It has just begun raining ahead of round two for FIM Superstock 1000. We have a slight breeze, and the rain begins falling again. Stock 1000 started in 1999, and started at Aragon, last time out. Rain is falling right now. It affected the Stock 1000 race here, last year, when Luciano Tamburini, made contact with Kevin Valk, down the front straightaway, and the bike was left in the middle of the road, with fluids spilling out of the motor. Lorenzo Savadori won last year, and he's had great success in World Superbike. This is a great springboard to get into World Superbike, or, even into MotoGP.
It's not just raining at Assen. We have hail to contend with for the Stock 1000 racers. This race weekend has seen four seasons in one day. The poor fans sitting on the bank, are getting pelted with hail! Ouch! We've gone over the course of the day, from pleasant, sunny, blue skies, sans any clouds, to a few puffy white clouds, to a massive downpour in the Supersport race, and now, we have hail, as the Superstock 1000 motorcycles, make their way onto the track for the recon lap. Roberto Tamburini is the new rider for the Nuova M2 Racing team on their Aprilia RSV4 this year. It is still early in the season. Yours truly, will do his best, to spot who rides with which team, on which bike, for STK1000.
Some minor trouble with Leandro Mercado's #36 Aruba.it Racing Junior Team Ducati 1199 Panigale R. The bike is still in the pit lane, just out of it's garage. Mercado is now ready to race. He did very well in World Superbike, in 2015, with the Barni Racing Ducati. He is the 2014 STK1000 Cup champion. He won it on the last turn of the last race when Lorenzo Savadori, crashed out through the Nurburgring chicane at Magny Cours in southern France. The white flags with red crosses on them, mean rain is scattered around the track at the moment. This will likely be declared a wet race for the blokes in the STK1000 division.
Christophe Ponson is already having issues on his #23 Pedercini Kawasaki ZX10R. Ponson falls on the sighting lap! Oh dear! He is down, at Mandeveen, turn ten. Tito Rabat dumped his Moto2 bike on the sighting lap for the Moto2 event here in 2014. The start is going to be delayed, as the pit lane will close in 90 seconds. There's bad news that has come out of the STK1000 paddock for this weekend. Let's start with the good news. Riccardo Russo is on pole for this race, for the first time in his career. Florian Marino, his team mate, had pole at Motorland Aragon, last time. However, Florian Marino, this time, was not so lucky. He was involved in a bad crash on the Saturday before this race. He is out of action, here at Assen.
He went down through Ramshoek, and was hit in the leg by Luca Vitale on the #70 Team 2R Racing BMW S1000RR. Because of this wreck, Marino has a fractured lower right leg, a fractured right femur, and a pelvic fracture. Thank goodness, he has undergone a successful surgery. Luca Vitale is declared fit for this race. Andrea Tucci also had a heavy wreck, in Saturday qualifying, and has a concussion, so, he cannot race either. Florian Marino is fifth in the championship right now. This race will last 14 laps. We have another full grid for this race, with 40 bikes and riders out there on course. Many riders in this series, keep in mind, don't race as often, and are very inexperienced, on these big, heavy, powerful 1000cc motorcycles.
The conditions were wet Friday, dry Saturday, and wet, now. It's going to take Marino three months to heal up. Riccardo Russo has pole, Leandro Mercado is second, Raffaele De Rosa is third. No riders have won a race in STK1000 at Assen, who are in this current field. But, there still have been some big names, who have won here at The Cathedral, such as Michael Laverty, Claudio Corti, Maxime Berger, Ayrton Badovini, Davide Giugliano, and Sylvain Barrier. Luciano Tamburini wants to win. Michael Laverty ran on the old circuit in 2002. From turn five onward, that's the old, proper Assen. Turn two at Madijk, and and the Strubben (turns four and five), are always a challenge for the riders.
Continuing with the top qualifiers. Fabio Massei rolls off seventh. In terms of the manufacturer's championship, the order is Ducati, BMW, Yamaha. Dutch wildcard Danny De Boer is one to watch. He is on the #4 SWPN Yamaha YZF-R1. Some riders are in Valencia, Spain, racing the FIM CEV Superbike series. Max Scheib is one of the riders. A few names in this field, did not race at Aragon. We mentioned Danny De Boer. He starts his 17th race in STK1000. Luca Salvadori is on the #123 GP Project Aprilia RSV4 RF. Not to be confused with Lorenzo Savadori. Wayne Tessels, another Dutchman, is in his home race, on the #77 MTM HS Kawasaki Kawasaki ZX10R. We are three minutes away, from the warmup lap, as the Alfa Romeo 4C safety car, speeds away from the grid.
