Race day - Assen
BAYLISS DOES THE DOUBLE ONCE AGAIN!
Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) celebrated victory once more
as he climbed on to the top step of the podium in both of
today's races at Assen. Troy and his Ducati 1098 F08 dominated
both races, although the Australian rider faced something
of a battle against Yamaha rider Haga in the second outing
this afternoon. A perfect finish to a weekend in which Bayliss
has been consistently strong, and these wins, his fourth and
fifth of the ten races held so far this season, mean that
his lead in the riders championship is extended to 70 points.
Bayliss now holds 178 points and second-placed Checa has so
far accumulated 108.
A less fortunate day for team-mate Michel Fabrizio who has
been suffering from pain in his right forearm, severe enough
to mean that he was unable to finish either race at the Dutch
track today. Having lost ground at the start of Race 1 after
he and Smrz made contact through the first curve, Michel was
able to make up several positions over the first few laps
but then a mistake in his braking, due to pain in his arm,
meant that he came off and was unable to rejoin. In Race 2
the pain worsened to such an extent that he could no longer
use his right arm to brake and unfortunately this again signalled
a DNF result. The young rider will undergo surgery tomorrow.
Ducati still leads the manufactures championship with 190
points, and a 64 point lead over closest rival Yamaha.
Troy Bayliss (Race 1 - winner, Race 2 - winner)
"I'm very happy of course, it's been an incredible weekend.
This is the last time I'll race Superbikes here at Assen.
It's perfect in that the first time I raced at this track
I had a big battle with Nori and now again here this year.
That first year he won and so it's fitting that in my last
visit here, this time I was able to beat him. We've been going
well all weekend and were able to take pole and then I made
a really good start in both races. I think I'm riding for
the best team in the paddock at the moment so I thank my guys,
the Ducati Xerox Team, again for their hard work, and we go
to Monza with 50 extra points in the bag."
Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 - DNF, Race 2 - DNF)
"I made quite a good start in race 1 but at the very
first curve me and Smrz made contact and so I went wide and
lost several places. I was able to make up a few places to
reach sixteenth but my arm was pretty painful and I made a
mistake in my braking and went off. Between the first and
second race I went to the medical centre for treatment but
unfortunately in Race 2 the pain in my right arm was much
worse and I wasn't able to brake at all, which meant I had
to stop. Tomorrow my arm will be operated on, in the hope
that doing that immediately will mean I can be back on the
bike as soon as possible. I am very disappointed with the
outcome of the weekend but I need to fix my arm before I can
be competitive again."
RESULTS: Race 1 - 1. Bayliss (Ducati Xerox);
2. Checa (Honda); 3. Neukirchner (Suzuki) Race 2 - 1. Bayliss
(Ducati Xerox), 2. Haga (Yamaha); 3. Checa (Honda)
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: Riders - 1. Bayliss
(Ducati Xerox) 178; 2. Checa (Honda) 108; 3. Corser (Yamaha)
89; Nieto (Suzuki) 85; 5. Xaus (Ducati) 81; 6. Haga (Yamaha)
67...... 13. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 37. Manufacturers - Ducati
190; Yamaha 126; Suzuki 113; Honda 109; Kawasaki 37
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