In challenging conditions at the blustery TT Circuit Assen, Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) emerged as the frontrunner on the opening day. The weather fluctuated throughout the day, transitioning from rain to sunshine before returning to rain once more. Bautista, who has claimed victory in the last four Superbike races at the Dutch Round, completed 26 laps of the 4.555km circuit, finishing the day two tenths of a second ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
Despite the changing weather, Razgatlioglu, on the BMW, opted not to switch to new tyres just before a rain shower, resulting in few improvements in lap times during the afternoon session. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) secured the third fastest time of the day.
Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), leading the championship, returned to action after surgery for compartment syndrome and posted the sixth fastest time. Bulega trailed his teammate Bautista by less than half a second. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) recorded the fifth fastest time in both sessions but completed only 18 laps throughout the day. The unpredictable conditions limited track time, leaving the six-time World Champion hoping for a change of fortune following a challenging start to the season. Rea boasts 17 wins at the Dutch Round. Meanwhile, local favourite Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) finished ninth fastest.
Reflecting on the day, Bautista commented, “It has been a complicated day because of the weather. With the rain and the wind, especially in the afternoon, it was difficult. The wind was very strong on the back straight and you could feel it pushing you out wide. On the straight I was almost leaning because otherwise I would be pushed wide of the track. It was really difficult in some areas of the track. But in the end, with these conditions, I could find a good feeling with the bike. It feels similar for me to Barcelona. Today was really difficult for everybody and I’m not super happy but we’ll see what happens with the weather tomorrow.”
Razgatlioglu added, “The bike is turning well but the braking is not yet 100%. We are working on this now with the engine braking too. The electronics are working great and in general, I’m happy. I had a used tyre at the start of FP2 and when I put in a new tyre it started to rain after two laps and then there was the red flag. I didn’t improve my lap in FP2 but the feeling is very good. We are very fast and the grip from the track is really good. It’s not easy in WorldSBK because everyone is very fast but I’m ready for the fight and for the win. We are ready to race in all conditions.”
Gardner concluded, “Today wasn’t easy. This morning there were a lot of damp patches but the condition wasn’t too bad. We did 15 laps and our pace was good. During FP2 we stopped and changed to the SCX tyre and the feeling was good. Obviously, we wanted to make a long run to see what the times would be like but then we had some rain. The feeling was quite good. There’s still some work to do but I’m quite happy.”
WorldSBK Combined Results after FP2
1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 1’35.473s
2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) +0.211s
3. Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +0.354s
4. Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Team Motocorsa Racing) +0.446s
5. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) +0.449s
6. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) +0.468s
WSSP Perfect timing for Manzi leads to Superpole
Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) executed his Superpole session with precision, securing the second pole position of his World Supersport career just before a heavy downpour drenched the TT Circuit Assen. Manzi’s timing was impeccable, setting the fastest time of the Supersport Superpole session moments before the rain hit.
As the session began under wet conditions, Manzi quickly made the switch to slick tyres, capitalising on the drying track. However, his window of opportunity was brief, as the rain returned shortly after he set his fastest lap. Nonetheless, Manzi’s swift performance earned him pole position, with his teammate Glenn van Straalen joining him on the front row of the grid.
It was a contrasting experience for Championship leader Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team), who had yet to set a time when the rain shower disrupted the session. Montella managed to salvage the situation, securing 11th place on the grid. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) completed the front row for Race 1 tomorrow.
Reflecting on his pole position, Manzi remarked, “To have an advantage of one second in Superpole is due to the conditions of the track. Some riders were using rain tyres, others were using dry tyres, some other riders used both tyre. It was a strange session and even on my fast lap the first sector was bad because I had a lot of traffic. At the end of the session riders were improving but my lap time was good enough for the pole position so I’m very happy. I’m happy for my team and my teammate that we were first and second. We have started the team’s home race in a good way.”
WorldSSP Tissot Superpole Results
1. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 1’45.203s
2. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) +0.990s
3. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +1.048s
WSSP 300 Superpole success for Seabright
In the evolving track conditions, Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project) secured his second pole position in the Superpole 300 category. As the track gradually dried, the 21-year-old timed his lap to perfection, clinching the fastest time at the conclusion of the 25-minute Superpole session.
However, the changing conditions proved challenging for Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-PALIGO Racing) in the final moments, leading to the reigning World Champion starting from the fourth row of the grid. Additionally, yellow flags hindered Julio Garcia Gonzalez (KOVE Racing Team), who had initially set the session’s fastest time but was subsequently relegated to 28th on the grid for tomorrow’s opening race of the weekend.
Reflecting on his pole position, Seabright commented, “I’m really happy with this pole position. It was wet at the start of Superpole, and in the last five minutes, we decided to switch to slicks. It paid off for us! There was a dry line around the track, and that last sector was difficult, but I brought it home. I’m happy with the job we did because we’ve been able to qualify at the front. We’ll take it session by session and see how the race runs.”
WorldSSP300 Tissot Superpole Results
1. Fenton Seabright (Kawasaki GP Project) 1’55.372s
2. Aldi Satya Mahendra (Team BrCorse) +0.016s
3. Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki) +0.176s
4. Loris Veneman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.239s
5. Galang Hendra Pratama (ProGP NitiRacing) +1.047s
6. Samuel Di Sora (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) +1.330s
WorldSBK resumes its action on Saturday with FP3 starting at 9:00 (Local Time), followed by Tissot Superpole at 11:00 and Race 1 at 14:00. Meanwhile, WorldSSP continues with a Warm Up at 9:50, followed by Race 1 at 15:15. WorldSSP300 also returns, beginning with a Warm Up at 9:30 and Race 1 at 12:45.
Pictures Official WorldSBK Press Release