Five minutes before the race starts. These boys will need to get up to speed. The track was bone dry at the end of the Superbike race. We'll see how this one goes. Anyone willing to push harder, could move up the field. Italian Luca Marconi, starts 11th on the #87 Team Trasimeno Yamaha YZF R1. He debuted last year, at mid season in one of the races in Italy. Jeremy Guarnoni is up next on the #11 Kawasaki ZX10R, and he is on the sister Pedercini bike to Chris Ponsson. Guarnoni debuted here in STK1000 in 2011. The track is a mix of dry and damp. Last time out, in Aragon of course, we saw a total demolition derby into the first corner.
Who will make the aggressive moves into corner number one, here at Assen? Superstock 1000, at The Cathedral, is next! We have 36 motorcycles on the grid, here at Assen. The bikes are on their warmup lap. At the moment it isn't raining. Riccardo Russo leads the field. We're going to watch the weather, and if the rain comes down. It is wetter on the back section of the course here at Assen, as opposed to the front straight, and the opening sequence of corners. Ducati's 1-2 finish in the STK1000 race at Aragon, was the first for their Stock 1000 team since Imola in 2014. In that 1-2-3 finish it was Ondrej Jezek, Leandro Mercado, and Fabio Massei. Toprak Razgatlioglu won't race here, because he's still got an injured wrist.
Watch out, too, for 2011 Superstock 1000 champion, BMW rider Raffaele De Rosa tested at Jerez with his Superbike team mates Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger. Russo, Mercado, De Rosa, the front row of the grid. There's a gap in the middle of row three. Danny De Boer, the Dutch wildcard rider is not back in his grid spot. It could be game over for De Boer in his home race. Too bad. Now then, here we go. Superstock 1000 at The Cathedral, is, green! Leandro Mercado shoots off into the race lead already.
Rinaldi and De Rosa are scrapping for second already! We have two riders who have crashed. Wayne Tessels has crashed out of his home race, as Raffaele De Rosa takes the lead, but Riccardo Russo is now ahead. Jeremy Guarnoni has also gotten a fabulous start. The back part of this race track is already soaked. Leandro Mercado passes Raffaele De Rosa. The riders have made it through Mandeveen and Duikersloot, turns ten and eleven. Up to Meeuwenmeer, it's still close. Oh dear! For the second race in a row, we have red flags out, in Superstock 1000. Wayne Tessels was one of the riders to crash in turn two, (Madijk). There were two Kawasaki riders down, and fortunately, no one was hit by another rider.
Alessandro Andreaozzi of Italy, on the #121 Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX10R has gone down. This is the second race in a row where Andreaozzi has spilled the bike on lap one. Maybe it is too dangerous for everyone to be on a track that is dry on one end and wet on the other. So, we'll have to wait out a weather delay for the STK1000 riders, folks. One year at Monza in Italy, it was bone dry on one side of the track, and soaking wet on the other. Ah. Race control says there is oil on the road. The marshals will put speedy dry down in that corner to soak up the oil. It is only sawdust or cement dust. Wayne Tessels and Alessandro Andreaozzi were surely the riders who spilled in this first lap incident.
There was clearly contact, between Tessels and Andreaozzi. Both are riding green Kawasaki's. Andreaozzi gets on the power, loses the rear tire, and high sides the motorcycle. Andreaozzi was one of a few riders who were given penalty points and fines. We have yet to get to the end of lap one in STK1000 in the first two races. This should now be shortened in distance, by five laps, to a nine lap dash for cash. We saw this situation, in Aragon, Spain, last time out, as well. These blokes can sometimes turn their races into demolition derby's. A shortened race will allow riders to stay at the front. Stay calm, and be in the position to go, when we are ready for action.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi is one of the riders surely to be cooling down a little bit and then getting psyched for the restart. Another rider is in trouble. Francesco Cavalli on the #99 Punto Moto Corse By Clasitaly Kawasaki ZX10R. Cavalli, from Rome, Italy, is being pushed up the pit lane, from the exit. Cavalli, started caboose on the field in 35th place. A good number of riders didn't start. 1997 250cc Grand Prix champion Scott Smart, is now one of the World Superbike race marshals. The waiting game will have to be played here, as we wait to see how clean the track is. It will be the quick start procedure, and will be a nine lap sprint. The race is now the 2/3rds distance.
