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Premature tire wear forced Cal Crutchlow to make an important decision: Pit or risk crashing

Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow both saw deserved top five finishes in the Iveco TT Assen elude them at the legendary Circuit van Drenthe yesterday afternoon. After rain had played a major part in the earlier 125cc and Moto2 races, the 26-lap race started on a dry but cold track, with threatening grey clouds still looming overhead as the action commenced. With air temperatures only just reaching a cold 13 degrees and the earlier rain affecting grip levels, Edwards and Crutchlow both fitted the soft compound Bridgestone front tire to their Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team machines.

Crutchlow made the best start of his MotoGP career and ended the first lap in fourth place, the British rider showing phenomenal early speed to chase Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso. Ignoring the pain of the recovering left collarbone he broke at Silverstone just 15 days ago, the adrenaline fuelled 25-year-old superbly kept nine-times World Champion Valentino Rossi at bay until he started to encounter a front tire grip issue after five laps. Determined to overcome the issue to claim his first top six MotoGP finish, he fought brilliantly to remain in the top six until lap 11 when the problem worsened. The 2009 World Supersport champion opted to pit for a new front tire on lap 13 and he demonstrated his true potential again in the second half of the race to set a fast and consistent pace on his way to 14th.

American Edwards also encountered a front tire grip issue as the race avoided any repeat of the earlier rain. Once he’d settled into a fast pace, Edwards was comfortably cutting the gap to Crutchlow and Rossi when his front tire started to lose traction. He held fifth until lap 17 when he was unable to hold off compatriot Nicky Hayden. Edwards also then encountered a rare arm pump issue caused as he tried to compensate for the muscle damage to his left ribcage suffered in a recent crash at Cataluña. Despite his best efforts the 37-year-old was unable to maintain his pace and he dropped down the order to finish in seventh position.

Colin Edwards, Position 7th, Time +1.08.112:
“That wasn’t an easy race at all and to be honest I’m happy I made it to the finish. I was feeling really good and catching Valentino and Cal when I went through the second corner and lost the front. I thought it was just because I was pushing but the next corner the same thing happened and from that moment it was really difficult. Each time I was in a right-hander I couldn’t turn but that wasn’t my only issue today. After about ten laps I got really bad arm pump. I’ve got no upper body strength with the rib injury from Cataluña, so to compensate I was doing everything with my arms and at one stage, the combination of the two issues meant I thought I was going to have to pull in. It was a case of gritting my teeth and getting some points but we’ll analyze what happened because Ben (Spies) won the race on the soft front tire. Our bike isn’t set-up completely different, so we’ll have to talk to Bridgestone, but hats off to Ben because he’s done an awesome job all weekend and rode a great race.”

Cal Crutchlow, Position 14th, Time -2 laps:
“Looking at the positives I got a fantastic start and for the first few laps I was running close to the front in a MotoGP race for the first time. I felt confident I could keep Valentino behind me but then after about five or six laps I started struggling with the front tire on the right side. I had no choice but to come in and change it because if I had carried on pushing it was going to be easy to crash and that’s the last thing I need to be doing at the moment. Having only had surgery on my left collarbone just over a week ago I just couldn’t afford to have another crash. Without that I’ve no doubt I’d have finished fourth but I’ve proved again I’ve got the speed and shown that I can race with the best in this class. It wasn’t the final result we wanted but I can’t change it and I still learned a lot, so now I’m concentrating on Mugello and getting a good result there.”

