Race Report: Round 9 – Assen TT Circuit, 100 Years of Racing History
Round 9 took us across to Holland as we lined up at the legendary Assen TT Circuit, celebrating its 100th year of racing history. For Bennetts BSB it marked the first round of the Showdown and with everything to play for, the stage couldn’t have been bigger…
Superbike – Leon Haslam
Leon lined up 6th on the grid for Saturday’s opener, and as the lights went out the drama began. With rain spitting just as the riders formed up, the grid descended into tyre choice chaos. We made our call, stuck to it, and Leon launched into Turn 1 in 3rd. By lap two he’d slipped back to 8th, but with his head down he charged back through the field, lapping over a second quicker than the leader for three laps on the bounce.
As Leon hit 2nd and began closing in on the race lead, the red flag came out due to visibility. Behind, Brad Ray had already crashed after pushing too hard, luckily for him it came just a lap before the stoppage, giving him a lifeline to regroup. On the restart Leon again started strong from P2, but the race was red-flagged once more and later declared, handing us a hard-earned P2, our first podium since Snetterton.
Sunday’s 18-lap Race 2 saw Leon start from the front row in P2. A frantic opening lap saw six riders side by side down the back straight, and Leon shuffled back as far as 8th. With his visor clear and focus absolute, he fought his way back through, reaching 4th by lap 10 and closing fast on Skinner ahead. Just as the podium push looked set, a huge moment on the white paint cost him time and while he saved it brilliantly, it opened the door for Bridewell. Leon eventually crossed the line 5th and crucially earned another P2 grid slot for the final feature race.
The final race of the weekend; a 14-lap belter saw Leon line up 2nd on the grid, a great place to attack from. As the bikes rolled out the rain started to spit again, but not enough to change tyre plans. Leon shook hands with the team, visor down and it was all eyes on him.
Lights out, he made an ok start and settled into 3rd through Turn 1. Straight away he looked sharp, racier than ever, and part of a fierce early battle with Ryde and Iddon as positions swapped lap after lap. Just as the fight was heating up, the rain worsened and the red flag came out.
On the restart, the track had dried again and it was back to business. Ryde led the way with Leon immediately in the mix, battling with the front group as Iddon crashed out on lap one. Leon pushed forward into second, and from there the leading pack began to break clear, Ryde, Redding, Bridewell and Leon all locked together.
As the laps ticked away, it was clear Leon had his sights set on the win. He hit the front on the final lap, leading Redding and Ryde into Turn 1, but the battle was far from done. Redding struck back, Leon fought tooth and nail to respond, and the three of them crossed the line almost as one.
In the end, it was Redding who took the win, with Leon bringing our Ducati home in P2 after an all-out scrap to the flag. A proper race, a proper fight, and another podium to close out Assen in style.
Supersport – Ben Currie
In Supersport, Ben started the sprint race from P6. True to form, he pulled off the trademark Currie start, firing into Turn 1 in 3rd. He looked set to settle in, but the usual Supersport elbows-out racing soon erupted. With riders running each other wide and swapping paint, Ben was caught in the shuffle and crossed the line 7th. A 1:39.312 lap secured him 7th on the grid for Sunday’s feature race.
The 16-lap feature race had six to eight riders all in with a real chance of victory. From 7th, Ben made a blistering start, grabbing the holeshot and stunning the garage with his launch. For the opening laps he controlled the pace, looking every bit a race winner. Sadly, visor issues hit mid-race and hampered his progress, dropping him to 6th at the flag – frustratingly one place behind our key championship rival.
Weekend Round-Up
In Superbike, we ended the weekend as the highest-scoring team. While the red flags left us feeling hard done by – knowing the top step was within reach – that’s racing. We leave Assen 3rd in the championship, 80 points behind Brad in 2nd, with everything still to fight for.
For Ben, it was a tough weekend where he felt a lot was thrown his way. We didn’t manage to fully capitalise on Rhys also missing the podium fight, but it’s far from over. Ben sits just 11 points adrift in the championship hunt, and with two rounds still to go, the fight continues.