Raffaele De Rosa, is actually a very experienced rider, and has been racing motorcycles since 2002. He started in the IRS 125 GP Trophy. He has also run Euro 125 and FIM CEV competition. De Rosa ran in 250cc World Championship racing, and in Moto2, as well. De Rosa raced in Estoril, Portugal, in a 250cc race that saw MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl take his first win in Moto2. De Rosa had a good finish at Motorland Aragon, and has to build a level of consistency week after week in STK1000. The aforementioned race start procedures, have been confirmed, as the powers that be, at Assen, play some groovy, recognizable music, over the PA to keep fans amused during the red flag.
Pit lane will be open, for 60 seconds. Pit lane opens in another four minutes. There will be a sighting lap, the bikes form on the grid, and we run, a nine lap race. We saw this in Aragon, and in Supersport, here at The Cathedral. It's the dash for cash, Saturday night shootout for STK1000. These are very much road legal tires provided by Pirelli to the STK1000 teams. If you are a rider interested in doing track days, Pirelli can help. On the Monday after each WSBK race, you can go out and buy those tires. As far as weather, there are gray clouds, white clouds, a little blue sky, and more rain. A lot of the dark clouds have been pushed away. This track is a lot like Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, where weather appears out of no place, even though we are quite close by the North Sea, here in Holland.
It is pouring in the paddock. What will happen? It has to be pouring between the Strubben, the Veenslang, and the Ruskenhoek. One bike is at the end of the lane right now. #93 Roberto Mercandelli of Italy, on another of the Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX10R's. The bikes are reentering the speedway, right now. The clouds are blowing their way across the pit lane and the garages. Like World Supersport, we don't have tire changes in STK1000. Another Kawasaki, (#69, David McFadden), and he said at Aragon, that he had not done a lot of wet weather riding on the motorcycle. A lot of these blokes don't have experience on these 1000cc brutes, in the wet conditions.
Pit lane is closed, and maybe, a couple riders may start from pit lane. We've got quite the mix of manufacturer's in this series including Aprilia, Ducati, Yamaha, and BMW. Wayne Tessels and Alessandro Andreaozzi, (remember them, from earlier?), they will be able to take the restart. 15th for Andreaozzi, and tenth, for Tessels. We are going to start a new race. The first start, is null and void. Watch out for more rain in the Ramshoek, and the double curbs. They will go around for another warmup lap.
Danny De Boer, failed to make start number one. He is back in action now and it surely isn't game over for him. The warmup lap is crucial, because the next time they come by, they'll be at full speed. The speedway is damp. The track might change. We saw that in Superbike and Supersport. Uh oh. Another delay. Luca Marconi's Yamaha, has had it's motor go ka blammo. That's not oil smoke, chaps. That's good old fashioned steam, pouring out from underneath that bike. No signal of a delayed start. So, we might be able to get this race going, this time. Oh deary me, we've delayed the start of this race... again! Box, box, box.
This race, will now, be even shorter. Stay calm. We watch, in replay, as Luca Marconi, shows you, how to turn your stock racing motorcycle, into the world's biggest sauna and steamer. Would you like a cup of piping hot tea? The marshals are on track, looking at what happened to the road. Many riders are coming up in mini bikes and mini moto. Rimini is Italy's heartland of racing talent on two wheels. The riders are in the garages, talking to their team managers, as we await the start, of this newly reformed nine lap race. Without the marshals, we cannot race. But, we have them, doing the job of cleaning up.
We will have another quick start procedure. Wait it out, blokes. This is going to take time. We are going to open pit lane, and hopefully, race. Uh, no. It's TBA right now. More weather. Blue skies trying to creep through, with white and gray clouds. We might have more rain. There has been a tailwind at the Geert Timmer Bocht and down onto the front straight. If you cut the chicane at the Ruskenhoek, come through the middle of the cones (three on each side). If you weave between them, you will get a ride through penalty. We won't run out of daylight, and will get this race in. No update. Race start delayed. Everyone, you can take a nap, now.
Just be patient, and accept that the race will start in due course. Let us review. What is a Superstock 1000 motorcycle? It is the closest, on an international racing level, to the road going bikes you can buy in the showroom. These bikes do not have the advanced electronics of the Superbikes. There are puddles on the outside of the track, creating a river on the road. Be prudent, and wait. FIM safety officer Frank Vassier, looks at his watch, and we have about 15 minutes until this race starts. Nine laps, the distance.
