REVIEW: ROUND 3, ASSEN - Bautista’s hat-trick as Rea crashes in Race 2
WorldSBK returned to Europe at the start of April but the drama from Australia and Indonesia continued…
After two incredible rounds in Australia and Indonesia, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship was back on European soil with the iconic TT Circuit Assen set another memorable show. A change of continent did not change the on-track action with plenty to talk about after a dramatic Dutch Round. Recap all the action from Race 1 and Race 2 HERE and enjoy highlights from the thrilling Tissot Superpole Race on our YouTube channel – make sure to subscribe on YouTube and be part of the WorldSBK community, to not miss any content!
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was fastest in Tissot Superpole but a three-place grid penalty for Race 1 dropped him to fourth, meaning six-time Champion and Assen’s most successful rider Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) started from P1. This didn’t prevent the #1 from scoring his second triple of the season with the top three covered by four seconds in Race 1, whilst it was just under two seconds in the Tissot Superpole Race. Race 2 was the most dramatic of the three as Rea’s torrid start to 2023 took another dip: he crashed out on Lap 6 at Turn 9, leaving him fifth in the standings and already 101 points behind reigning Champion and arch-rival Bautista. Bautista was 56 points clear of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) at the top of the Championship.
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