World Superbike 2008 - Round Four

World Superbike 2008 - Round Four - Assen

Day 3 Report - Ducati

Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) celebrated victory once more as he climbed on to the top step of the podium in both of today's races at Assen. Troy and his Ducati 1098 F08 dominated both races, although the Australian rider faced something of a battle against Yamaha rider Haga in the second outing this afternoon. A perfect finish to a weekend in which Bayliss has been consistently strong, and these wins, his fourth and fifth of the ten races held so far this season, mean that his lead in the riders championship is extended to 70 points. Bayliss now holds 178 points and second-placed Checa has so far accumulated 108.

A less fortunate day for team-mate Michel Fabrizio who has been suffering from pain in his right forearm, severe enough to mean that he was unable to finish either race at the Dutch track today. Having lost ground at the start of Race 1 after he and Smrz made contact through the first curve, Michel was able to make up several positions over the first few laps but then a mistake in his braking, due to pain in his arm, meant that he came off and was unable to rejoin. In Race 2 the pain worsened to such an extent that he could no longer use his right arm to brake and unfortunately this again signalled a DNF result. The young rider will undergo surgery tomorrow.

Ducati still leads the manufactures championship with 190 points, and a 64 point lead over closest rival Yamaha.

Troy Bayliss (Race 1 - winner, Race 2 - winner)
"I'm very happy of course, it's been an incredible weekend. This is the last time I'll race Superbikes here at Assen. It's perfect in that the first time I raced at this track I had a big battle with Nori and now again here this year. That first year he won and so it's fitting that in my last visit here, this time I was able to beat him. We've been going well all weekend and were able to take pole and then I made a really good start in both races. I think I'm riding for the best team in the paddock at the moment so I thank my guys, the Ducati Xerox Team, again for their hard work, and we go to Monza with 50 extra points in the bag."

Michel Fabrizio (Race 1 - DNF, Race 2 - DNF)
"I made quite a good start in race 1 but at the very first curve me and Smrz made contact and so I went wide and lost several places. I was able to make up a few places to reach sixteenth but my arm was pretty painful and I made a mistake in my braking and went off. Between the first and second race I went to the medical centre for treatment but unfortunately in Race 2 the pain in my right arm was much worse and I wasn't able to brake at all, which meant I had to stop. Tomorrow my arm will be operated on, in the hope that doing that immediately will mean I can be back on the bike as soon as possible. I am very disappointed with the outcome of the weekend but I need to fix my arm before I can be competitive again."

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An unlucky race day for the Ducati Xerox Junior Team. Brendan Roberts fell during the fifth lap in which he was fighting against the leading pack while Domenico Colucci finished in eleventh place, taking home his first championship points of the season.

Brendan, caught up in a battle fraught with nervous tension, demonstrated his ambition by fighting from the start against race leaders Berger, Pirro and Corti. A few small errors committed by more than one of the front-running riders meant that the advantage changed hands several times. Under pressure from Simeon, Brendan pushed hard on the fast straight and then opened the gas too soon through one of the last curves. Losing the rear, the young Australian came off the track and was unable to complete the race.

BRENDAN ROBERTS Ц УIn the first stages of the race we were all on edge. As a group we were entering corners quite slowly and so it was tricky but I felt I had the situation under control. I was sure I was able to fight for the win even though I lost traction a couple of times. Simeon was very close and so I pushed hard through one of the wide left-hand curves only to find that when I opened the gas again I came off track at high speed. Luckily we limited the damage in the sense that my main rivals didnТt finish either. The championship is still wide open and we will do all we can to get back on track so to speak at Monza.Ф

A difficult race for Domenico Colucci who failed to find the right feeling with the bike this weekend. Starting from further back on the grid he was able to make up a good number of positions to take a final eleventh place.

DOMENICO COLUCCI Ц УI want to put this weekend behind me as I wasnТt able to feel comfortable with the track or with the bike. In addition I had to visit the Medical Centre to take some painkillers for a problem with my hand. I tried to catch up but starting from so far back I was only able to do so much. One consolation is that I was able to take my first championship points of 2008.Ф

Results Ц 1.M.Berger (Honda) in 22Т24ТТ450 with an average speed of 158,559 km/h; 2.M.Pirro (Yamaha) 0ТТ904; 3.X.Simeon (Suzuki) 2ТТ848; 4.A.Polita (Ducati) 4ТТ811; 5.A.Antonelli (Honda) 5ТТ481Е.11.Domenico Colucci (Ducati 1098 R Xerox Junior Team) 19ТТ898Е

Championship standings after 2 rounds - 1.Maxime Berger 34 points; 2.X.Simeon 32; 3.M.Pirro 30; 4.D.Giugliano 28; 5.A.Polita 26; 6.Brendan Roberts 25Е