PREVIEW: Torres looks to defend his WorldSPB lead at Assen ahead of a host of hungry rivals
Assen’s ‘Cathedral of Speed’ awaits the dramatic sequel to WorldSPB’s thrilling debut round
The Pirelli Dutch Round is fast approaching, and with it, the exciting new FIM Sportbike World Championship returns for their second-ever round. This time, riders flock to the TT Assen Circuit, where they will pick up where they left off after a stunning pair of races at Portimao. Antonio Torres (Team ProDina Kawasaki XCI) currently leads the Championship ahead of his teammate David Salvador, but if we learned anything from the rollercoaster round, it was the diverse cast of talented riders featured in the category's first year.
GOING GREEN: Torres leads a cadre of Kawasaki bikes at the top of the order
On Saturday at Portimao, Torres etched his name in the history books of the young class as he proclaimed himself the winner of WorldSPB’s first-ever race. Not content with ceremonial accolades as such, he sent himself up onto the rostrum again for third place in Race 2, and a tenuous Championship lead. He will aim to keep the ball rolling at Assen, where last year in WorldSSP300 he only managed P9 after a Race 1 DNF. A single point behind his teammate, Salvador arrives at Assen hot off a double podium in the opening round, and looking forward to this round, he has had more success here than the #47, as Salvador took a P2 and a P4 here last season in WorldSSP300. Arriving at his home round with a Race 2 win to close last round, Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) has momentum and prior successes here at Assen on his side. In WorldSSP300 back in 2024, he stuck the landing on the podium with a Race 2 P2.
HOME HERO BUIS RETURNS: Jeffrey Buis has a strong history of success at Assen
Xavi Artigas (MTM Kawasaki) was the odd man out in both races at Portimao, walking away with P5 and P4 from the round, the Spaniard was in the thick of the podium fight across both races but just couldn’t put the pieces together in the final stretch, Assen provides a great chance to rectify that, and with prior experience racing here in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, Moto3 and Moto2, Artigas will be one to keep an eye on this weekend. Ferre Fleerackers (Track & Trades Wixx Racing) launched his season with vigour last round, showing his formidable talent and the capable legs of his Suzuki GSX-8R as he took Belgium’s first podium in the WorldSBK paddock since Stephane Mertens back in 1993. His Dutch teammate Jeffrey Buis didn’t score any podiums last round, but he was consistently up around the podium fight. Now he has his homecoming round, a track where he has taken three podiums, including back-to-back wins in WorldSSP300’s round here last season. If he can continue to take steps with his new Suzuki bike, few can hang with Buis at Assen.
TRIUMPH’S ITALIAN DUO: Ieraci and Bartolini look to soar to new heights
Bruno Ieraci (CM Triumph Factory Racing) rang in the new campaign with a pair of strong results, P10 and P6. The #18 showed his pace, even leading Race 1 prior to the red flag break. He will look to take another crack at the top five at Assen. Alvaro Fuertes (Deza-Box 77 Racing Team) has similarly impressed so far as he rides on Kawasaki’s ZX-6R 636 Ninja. Assen provides another opportunity for the Spaniard to make a name for himself up at the business end of the order. Elia Bartolini (CM Triumph Factory Racing) stumbled to a Race 1 P23 after crashing on Turn 5 after the red flag restart at Portimao. He rectified his error in Race 2, where he rode as high as P3 before settling for a P5 finish to the weekend. Assen provides a golden opportunity to show what he can do more consistently. Matteo Vannucci (Revo-M2) had an unfortunate weekend last round, despite taking pole position atop his Aprilia RS 660 Factory, he crashed early after the restart to finish P24. In Race 2, he climbed from P10 to lead for a pair of laps. After running wide on Turn 5 and falling to P11, he was only able to recover to P8. He will look to get back on the horse at Assen and show the speed he had at the end of last season’s WorldSSP300 campaign. Carter Thompson (Team BrCorse) and teammate Marco Gaggi both finished in similar positions between the top 10 and top 15, placing the Yamaha teammates in P12 and P13 in the standings. Farther back, 2025 WorldSSP300 Champion Benat Fernandez (Kove Racing Team 109) will look to get his season started in earnest after fighting in the points-scoring positions.
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