Ducati is celebrating its 400th victory in the WorldSBK Championship as Alvaro Bautista completed yet another triple success for the manufacturer in race two at Assen.
Another exemplary performance to leave rivals scratching their heads in contemplation over how they can possibly halt the dominant Spaniard, though Bautista was made to work harder for his third success of the weekend, he'd still take the flag a clear four seconds up.
Toprak Razgatlioglu maintained his run of podiums to consolidate the same position in the overall standings, his afternoon cause aided by another costly exit for Jonathan Rea, who crashed out on lap six
Having been forced to work his way to the front in both Race 1 and the Superpole Race, it was third-time lucky for Bautista off the line as he converted pole position into a comfortable hole-shot over Razgatlioglu and Rea.
However, just as has been seen in previous races, Bautista would take his time building up his momentum on the Aruba.it Ducati, in doing so making him vulnerable to an eager Razgatlioglu climbing over the back of the Panigale V4 R.
Having spent much of the weekend chasing the tail of Rea's Kawasaki, Razgatlioglu wasted no time in making a bold pitch for the lead at Stekkenwal on lap three. However, such haste would only takehim wide on the exit, allowing not only Bautista back through but the close-following Rea as well.
No doubt inspired by his rival's efforts to lever Bautista out of his customary lead position, Rea replicated the same overtake a lap later. However, despite holding position on the exit, Bautista's greater momentum through the following bends soon saw him back into a lead he wouldn't relinquish.
He might have faced greater competition had Rea - having just been relieved of second too by Razgatlioglu - not seen his weekend come to an abrupt conclusion with a low-side at Turn 9, the Ulsterman consigned to his second DNF of the season.
Though Razgatlioglu attempted to give chase, Bautista could afford to manage his pace, steadily eking out his advantage to almost four seconds as he crossed the line for his eighth win in nine races, a result that doubles as Ducati's 400th in WorldSBK.
The Italian manufacturer - a 'founding member' of the inaugural WorldSBK Championship in 1988 that has contested every race in a factory capacity since - already holds the record for wins in the series with its 400th success, well clear of Kawasaki in second on 176 wins.
Though unable to keep pace with Bautista, Razgatlioglu's solid run of podiums ensures he remains the ex-MotoGP rider's closest rival, though he is now staring down a 56-point gap between them.
Rea's exit paved the way for Andrea Locatelli on the second Pata Yamaha to maintain his run of podiums at Assen, in turn consolidating his third place in the overall standings.
In a race that would see several notable fallers beyond Rea, there were DNFs for debutant Bradley Ray, both HRC Honda riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge, Loris Baz and - most painfully - Michael van der Mark, the local hero stretchered away after being flicked into a high-side that while soaring also assured a very painful landing.
Their exits meant there were notable personal best results for lesser fancied riders, not least Dominique Aegerter, who clinched a hard-fought fourth with a firm - if controversial - pass on Axel Bassani into the final corner on the last lap.
The double WorldSSP Champion had been hunting down Bassani all race but after pulling alongside Bassani into the chicane, the two bashed fairings to send the Motocorsa Ducati wide onto the run-off. As such, though it was Bassani fourth on the line, stewards reversed the positions post-race.
On a strong day for the GYTR GTR Yamaha squad, Remy Gardner also scored his best finish of the year in sixth place, as did Scott Redding in seventh on the ROKiT BMW.
Danilo Petrucci finished on Redding's tail in eighth place, ahead of a frustrated Alex Lowes, who was forced to fight back to ninth from the back the grid after dropping his Kawasaki on the sighting lap.
On a curiously out-of-sorts weekend for Bautista's team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi, the Italian ended his weekend with a tenth place, ahead of Go Eleven Ducati man Philipp Oettl and Bonovo BMW's Garrett Gerloff.
Lorenzo Baldassarri picked up digits for 13th on the GMT94 Yamaha, while Hafizh Syahrin achieved his and Petronas MIE Honda's best finish of the year in 14th.
Finally, Tom Sykes finally got a good finish and a point on the board with his run to 15th place on the Puccetti Kawasaki.
CLICK HERE for 2023 WorldSBK Points' Standings after Assen
2023 WorldSBK Race 2 Results - Assen
2023 WorldSBK | Assen, Netherlands | Race 2 Results | Rd. 3 of 12] | |||||
Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Motorcycle | Lap |
1 | Alvaro Bautista | ESP | Aruba Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | 21 Laps |
2 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | Pata Crescent Racing | Yamaha R1 | +3.915 |
3 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | Pata Crescent Racing | Yamaha R1 | +7.416 |
4 | Dominique Aegerter | CHE | GYTR GRT | Yamaha R1 | +9.445 |
5 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R | +9.500 |
6 | Remy Gardner | AUS | GYTR GRT | Yamaha R1 | +12.279 |
7 | Scott Redding | GBR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK | BMW M 1000 RR | +13.457 |
8 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | Barni Spark Racing | Ducati Panigale V4 R | +13.532 |
9 | Alex Lowes | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | +16.890 |
10 | Michael Ruben Rinaldi | ITA | Aruba Ducati | Ducati Panigale V4 R | +20.304 |
11 | Philipp Oettl | GER | Go Eleven | Ducati Panigale V4 R | +21.645 |
12 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | Bonovo Racing | BMW M 1000 RR | +22.038 |
13 | Lorenzo Baldassarri | ITA | GMT 94 | Yamaha R1 | +37.985 |
14 | Hafizh Syahrin | MAL | MIE Racing | Honda CBR1000RR-R | +42.954 |
15 | Tom Sykes | GBR | Puccetti Racing | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | +44.662 |
16 | Oliver Konig | CZE | Orelac Racing | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | +54.512 |
17 | Eric Granado | BRA | MIE Racing | Honda CBR1000RR-R | +55.140 |
18 | Isaac Vinales | ESP | TPR by Vinales Racing | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | +1 > |
19 | Gabriele Ruiu | POR | B-Max Racing | BMW M 1000 RR | +1 > |
DNF | Iker Lecuona | ESP | Team HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R | |
DNF | Loris Baz | FRA | Bonovo Racing | BMW M 1000 RR | |
DNF | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | Kawasaki ZX-10RR | |
DNF | Xavi Vierge | ESP | Team HRC | Honda CBR1000RR-R | |
DNF | Michael van der Mark | NED | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK | BMW M 1000 RR | |
DNF | Bradley Ray | GBR | Motoxracing | Yamaha R1 |