FIM Superbike World Championship
Assen
WorldSBK - The Netherlands
WorldSPB Double Podium Leads Multi-Class Effort at Assen
Kawasaki riders’ weekend at Assen for Round 3 of the FIM Superbike World Championship was defined by results across all three classes, led by a double podium finish in Race 1 of the WorldSBP Class and continued control of both the rider and manufacturer standings in the new category. In the WorldSBK Class, Alex Lowes backed up his Race 1 performance with another near podium finish in the Superpole Race, while Axel Bassani added points across both races despite a challenging weekend, alongside contributions from Garrett Gerloff. In the WorldSSP Class, Jeremy Alcoba secured an eighth-place finish in a shortened Race 2, with Dominique Aegerter also finishing higher in the championship standings. Across the board, Kawasaki riders combined podium performance with steady scoring results to maintain momentum in each class.
WorldSBK Results
Alex Lowes
WorldSBK
“The Superpole Race was good. I slowed down a little bit when it started to rain a little, but I had a good start. I was happy with the pace and set the best lap I have done here at Assen. The bike was working well. I was nearly in the mix with the leading bikes and trying to hold Alvaro Bautista off. He was a bit stronger and passed me near the end of the race. Then I was trying to stay with him to try to come back. I was happy with the race and happy with the speed. In Race 2, I had a good start again, put myself in a strong position, and had a few good laps trying to go with the Ducatis. After about five laps, I had a big problem with vibration and sliding from the rear. From there on, I was just trying to finish the race. We have to check why we had this problem. Other than that, over the whole weekend, I felt like I maximized our package well. Apart from the last 14 laps of the second race, I think we did a good job. I am trying to take the positive points and move forward for Balaton Park.”
Axel Bassani
WorldSBK
“In general, it has been a difficult weekend, and also being ill was not the best solution! We finished the Superpole race with things being quite difficult. My feeling with the setup was not really good, and then we had a long lap penalty. When you have that, then the race is completely finished. In Race 2, honestly, I was feeling quite good with the bike, and I felt like I also had more pace than the riders in front of me. But it was really difficult to overtake. I tried it sometimes, but every time I was going long. I had to adapt to the pace that the riders were setting in front. In the end, I took some points. Now we have to work for Balaton and come back a little bit more strongly.”
Garrett Gerloff
WorldSBK
“I am trying my best to be positive, but it is a little difficult as this was not a good race weekend at all. I am really sorry for the team for the lack of results. We are going to have weekends where we struggle, and this was just one of them. I want to put this weekend behind us and focus on the next one at Balaton Park. Let’s try to find positives and then head to the next race weekend.”
Jeremy Alcoba
WorldSSP
“It was a shame today because we had a really good pace and I felt super good with the SC0 tire. The weather was cold today, but I felt good in the warm-up on a used tire. At the beginning of the race, we struggled a bit because the first sector was wet, so everybody was calm and watching what could happen at the front. I took it easy at the beginning, and when I started to take confidence and felt good, I started to come back and pass other riders. I had a strong pace, and I could have made a good result today, but the red flag finished the race with six laps to go, so we finished in the Top 8. I am happy because the feeling and the speed are there. If we are still working like this, then we can do better in the next one.”
Dominique Aegerter
WorldSSP
“The Sunday race did not go as we expected. There were difficult conditions out there, a little bit wet at the start, and also drops of rain. We finished 15th and got one point. I am, for sure, disappointed with this. In the race, we were a little bit unlucky as we had two or three big hits with other riders, and they pushed me off the track. We lost three or four positions, and then there was also a red flag six laps before the end. I was thinking that I could have improved my finishing position a little bit. We need to work a lot now at home to improve our package. Saturday’s result was not bad, but for sure, we have a lot of work in front of us. We need to continue to believe in the team and myself, and we will be back soon in Hungary for the next round.”