Hervé Poncharal, Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager:
“It was a brilliant start for both Cal and Colin and at that moment, after the incident between Simoncelli and Lorenzo, I was thinking that they could finish with a really strong Team result. The lap time was looking good from both of them and we were hoping they could finish inside the top six together for the first time this season. But suddenly we saw the lap time of Cal drop a lot and he came to the pit where we found out that the right side of his soft front tire was completely finished. So he left the pit again with a hard compound, but of course his race was finished, though I want to thank him for going back and pushing to his maximum for the Team. It was only a few laps later also Colin’s pace went down. He managed to defend seventh position but by the end he was very slow with the same problem as Cal. Unfortunately that is racing and in those conditions you have to take a bit of a gamble, as we almost had no proper dry time on the track. Finally I’d like to say congratulations to Yamaha and Ben. This weekend was huge for Yamaha being its 50th anniversary celebrations and for Ben to win was the perfect way to finish the weekend.”

Assen, Saturday, June 25, 2011

Texan Ben Spies chose to kick off Yamaha’s 50th Anniversary of Grand Prix Racing in style yesterday, delivering a flawless performance at the Assen TT to claim his first-ever MotoGP race win. Spies had been on form all weekend delivering a consistently fast race pace in all sessions whether wet or dry and was been beaten to pole by a mere 0.009 seconds by Marco Simoncelli. A great start saw him leading the race from the first corner, quickly building a sizeable gap to Casey Stoner in chase, which he held and extended to over 7.6 seconds by the checkered flag. The victory was all the sweeter for being delivered riding in the special red and white livery used this weekend to mark the anniversary celebrations.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo delivered a true champion’s performance after being cause to crash on the first lap by Marco Simoncelli. Lorenzo quickly remounted and charged from the back of the pack through to claim an impressive sixth place finish and salvage valuable championship points from the unfortunate incident.

As a result of his performance Spies jumps to seventh in the championship standings, tying Dani Pedrosa with 61 points in sixth and just 10 points behind Nicky Hayden in fifth. Lorenzo adds 10 points to his championship tally and heads to Mugello next week with 108, 28 points behind leader Casey Stoner.

Ben Spies, Position 1st, Time 41.44.659:
“It was a strange race today as it was one of the most comfortable races we had and it resulted in a win. I saw the Simoncelli crash on the TV screen in the corner of my eye so I knew about it. I had a good feeling in the bike in the first couple of laps and had to push as much as I could to get a gap. When Casey was pushing back I still had a few tenths if I needed to, we could always match the pace. To do it this weekend with the 50th colors gives a little bit of pressure but it came out good. I was racing as hard as I could, I have to thank my guys; they gave me a great bike today. At least we’ve won a race now.”

Jorge Lorenzo, Position 6th, Time +44.536:
“Of course Simoncelli doesn’t want to throw me off the track, that wasn’t his intention but I think he is not very conscious about the risks in this class with these tires. I thought he learnt from the past and the polemic he created with Dani but it’s clear he hasn’t learnt. The good thing is that we finished in sixth and took some points. I was fast with a good pace. The championship is now more difficult so we have to go all out to win races and go fast. We are making changes to the bike that are making it better with stability to brake harder and deeper so I think we can go to Mugello and be more competitive like Ben demonstrated today. I want to say a big congratulations to him for his first GP win and also thank you to all my guys who again worked really hard all weekend to give me a competitive bike.”

Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager:
“A very tough race, mixed feelings here as we are very disappointed by the action with Simoncelli, It was a racing accident but pretty stupid. I’m happy for Ben that we were able to win here for the 50th Anniversary race. It’s good to see we are able to win and it was also good to see Jorge picked up quickly and was able to do very good lap times so we know the speed was there. I know we would have been able to fight for the podium. I have to congratulate Ben he did a great job this weekend and I feel sorry for Jorge as he didn’t deserve this result.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director:
“Ben rode a really fantastic race today, we are very proud and I don’t think his first GP win could have been more perfect. He was consistently fast all weekend and we were confident that he would deliver a really strong performance today. It’s even more special to have won here whilst celebrating our 50th Anniversary of Grand Prix racing. I have to say his crew worked extremely hard all weekend and made sure he had a bike that he could win on. I’m very disappointed for Jorge, it was clear the crash was not his fault. He showed his true colors as a world class racer with the way he rode following the incident. We leave Assen with a day of highs and lows and head to Mugello with even more confidence that we have made another step in our package and can challenge for more victories.”

