World SuperBike 2000 - Round 11 - Assen

Troy Bayliss - "In race 1 I was really feeling good on the bike. I felt I could push really hard. Clearly I pushed a bit too hard however and the crash was inevitable. In the second race I had a fantastic battle with Haga. The strong winds in some parts of the circuit brought sand onto the surface and the track soon got dirty, especially in the chicane before the finish line and the opposite part of the track, where I think there were a few drops of oil. On lap 11 I went wide a little, but the following lap my foot slipped off the peg and at that point I went a bit wide."

Troy Corser - "It was so disappointing today, because during practice the Aprilia had felt fast and pretty strong. But the changing conditions meant that we were never able to have enough time to get the best set-up for different conditions. We never found the perfect set-up for the dry and we never found the perfect set-up for the wet. In race one, I made quite a good start, but not quite good enough to be right up with the leaders and I lost ground on them. Later in the race, I was doing the same lap times as Edwards, but he had a substantial advantage and I couldn't do anything about it. But, it was the first time I've ever raced with Dunlop full wets, so I was pretty pleased with fourth place. In the second race, my rear tyre started spinning right from the start and that was that. I kept going and just tried to get a finish with as many points as possible, but I am very disappointed because the seventh place means that now the gap between me and Edwards and Haga has grown."

Noriyuki Haga - “Race one was pretty good considering the conditions, and I was not using the wet tyre we tested on Friday. I haven’t raced in the rain for ages and was very rusty, so I thought I was doing quite well when I braked late for the first turn, but instead everyone shot past me! Finally it came together and I got my first podium in the wet. Race two was fantastic, I really can say I enjoyed it. I don’t usually like Assen but the engineers and team had done a great job and the bike was really easy to control.”

Colin Edwards - "I went for the wrong tyre and paid the price. I should have chosen a different compound but the one I used seem to have a strange influence on the machine. I felt like I was a gear out everywhere. It's disappointing for the championship points to close up but hopefully we can get it right next Sunday in Germany and I can bag a couple of wins there."

Aaron Slight - "I worked hard after that poor start and I'm happy to get fourth. I had trouble with the rear tyre sliding around but I think everyone suffered the same trouble. It was a hard race for me but I'm pleased to take my best result of the year so far and it gives me hope for the last couple of rounds."

Akira Yanagawa - "I had a very good start and run in 3rd position when the engine started misfiring, maybe caused by some water. It was hard to control the power and I nearly crashed on the back straight once. Besides that the bike is great and the tires also. "

Gregorio Lavilla - "I just lost the front and slid off the track. I was quite lucky that I felt on the right side of my hip. I'm all right but disappointed."

Juan Borja - "It wasn't easy on the wet in race 1. I really wanted to go well and the bike was perfect. I tried to go after first place, but I went off onto the grass on the ninth lap and decided to settle for second place which was my first podium of the year. In race 2 after my team-mate and Chili crashed I didn't want to push too hard and risk ruining a very important day for me and my team."

Pierfrancesco Chili - "I've had some good results at Assen and some bad, but maybe today was the worst luck I've ever had here. Race One was terrible. The conditions were so difficult, but I was going quite well until I just slid off in the wet. It was just a wet weather crash - that's all. In the second race I thought I had a good chance for a podium place, but I crashed exiting the chicane - maybe on some dirt on the track from some other riders. I hit my left hand and heel very hard and both are very sore. But I don't think any bones are broken, so maybe I was lucky after all!"

Katsuaki Fujiwara - "Conditions in the first race were terrible and it was very difficult to keep control of the bike. There was just so much rain - especially in the first half of the race. The front end was a bit too stiff, so I couldn't feel it as much as I wanted to, so I decided to not take any risks and just try and get a good finish. In race two, my rear tyre was spinning right from the start. I don't understand why, because we tried the same tyre in the morning warm-up and it was OK! I'm happy to finish both races, but I would've been happier with higher positions in both races."