Round 05 #NLDWorldSbk SUPERPOLE & RACE 1

Alvaro Bautista unfortunately suffered a crash in the opening stages in the weekend’s first Superbike race at the Assen TT Circuit.

After using the morning’s final free practice to make some last adjustments to the set-up of his bike, Alvaro was ready for the Superpole qualifying phase. The action-packed 15-minute session saw Alvaro set a 1’34.791 to place tenth, so a fourth row start for the Spaniard.

Race-1 got underway at 2pm local time, and in dry conditions. From tenth on the grid, Bautista made a strong start in an attempt to stick with the front group, but unfortunately, he never even got a chance to battle against his rivals, losing the front before the end of the opening lap on turn 8 and thus putting a premature end to his race.

Alvaro Bautista #19  

“Today in the Superpole I didn’t feel good with the qualifying tyre and lapped slower than with the race tyre yesterday. In the race I started quite well and was with the group in front. I wanted to try and stay there, especially in the first laps where we usually suffer more, but perhaps I had a little too much faith and lost the front, unable to save the crash. It’s a shame because every time I find the confidence to push a little more, I take a risk. We have to improve the feeling to understand where the limit is. I am very sorry for the team because they are working very hard, and I’m sorry for HRC because they are making a real effort with this project. But when I feel I can go faster, I want to at least try, if not I would feel frustrated. It is what it is, it’s a pity but fortunately we have two opportunities to improve tomorrow, so we remain positive and look forward to scoring a better result tomorrow”.