The MotoGP riders have certainly been the most fortunate so far at Assen in terms of the weather, with 90 minutes this morning to make up for yesterday’s free practice cancellation and virtually all of it taking place in the dry. They were also blessed with sunshine in the afternoon, leading to a hotly contested battle for grid positions that saw surprise performances in the shape of Ben Spies in second place and Marco Simoncelli on pole position.

Mapfre Aspar rider Héctor Barberá worked relentlessly throughout the two and a half hours on track today to improve his feeling with the rear end of his bike. After a difficult weekend at Silverstone, the Spaniard has made major setup changes, and even though he now feels much more comfortable with his Ducati he is prepared to try a risky experiment in tomorrow’s warm-up. Barberá starts from 13th on the grid but is targeting a top ten finish.

Héctor Barberá, 13th, 1.36.590, 30 laps:
“We did a couple of tests with the setup this morning that improved the bike quite a lot. Above all we were looking to improve our feeling from Silverstone. I gave my best on the setup we had, and I think it would be difficult to go any faster. We have to find something more, some more solutions, to take another step. Right now what we have is a tall bike with hard springs and that allows us to lap at a decent pace but it is limiting if we want to push further. Hopefully I can set high 36s or low 37s tomorrow, which would put me in the top 10. In the warm-up we are going to try something completely opposite to the setting from today and see what happens. It is risky but we have nothing to lose by trying it and anything we get from it would be great.”

Loris Capirossi won’t take part in the Iveco TT Assen, the seventh round of the MotoGP Championship. The Pramac Ducati rider was the victim of a bad crash in the final minutes of qualifying.  The medical exams he underwent after the fall (in which the Italian was hit by his own bike)—first in the mobile clinic, then in the hospital in Assen—excluded serious injuries, but a dislocated right shoulder and injured rib cartilage will force the veteran to sit out the race. His best time was 1:37.130 for 15th place. The atmosphere is calmer on the other side of the team’s garage. Randy De Puniet seems to have overcome the difficulties with bike setup that he has experienced lately. The Frenchman finished qualifying with the tenth-best time (1:36.435), and tomorrow he’ll start from the fourth row.

Marco Rigamonti, Randy De Puniet’s Track Engineer:
“The feeling with the bike definitely isn’t the same as what we had in Qatar and at Jerez, but this week the problems that Randy had with the bike have diminished significantly. This aspect is very important for all of us, as we have to find the confidence we had at the beginning of the season. The results once again highlight the problems with the Ducati; we’re just behind Hayden and ahead of Rossi. The weather will be very important tomorrow. We’re not yet going like we’d like in the wet, so we hope it will be dry when we’re on the track.”

Randy De Puniet, Pramac Racing Team, 10th, 1’36.435:
“I’ll start from the tenth spot—too bad because I only missed the third row by a few tenths. Right now, it’s impossible to do better, so we’ll have to work to try and improve the feeling with the bike; anyway, it has improved compared to the last few races, especially Silverstone. Tomorrow I’ll have to fight in order to finish the race in this position, but I’ll try not to push too hard and instead just take advantage of any opportunities I get. My goal is to reduce the gap to the other satellite Ducatis and to steadily lessen the problems with the bike.”

Loris Capirossi – Pramac Racing Team, 15th, 1’37.130:
“There’s not much to say. It’s not much fun to be crushed by a bike at high speed. I’m feeling better now, although I’m sorry to miss tomorrow’s race. I crashed as I was at my best; I could have dropped my time, but the problem in left-hand corners, which we had already experienced in the morning’s free-practice session, caused me to lose control. Tomorrow I’ll go back to Monte Carlo, and in two days I’ll undergo some more checks on my physical condition.”

