Samsung Honda’s Alex Lowes clinched his second MCE British Superbike win of the day at Assen to make it six wins in a row but he is under investigation by race durection after an incident with title rival Shane Byrne in which the pair clashed and the Kawasaki man slid off.
Lowes went on to then catch and pass Milwaukee Yamaha’s James Ellison on lap fifteen to storm across the finishing line with nearly a one second lead, but the race was not without some drama. With Byrne out Ellison was able to take advantage and moved in to the lead.
But seconds before that crash Milwaukee Yamaha’s Tommy Bridewell made a move on Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Noriyuki Haga and unfortunately lost the front end and gathered the former World Superbike veteran with him at Mandeveen, ending their chances of a podium finish.
Byrne was not the only title fighter to fall, Tyco Suzuki’s Josh Brookes crashed while in third on lap nine at the Geert Timmer chicane. The Aussie was locked in a battle with team-mate PJ Jacobsen for the final podium spot but his race ambitions ended in the gravel as he carried too much front-brake into the turn and lost the front.
After Byrne went out, Ellison was at the sharp end, but Lowes was never far behind and neither was the diminutive figure of Jacobsen. But on lap 16 the leading duo pulled a gap and the New Yorker was six seconds adrift but still crossed the line in third, and in doing so secured his first BSB podium of the year. With three laps to go Lowes closed in on Ellison and made his move at the Geert Timmer chicane and from then on the Lincolnshire rider led till his Honda crossed the finishing line.
Title fighter and Lowes’ team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari finished in fourth, followed by battling Buildbase BMW team-mate’s Jon Kirkham and James Westmoreland. The taller of the two riders just had the edge over his Showdown colleague ending the day in fifth.
Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Chris Walker was involved in a fight for seventh with GBmoto’s Peter Hickman which went down to the wire, but the more experienced racer pipped Hickman to the post. Bathams Honda’s Danny De Boer and GBmoto’s Dan Linfoot rounded off the top ten.
There were a few riders who experienced technical problems in the final race of the day at the Dutch circuit. Padgett’s Jakub Smrz entered the pits and so did Riders BMW’s Martin Jessopp. Two Wheel Racing’s Jenny Tinmouth retired after her warm up lap with a technical problem.
Rapido Sport Racing’s Matteo Baiocco saw the black and orange flags as smoke was coming out of his machine, and had to pull over to the side of the track while he was in eleventh place. Doodson Motorsports Robbin Harms had his second crash of the weekend, this time it was at Stekkenwal on lap nine.
