, by signing up to the WorldSBK VideoPass.