The Assen TT got underway today in The Netherlands with riders enduring much the same weather conditions as the previous round at Silverstone. The first free practice session of the weekend was run in wet conditions this morning with steady rain throughout. Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies were riding for the first time with the special YZR-M1 WGP50th Anniversary Edition red and white livery. Both took the opportunity to find their feet again following their crashes in the treacherous Silverstone conditions two weeks ago.

Having made a promising start and found a comfortable set up to focus on the riders were denied the opportunity to continue this afternoon. The track was closed for the day and the second session cancelled after oil was spilt along approximately a one kilometer section of the Assen circuit during the Moto2 practice session. As a result tomorrow morning’s final free practice will be an extended 90-minute session.

Ben Spies:
“We rode some laps this morning and we learned some good information for wet conditions should they stay like this at the weekend. Unfortunately some Moto2 riders dropped some oil which the track couldn’t clear in time for the second free practice. We only managed 12 laps in total but it was enough to see how it feels in the wet. It’s a special moment to be here for us with our new livery celebrating the 50th Anniversary so it’s really important to get a good result. We’ll do the best we can as always.”

Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager:
“The first practice in Assen and typically Assen weather. Jorge needed to find his way through the wet after the crash in Silverstone but I have to say his confidence grew pretty quickly. Position five was good at the end and the bike felt good for him. The track was a bit slippery, especially corner entry which is a bit strange as Assen is a normally a grippe track. It’s much more used by cars than before which may be the reason. It’s a pity that the afternoon session was cancelled but we only had three sessions last year here as well. Hopefully we get at least one dry session tomorrow and we hope race day is dry for the fans as well.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director:
“Unfortunately the weather didn’t help us today but Ben got back his confidence after the Silverstone race which was really important for us. We have some additional time in the morning free practice now so we’ll work on it. I’m confident we will deliver a good package for Ben and Jorge to be ready for the afternoon’s qualifying session. It’s great to see the bikes and team out in the red and white livery, we are all very proud to be part of this special time.”

It has been an unproductive day in the Netherlands for most of the MotoGP World Championship teams. Heavy rain at the Assen TT circuit this morning made conditions very difficult for all classes, but two separate oil leaks from riders in the Moto2 field caused a large spillage over a significant part of the 4,542m Dutch circuit. The organizers tried to clear the surface with a mixture of detergent and water, but conditions were too dangerous for the remaining practice sessions to take place. A decision by race control was taken to cancel all of this afternoon’s events and allow time to get the track prepared and safe for tomorrow.

Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista (P13, 1’53.164, 15 laps) was left very disappointed at the news of the cancellation, as he had a major setting change to test on his Suzuki GSV-R this afternoon, to try help him find the grip he was looking for in the wet. He struggled to find similar levels of grip here at Assen this morning to those he had in Silverstone two weeks ago and was eagerly anticipating this afternoon’s session to try and solve the problem.

Bautista and Rizla Suzuki will now have an extended 90-minute practice session tomorrow morning, before the all-important qualifying in the afternoon. This weekend’s 26-lap race is scheduled for 15.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT) on Saturday, June 25.

Álvaro Bautista:
“In this morning’s wet conditions I had a lot of problems with rear grip and I just didn’t have the confidence in the corners to open the gas early enough. We tried another setting in the session, but I didn’t have a good feeling with that either. This afternoon we wanted to test a completely different setting, but after what happened on the track in the Moto2 class it has made this impossible. We have a couple of sessions tomorrow and I hope that I can resolve this problem, because I really need to get the same feedback from the bike as I had at Silverstone in the last race.”

Paul Denning, Team Manager:
“None of the teams will be happy that FP2 was cancelled this afternoon, but we definitely needed it to go ahead as we hadn’t found the same grip feeling in the rain as we achieved at Silverstone two weeks ago. There was a quite radical set-up on one of the bikes – which was to be tried this afternoon – to hopefully help or solve the problem, but we will now have to sit down and decide the best way forward. Fortunately, we now have an extended session tomorrow morning to find a decent setting so that hopefully we can be in the best shape possible to qualify the bike in the afternoon.”