If this race gets underway, it will be the third restart. There's lots of cleanup still to do at the Ruskenhoek. In ten minutes, we'll do the quick start procedure, and get this thing underway. We have a marshal, whistling, over the track PA system. Hehe. We are being truly entertained here. Yikes! The weather is improving. Sunshine, blue skies, and warm temperatures. The rain might be pushed away, and it might dry quickly. We saw how quickly it dried in Superbike. A large contingent of British fans, come to Holland, from England, because it's close by, and you can hop a short flight, or, come over, by boat. Come into Rotterdam, and then, drive or ride up to Assen. Phil Read, won in the top class here (present day MotoGP), in 1973, on the MV Agusta.
If you are a motorcycle racing fan (as yours truly is), come to Assen for a race. Might plan on getting there, in the future. Six minutes until pit lane opens. It's been about 50 minutes since we were supposed to get started. Nineteen different riders, have won in World Superbike here at Assen. Here are the names, while we wait for the STK1000 race to resume.
Doug Polen
Giancarlo Falappa
Carl Fogarty (12 wins at Assen)
John Kocinski
Pierfrancsco Chili
Colin Edwards
Noriyuki Haga
Troy Bayliss
Ruben Xaus
Neil Hodgson
James Toseland
Chris Vermeulen
Chris Walker
Ben Spies
Jonathan Rea (9 wins at Assen)
Carlos Checa
Sylvain Guintoli
Tom Sykes
Eugene Laverty
Many great Supersport racers have also won Assen. Chaz Davies, Sam Lowes, Kenan Sofuoglu, and more. It's a rider's track. Stock 1000 is a big step to success. Danilo Petrucci went from this class, into MotoGP, showing something special. These boys can move into Superbike. Franco Morbidelli came from Superstock 600 into Moto2. We are ready to go back to racing. Effectively, this race, has not even started yet, especially after Marconi dropped oil. I said it was steam. Shame on me. Marc Moser was directly behind Marconi on the grid. He is on the Triple M Ducati. Marc Moser's dad is one of the team bosses.
Many STK1000 teams are family run, and so is Eric Vionnet. The Swiss rider is on the #51 Motos Vionnet BMW S1000RR. Only a few have pit garages. A lot of them are in tents, because the entry list is so big! Only 15 will score points, in the same format for scoring in WSBK and MotoGP. Pit lane is now closed, and everyone has gotten back out on track. The track is now forming a dry line. All of the names of the corners are named for agricultural things, seagulls, moorlands, animals, and former Dutch racer, Geert Timmer. Assen has changed so much, and the first TT was in 1925, on the roads. Part of the original track, (which measured 16.5 kilometers, or 10.3 miles, and was run on between 1926 and 1954), was modified, starting at the village of Rolder. A lot of the track was not paved. It was sand.
After 1925, it was reduced from 28.4 kilometers (17 and 3/4 miles), to 16.5 kilometers (10.31 miles), and part of the original circuit was first used. In 1955, it was shortened to 7.7 kilometers (4.8 miles). It did include a long, three kilometer stretch down to one of the corners. So many classic European circuits, such as Spa, Le Mans, Assen, Hockenheim and Salzburgring, had lots of long, long straights, and now, we cannot race with long, fast one kilometer straights anymore. This track flows a lot, and the old circuit was a real challenge. Brno, Sachsenring, Assen, and many others. Here we go, then. From the past, to the present.
We restart Superstock 1000 at Assen. Red lights, on, and, we are underway, now! Slow start for Roberto Tamburini. Leandro Mercado leads as Michael Ruben Rinaldi passes Riccardo Russo on the inside. Raffaele De Rosa, follows, on the BMW. Everyone is through the first few corners cleanly this time, except a Kawasaki running wide. A couple riders have indeed fallen, well off the racing line. The yellow bike was Dutch wildcard Nigel Walraven, on the only Honda in the whole field. The #111 Stichting Walraven Racing Honda CBR1000RR SP. Not sure who the other rider was in that wreck.
Walraven had a huge crash at Aragon last year and had a hip fracture. Julian Puffe was the other rider. Puffe's Kawasaki, is trashed, and it's game over. The order right now is Russo, Mercado, Rinaldi, De Rosa, Faccani, Salvadori, Massei, De Boer, Calia, Pusceddu, Black, and Guarnoni. That's your top dozen. The rest of the field is Hartog, Tamburini, Moser, Tessels, Staring, Metcher, McFadden, Mercandelli, Ponsson, Vionnet, Suchet, and Andreaozzi. Russo leads with Mercado second and we will actually complete a lap, in this race! Hooray for that! Michael Ruben Rinaldi has a rain jacket on over his leathers.
