JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s James Ellison ended the second MCE British Superbike free practice session in eighth on the timesheets at Assen, but the Cumbrian has targeted Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes as the man to beat this weekend.
Ellison is in the Showdown and has a chance of securing the BSB title this year and is currently third in the overall standings, just 31 points adrift of Brookes, but the Kawasaki man did struggle with rear grip this afternoon.
The rider is still nursing a wrist injury, which makes it difficult for him to pass other riders on the track, and that is why the front row is the aim for qualifying tomorrow.
“We’ve made some big improvements today. This morning we didn’t get to finish the session with the new tyre because we had a problem with the bike, so that’s where that big chunk of time has come from this afternoon,” said Ellison.
“Brookes is the man to beat at the moment, but he has been here already this year which is probably a factor. We are struggling a little with rear grip at the moment, but we’ve got some ideas to try tomorrow to solve this.
“We’ve also got a new swing arm that we want to try, I did a few laps on it today but with conditions the way they were it’s hard to tell how much of an improvement it made.
“The injury is much better than it was at Oulton, but it is still a hindrance - particularly in the last chicane. The goal tomorrow is get on the front row, I’m still not able to pass with the wrist very well, so a good start from the front will be vital to closing the gap down.”