Iveco TT Assen Free Practice Classification:
1. Marco Simoncelli (Honda) 1’49.036
2. Valentino Rossi (Ducati) +0.360
3. Casey Stoner (Honda) +0.491
4. Andrea Dovizioso (Honda) +0.604
5. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.959
13. ÁLVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZKI MOTOGP) +4.128:

The second free practice session at the seventh round of the MotoGP Championship, the Iveco TT Assen in the Netherlands, was canceled due to the track conditions, which were made impossible for riding when Alex Baldolini’s bike lost oil during the Moto2 class’ first session. All events have been postponed until tomorrow, with the final free practice session scheduled for 9:50 a.m. During today’s morning session, Pramac Racing Team riders Loris Capirossi and Randy De Puniet clocked the fifteenth- and seventeenth-fastest times, at 1:53.348 and 1:53.562, respectively. The two riders made different choices for the day. The Italian’s staff preferred to postpone the debut of its new frame until tomorrow, while Randy De Puniet tried it, although the Frenchman didn’t have a positive outing in the rain.

Pramac Ducati's Loris Capirossi

Fabiano Sterlacchini, Pramac Racing Team Technical Director:
“We really didn’t need the oil on the track. These days, when we haven’t been so lucky, we need as much track time as possible to try and improve our situation. In Loris’ case, we’ll try to speed up some solutions. We’ll dismiss some options without trying them, and some we’ll try together with others. Among these is the new frame. We had planned to ride today with the same bike as before, and then to compare that to tomorrow’s bike with some new updates, including the frame of course. However, we’re forced to try it without making comparisons, although it’s enough to now that the Ducati Marlboro Team riders liked it.”

Loris Capirossi, Pramac Racing Team rider – 15th, 1:53.348:
“I had hoped to get on the track this afternoon. This morning we worked hard on the bike’s setup, so the second session was important for planning our work for qualifying. Fortunately, we still have a card to play: the new frame. Tomorrow we’ll probably start with this important change, hoping that it can help us to improve our situation.”

Randy De Puniet, Pramac Racing Team rider – 17th, 1:53.562:
“I left Silverstone with the rain, and unfortunately, I once again find it here at Assen. This morning I had problems with grip, especially on the rear of the bike. Compared to the last race though, the front end is better. We had some ideas for this afternoon, but unfortunately we weren’t able to get on the track. I can’t yet judge the new frame, but Rossi and Hayden have had positive feedback on it in the dry.”

The MotoGP series has really picked up momentum as it enters its seventh round. After a disappointing race at Silverstone, the Pramac Racing Team hopes to be able to turn the page in Holland – at the legendary Assen TT Circuit – where the young squad earned a second-place finish in 2003 with Max Biaggi and a fourth the next year, with the same rider.

Pramac's Randy de Puniet has only managed to score 10 MotoGP Championship points so far this season

Since then, the circuit was modified in the winter of 2005/2006, reducing one of the series’ longest tracks – at nearly 6 km – to 4.555 km.

Pramac Ducati riders Loris Capirossi and Randy De Puniet hope to make up for the previous race in the UK. The Italian has collected numerous podiums at this track, including two wins in the 250cc class. The Frenchman, on the other hand, has a best finish of sixth place, which came last year.

Fabiano Sterlacchini, Pramac Racing Technical Director:
“We want to forget the bad outing at Silverstone. It won’t be easy, because the problems we’ve been experiencing for some time can’t be erased in just one race, but it’s possible to improve. At Assen, the weather conditions could shuffle the deck again. Although our riders are currently more likely to do well in the wet, we must work well at preparing a suitable bike.”

