Race-1 of the Prosecco DOC Dutch Round, the fifth event of the 2021 WorldSBK season, offers a terrific show to the public on the stands of the TT Circuit in Assen (Netherlands).
After a convincing Superpole, Scott Redding and Michael Ruben Rinaldi start respectively from the third and fourth position and since the first lap, they give the feeling to be able to fight for the victory. Rinaldi’s pace seems to be particularly incisive and allows him to take the third position behind Rea (Kawasaki) and Razgatlioglu (Yamaha). The Italian rider pushes hard but during the third lap, he loses the front at turn 8, compromising his race.
Redding stays glued to the leading group and on lap 8 he overtakes Razgatlioglu to take the second position. Scott seems ready to attack Rea, but is forced to defend himself from Toprak’s return: the two riders engage in a spectacular duel, but they allow Rea to create a little gap.
The fight for second place is exciting. Two laps from the end, however, the red flag shown for the crash of Folger (BMW) interrupts the duel, giving Scott Redding the final second position.
P2 – Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“It’s nice to be back on the podium and get this result in Assen with so many fans in the stands. In the first half of the race the feeling was very positive and I was aware that I could fight for victory. Then I started to have some issues with the front tire and I had to fight hard with Toprak. All things considered, I’m very satisfied with this result”.
DNF – Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
“I am very sorry for the crash. Despite a rather difficult Friday, we were able to take some steps forward and this morning the sensations were quite positive. After a good start, I had the feeling that I could easily stay with the leading group. Unfortunately, I made a mistake because I approached turn 8 in the wrong way, without taking into account the fact that the tank was still full. A lesson I’ve learnt for the future”.