Raffaele De Rosa, takes a spot away from Michael Ruben Rinaldi. BMW vs. Ducati. One of the back markers is slowing. Someone has only just left pit lane. Marco Faccani is also up there. The Italian won the Superstock 600 crown a few years back, in 2014. Faccani is on the Triple M Racing Ducati 1199 Panigale R. Ricky Russo cuts a lap of 1:52.5 and he's pushing like no tomorrow. One rider who crashed is on a stretcher, being taken into the medical center by the marshals. Andreaozzi had his second first turn crash, in this race. Wrong place, wrong time.
Russo is pushing, trying to open a gap. Raffaele De Rosa on the BMW sets fastest lap at 1:44.580. Marco Facani makes a move on Michael Ruben Rinaldi as well. Rinaldi is fourth and Leandro Mercado is falling back, as he's on a wet weather setup, on intermediate rear and full wet front tires. Rinaldi is caught out and passed by the #59 Yamaha YZF R1 of Andrea Mantovani for Guandalini Racing Yamaha. Greg Black on the Kawasaki is also flying, for MTM HS Kawasaki, in sixth. Daniel De Boer is pushing, and now, De Rosa is flying, passing Russo! De Rosa has raced a lot at Assen and has eight podium finishes in STK1000.
Can De Rosa win his first race? He's got seven podiums. Marco Facani is now third. Both Aruba Ducati riders are having some trouble as the Yamaha of Mantovani is all over them. Andrea Mantovani is pushing, though. We start lap five and Russo is still pressing De Rosa. Ouch! Alessandro Andreaozzi is down, again, and this time, it may be game over for the Italian. That's a very high speed wreck, and thank goodness, the bike was away from the rider and didn't smash on top of him! Ugh! A race to forget for Alessandro Andreaozzi, who does have World Superbike experience as well as STK1000.
Another blown engine. Danny De Boer has created a mosquito killer out there. That Yamaha failed to make the original start of this race. More drama, as Riccardo Russo is down and out! An enormous high side for Russo. He gets launched into orbit, off that motorcycle! No points for Russo. The rear tire slid out from under the bike, and he had the wind knocked out of him for sure. De Rosa is going to win this race if he stays cool and gets back to the checkers. De Rosa has checked out, leading by eleven seconds.
Roberto Tamburini's only non finish last year, was here, at Assen, and thus, he lost the championship in 2015. Non finishes in this short, cup series, cannot be afforded. Jeremy Guarnoni on the Kawasaki passes Andrea Mantovani. Michael Ruben Rinaldi now holds fifth place. Leandro Mercado drops to sixth. Raffaele De Rosa will lead the Cup points. Dutchman Rob Hartog in his home race is tenth, on the #47 Team Hartog - Jenik - Against Cancer Kawasaki ZX10R. Greg Black is being hounded by Luca Salvadori and Wayne Tessels. In the back half of the current top running order you have Marc Moser 11th, and Kevin Calia, 12th. Luca Vitali, 13th, followed by Chris Ponsson in 14th who crashed on the sighting lap of one of the earlier race starts, and completing points scorers, it's Roberto Mercandelli.
Aruba is in damage limitation mode. Rinaldi passes Mantovani. Guarnoni is on the move and could take second with two laps to go. Leandro Mercado is being held up by Luca Salvadori. Mantovani is dropping back. Guarnoni passes Facani. Michael Ruben Rinaldi is coming up on Marco Facani as we are on the final lap. Raffaele De Rosa looks like he'll win this race on the BMW. Rinaldi has passed Faccani. Faccani didn't start last time out. Backmarkers are in the way, and it's the #26 of Italian Marco Sbaiz, on the Berclaz Racing By MotoXRacing Yamaha YZF R1. Last lap now. 11.6 seconds for De Rosa. Can Guarnoni get second? Michael Ruben Rinaldi sets fastest lap of this race at 1:39.7.
Althea BMW will win their first race on the BMW bike! Raffaele De Rosa wins STK1000 at Assen!
Superstock 1000 Race: #35 Raffaele De Rosa ITA. BMW S1000RR
BMW has now won 24 races in STK1000 and they are behind Yamaha who has 31 race wins. The STK1000 riders and team just ran in Italy at Imola, last weekend. Stay tuned, for a race report, from the Italian round, coming soon.
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