Loris Capirossi, Pramac Racing Team Rider:
“My morale certainly isn’t over the moon, as it’s hard to forget the disastrous outing at Silverstone. We need some positive results, for me and for the whole team. I like the Assen circuit a lot, but the unknown is once again the weather; they’re predicting rain here too, although it shouldn’t be as cold as Silverstone. We need to do well to be prepared for the next Grand Prix, at Mugello.”

Randy De Puniet, Pramac Racing Team Rider:
“I need to turn my season around. Sure, it’s difficult, but it’s possible to do better. I hope that with the help of my team, I’ll be able to solve the problems with the bike’s front end. Otherwise I’m fine; I just want to erase the last race from my mind, as it was the worst of my career.”

The historic circuit of Assen welcomes MotoGP back this week for what is a very special occasion for Yamaha. The 2011 Assen TT will witness a full livery change by Yamaha Factory Racing as part of ongoing activities to celebrate the iconic Japanese manufacturer’s 50th year of Grand Prix racing. The beautiful red and white color scheme will be launched to the media on Wednesday close to the Assen circuit, signaling the start of the Yamaha Expo which will run the full TT week.

Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies will be looking to put the previous race at Silverstone behind them and focus on delivering strong results at Assen, a track favored by both. Lorenzo has won on the Dutch circuit in all three GP classes; team mate Spies took pole and a race win in 2009 in World Superbike and finished fourth last year in his rookie GP visit.

The Assen circuit, sometimes referred to as The Cathedral by race fans due to its status and historical significance in racing, is the only circuit to have been part of the Grand Prix World Championship calendar since its inception. The circuit, which celebrated the 80th Anniversary of TT racing last year, has undergone many changes over that time. Initially run on public roads it has evolved into one of the most physically demanding and technical tracks in Grand Prix with high speed chicanes and varied camber changes.

Jorge Lorenzo:
“Assen is my favorite track where I’ve won in all categories and also last season. This year it is very special coming here because we celebrate the 50th Anniversary! Now we are in second position in the championship, we come here looking to put pressure on the leader. I need to do the same job as I’ve done before with maximum effort. The team is focused and I wish to come back to finish at least on the podium.”

Ben Spies:
“I’ve really been looking forward to coming to Assen again. It’s a track I love and the Yamaha M1 seems to really work well here. It’s a fast track which I really enjoy, I have so many memories of watching the racing on TV here as a kid, it’s a privilege to race here now. I’m still pretty sore from Silverstone’s crash but I’m not going to let it stop me giving 100% as always and going for the best results possible. It’s also going to be really cool to go out on the track in the special livery in front of all the fans.”

Wilco Zeelenberg, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager:
“We’ve been looking forward to Assen because of our special livery; I love the bike in white and red. We are currently second in the championship which is not such a bad position; we will see if we can put some heat on the feet of Casey. We made a mistake at Silverstone and now with 18 points deficit it’s a different situation for Jorge compared to most of last season and this year where he’s always been in front. When you lead you can’t be better than that so we need to be on top of everything and I believe he is able to fight with Casey for victory. We were only two tenths behind the front in qualifying at Silverstone so we have proved that our package is getting better and better and closer to the front.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director:
“This is the first of our 50th anniversary race celebrations, I am proud to be part of this unique event and to be a part of Yamaha at this time. The team has worked really hard to prepare for this, we hope racing fans will be delighted with the special livery on not only the bikes but also our uniforms and pit garage. The Assen circuit should be good for us this weekend; our bike should be competitive thanks to the layout and characteristics of the track, it is also one of Ben’s best circuits to ride on. In dry conditions at Silverstone it was clear that the direction we are taking in development is working and we are confident here we can continue this improvement. I’m impatient for Thursday morning to get started.”

