Ducati Monster Forum

Free Practice (Top 5)

1. Marco Melandri ITA BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000RR 1m 37.582s
2. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Racing 1098R 1m 37.711s
3. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R 1m 37.781s
4. Michel Fabrizio ITA BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet S1000RR 1m 37.891s
5. Jonathan Rea GBR Honda World Superbike Team CBR1000RR 1m 38.168s

For full results:  http://www.crash.net/world+superbikes/results/178766/1/assen_-_free_practice_times_1.html (http://www.crash.net/world+superbikes/results/178766/1/assen_-_free_practice_times_1.html)

Rain for Q1
1. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Team Effenbert Liberty Racing 1098R 1m 37.600s
2. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R 1m 37.630s
3. Leon Camier GBR Crescent Fixi Suzuki GSX-R1000 1m 38.468s
4. Carlos Checa ESP Althea Racing 1098R 1m 38.665s
5. Jonathan Rea GBR Honda World Superbike Team CBR1000RR 1m 38.873s

For full results:  http://www.crash.net/world+superbikes/results/178784/1/assen_-_qualifying_times_1.html (http://www.crash.net/world+superbikes/results/178784/1/assen_-_qualifying_times_1.html)

If it rains for the race, expect the Ducs and the Brits to do well.  

Shouldn't it always rain at Assen? Isn't it always supposed to? It was always on Mamola's wish list! [laugh] [popcorn]

Check out your buddy holding down #4!  [laugh]

Sykes on pole by 1 sec?!?

So, that's 3 in a row then. (?)

I know this is a good track for Hopper but it's nice to see him up there none the less.

It is indeed. And nice to see Sykes kicking butt in Superpole 3 races in a row! Good to see the Kawis in the mix. [thumbsup] What happened to Biaggi? Huh? :P

WHAT? :o Let's hope the tire can keep up the race pace for more the 5 laps.  :)

Absolutely crazy race results. As I mentioned earlier, if it's Assen there must be rain! [bang] [popcorn] Mixed up the championship points chase for sure. But all will get settled later in the season. There always seems to be a race like this weekend's Assen craziness every season. It all comes out in the wash as long as no season ending injuries occur. Best I can tell everyone came out OK.

Still, good to see Rea do well and a 1st win for Guintoli. Nothing wrong with mixing up the usual order of things! [thumbsup] Just racing...

Any clue why SPEED is playing make the beast with two backsing NASCAR instead of the race?

I planned my day around this

Great races today.

Guintoli was on.

Biaggi wasn't...

and WTF was Carlos thinking? Full Rains with the sun out?  ???

I have been trying to figure that one out as well.  ???

No shit! The world champ gets talked into running full wets when the track is 95+% dry and no rain in the race forecast? WTF???? Biggest dumb make the beast with two backs move in WSBK! Someone needs to get fired!! If I was blind drunk I could have made a better tire choice call! Jezz!! [bang] [bang] [bang]

Dood...

who calls the tire  choice?

I don't know. Checa or the team manager I suppose. They didn't ask me! [laugh] [laugh]

Carlos.

And race 1 was pretty make the beast with two backsing outstanding right up to the rain.  Then it turned into crashfest 2012.   [laugh]

Same guy who put Nicky & Stoner on them at Donnington a couple years ago?

anyone notice the 1199 placing 2nd and 3rd, but still getting their butts kicked by the BMW... some shit talking BMW owners are loving that one.

It was a rhetorical question... ;)

and it sure was.

Good run by Rea in race 2. [thumbsup]

Still bum-fuzzled by Checa's tire choice. Huh??? Don't see that kind of tactical error that often on the top WSBK teams. Sure, wrong suspension set up, ECU, etc. But that was a HUGE tire choice error. I could have better call after a 3 day hangover and just flipping a coin! [laugh]

Speed skipped Race 1 so only caught Race 2.  But what a race it was!  Good battles throughout.  I thought for a while it was going to be another Duc 1-2-3.  Anyone know what caused the Smrz's crash and if anything came of it?  Tough break for the guy - went from 1st to 3rd to DNF...  :(

they didn't skip it, they just preempted the first 20m or so.

Yep, that pissed me off! Just what I want to watch is some NASCAR re-play bullshit when I should be watching WSBK races! I am NASCAR'd and SPEED'd out. What's next? 24/7 of Monster truck crap? Thankfully we still caught most of race one. If not someone at SPEED was going to catch a shovel up side the head! ... it's a Texas way of solving social and media problems. Don't ask about details. ;)

I know.  I was just stating the obvious because a few people seemed to need it. 

 ;D

I'd expect an I4 to be faster in a straight line.

That isn't what road racing is about.

It's about crossing the finish line ahead of the competition after 20ish laps.

When BMW consistently wins races thy'll be kicking the 1199's butt

I think race direction screwed the pooch by not waving enough blue flags at Atcho who should have been yielding to Smrz , but instead he was carrying enough speed chasing Rea and Guintoli, they he had to carry it somewhere and it ended up being around to the outside of him into the wet crap and BOOM...which sucks IMHO

Speed preempting for Nascrap for 20-ish mins pist me off too...we missed what happened to Sykes, which apparently was something given the flash of a replay they did offer later in the broadcast...

some of those crashes were rather nasty though...like reading the report after the fact on McCormick -> http://superbikeplanet.com/2012/Apr/120422mc.htm (http://superbikeplanet.com/2012/Apr/120422mc.htm) and his crash didn't exactly look like most of the other ones that were let go and slide with the way he was tossed and tumbling with the bike....

Sykes lost the engine.

It was comical watching Haslam tapping him of the right shoulder to tell him he was smoking badly as he passed at about 130 mph.

taken from Carlos' post race comments...


so...there ya have it....

Yeah, I liked that too. [thumbsup] Yoo-hoo, hey mate, you seem to be having a bit of trouble! [laugh]

During Race 2 warm up, they spoke to Sykes.  He said that the hose clamp came off the radiator, so it was steam and not smoke.  He said he was bummed for if he would have made it back to the pits, he could of participated in the restart. 
This was from the EuroSport coverage.

I must have missed that.

I watched the eurosport coverage.  [bang]

Damn hose clamps! >:(

more on McCormick and his injuries/recovery...

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/brett-mccormick-injury-update/ (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/brett-mccormick-injury-update/)

which is more and better than anything I've heard about Joan Lascorz

Mentioned it over in the Jerez MGP thread but anyone catch Lanzi's performance in the WSS race? My god...the boy was a total beast. Even got choked up in the interview.
It's one thing to finish a slippery sloppy one off race on a less than competitive bike but to put it on top of the box...I sure hope someone gives him a ride for the rest of the season.

That was definitely impressive. He dominated that race!

Good news... I guess, but it still sounds bad.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=48128 (http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=48128)

I wish Lascorz well. [thumbsup] [bow_down] [bacon]