Assen World Superbike race one winner Jonathan Rea has admitted he is still not totally comfortable with the base setup of his 2016 ZX-10R but that didn’t stop the world champion in Holland.
Rea was involved in a five-bike dice for the lead which was eventually reduced to just the Kawasaki man and title challenger Chaz Davies on the final lap. The win takes Rea to a 31-point series lead over Ducati’s Davies while Tom Sykes’ crash puts him more than two race wins in arrears.
“It was great to win another Assen race. Our bike setup was new because we changed the bike just for the race after warm-up. I put my head down with a few laps to go. It is really hard to lead but I was so-so happy because I feel we have been a bit on the back foot now since Aragon and before so to score 25 points here is great,” said Rea.
“I think the potential of this bike is huge but I have yet to get it into a really good window I am comfortable with. This race has given us a lot of information and to score 25 points when it really matters is incredible for me, for my strength inside, and for my championship.
“I want to thank all the Dutch fans because they give me a great reception every time we come here and thanks to my team for their hard work and keeping my spirits up. After Aragon I felt we were a bit deep in the sea and now I feel our heads are above water.”