Jorge Lorenzo
Age: 24
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 36 (16 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 152 (57 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 43 (16 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 3 (MotoGP 2010, 250cc, 2006/7)

Ben Spies
Age: 26
Lives: Longview, Texas / Lake Como, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
First GP: Donington, UK, 2008 (MotoGP)
GP starts: 27
Pole positions: 1
World Championships: 1 (WSB 2009)

Grand Prix Results: Assen 2010
1. J. Lorenzo Yamaha 41’18.629
2. D. Pedrosa Honda +2.935
3. C. Stoner Ducati +7.022
4. Ben Spies Yamaha Tech 3 +13.265

Assen Record Lap: D. Pedrosa (Honda) 2010, 1’34.525

Assen Best Lap: J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2010, 1’34.515

BMW’s Leon Haslam battled to 12th and fifth place finishes respectively in the two races of round three of the World Superbike Championship at Assen in Holland on Sunday.

Haslam, starting both 22-lap races from 12th place on the grid, moved into eighth place by the first corner of the opening race and was into seventh by lap three when he crashed out. He suffered back and knee injuries after being hit by another rider in the crash.

However, the tough 27-year-old remounted and rejoined the race in 20th place. He was in 14th place by the start of the final lap before passing two riders in the dash to the finish line to ensure 12th place and four World Championship points.

In the second race of the day Haslam held fifth or sixth place for much of the race, eventually holding off a five-rider chasing pack to cross the finish line in fifth.

“We’ve had another tough weekend,” said Haslam. “I suppose it remains early days in terms of getting the BMW into race-winning shape but I’m pretty desperate to get back on the podium at present.

“We struggled a bit through qualifying and then in Superpole I could lap faster on the rear race tire than the softer qualifying tire so we need to focus on that before the next round at Monza in three weeks.

“The races were hard going and we again need to look to the technical developments in certain areas of the machine before I am in a position to win. But the BMW guys have proven that they can quickly produce what we need so I’m optimistic that we will soon be in a position to win our first race together.”

World Superbike Championship, round three, Assen, Holland.

Race results (both races 22 laps – 99.924km / 62.053 miles):

Race one: 1 Jonathan Rea, GB (Honda) 35m 46.486s – 167.589kmh / 104.073mph, 2 Max Biaggi, Italy (Aprilia) +0.739s, 3 Carlo Checa, Spain (Ducati) +3.572s, 4 Marco Melandri (Yamaha) +9.508s, 5 Michel Fabrizio, Italy (Suzuki) +9.892s, 6 Troy Corser, Australia (BMW) +11.120s, 7 Eugene Laverty, GB (Yamaha) +15.235s, 8 Ruben Xaus, Spain (Honda) +30.081s, 9 Ayrton Badovini, Italy (BMW) +32.071s, 10 Mark Aitchison, Australia (Kawasaki) +35.000s. 12 Leon Haslam, GB (BMW) +45.289s.

Race two: 1 Carlos Checa, Spain (Ducati) 35m 38.693s – 168.199kmh / 104.452mph, 2 Max Biaggi, Italy (Aprilia) +0.524s, 3 Jonathan Rea, GB (Honda) +3.584s, 4 Leon Camier, GB (Aprilia) +5.913s, 5 Leon Haslam, GB (BMW) +16.916s, 6 Eugene Laverty, GB (Yamaha) +17.375s, 7 Michel Fabrizio, Italy (Suzuki) +17.740s, 8 Noriyuki Haga, Japan (Aprilia) +18.329s, 9 Jakub Smrz, Czech Rep. (Ducati) +18.378s, 10 Sylvain Guintoli, France (Ducati) +18.404s.

World Championship points after three of 13 rounds: 1 Checa 132, 2 Biaggi 89, 3 Melandri 85, 4 Rea 79, 5 Haslam 68, 6 Camier 50, 7 Smrz 49, 8 Fabrizio 27, 9 Laverty 35, 10 Haga 34.

Manufacturers points: 1 Ducati 136, 2 Aprilia 106, 3 Yamaha 97, 4 Honda 79, 5 BMW 74, 6 Suzuki 47, 7 Kawasaki 43.

Next round: Monza, Italy – May 8-10 2011