WorldSBK Assen, Netherlands - Free Practice Results (2)
Six-time world champion Jonathan Rea ends day-one of the Dutch WorldSBK fastest for Kawasaki.
| WorldSBK Assen, Netherlands - Free Practice Results (2) | ||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time |
| 1 | Jonathan Rea | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | 1:34.391s |
| 2 | Garrett Gerloff | USA | GRT Yamaha | +0.121s |
| 3 | Alvaro Bautista | SPA | Team HRC | +0.350s |
| 4 | Tom Sykes | GBR | Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team | +0.362s |
| 5 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | TUR | PATA Yamaha | +0.364s |
| 6 | Lucas Mahias | FRA | Kawasaki Puccetti | +0.380s |
| 7 | Scott Redding | GBR | Aruba.It Ducati | +0.526s |
| 8 | Michael Rinaldi | ITA | Aruba.It Ducati | +0.567s |
| 9 | Alex Lowes | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team | +0.568s |
| 10 | Michael Van Der Mark | NED | Motorrad BMW WorldSBK Team | +0.583s |
| 11 | Leon Haslam | GBR | Team HRC | +0.585s |
| 12 | Andrea Locatelli | ITA | PATA Yamaha | +0.690s |
| 13 | Jonas Folger | GER | Benovo BMW | +0.952s |
| 14 | Chaz Davies | GBR | GoEleven Ducati | +1.112s |
| 15 | Axel Bassani | ITA | Motocorsa Ducati | +1.137s |
| 16 | Tito Rabat | SPA | Barni Ducati | +1.208s |
| 17 | Isaac Vinales | SPA | Orelac Racing Kawasaki | +1.554s |
| 18 | Leandro Mercardo | ARG | MIE Honda Racing | +2.006s |
| 19 | Kohta Nozane | JPN | GRT Yamaha | +2.014s |
| 20 | Andrea Mantovani | ITA | Vince64 Racing kawasaki | +2.819s |
| 21 | Loris Cresson | BEL | Pedercini Kawasaki | +4.195s |
Rea found early improvements on his best time from FP1 as he led the way from Tom Sykes. Scott Redding then went second before Sykes responded by going fastest. However, it was a short-lived spell at the top for the BMW rider as Rea went fastest on his very next lap.
Garrett Gerloff had a very strong opening day at Assen following the news of his one-year extension with Yamaha on Thursday. The American finished second overall after exchanging top spot on several occasions with Rea late on.
Alvaro Bautista enjoyed a much better start to the weekend compared to recent rounds, as a late time attack run saw him finish third quickest.
Lucas Mahias had an early fall at turn ten whilst following fellow Kawasaki rider Rea. The Frenchman recovered to take an impressive sixth place.
Free Practice One
Scott Redding finished WorldSBK FP1 at Assen fastest in what was an impressive opening session for Ducati.
The top three in the championship - Toprak Razgatlioglu, Rea and Redding, locked out the front three positions with Davies fourth for much of FP1, however, it was Redding who looked strongest.
The Ducati man was the only rider able to break the 1m 34s barrier during the opening two stints.
With 12 minutes remaining, Davies was next to break into the 1m 34s barrier as he went second behind Redding.
Rinaldi then made it a 1-2-3 for the Italian manufacturer, before Rea managed to grab second place +0.078s down on Redding.
Leandro Mercado finally made his return to action with MIE Racing Honda after being absent since the opening round in Aragon. Chassis and Electronic upgrades were needed in order for the Argentine to return to racing.
After missing round four due to injury, GRT Yamaha rider Kohta Nozane was back in action during FP1.
Wildcard rider Andrea Mantovani made his WorldSBK debut with Vince64 Racing aboard a Kawasaki ZX10-RR.
Jonathan Rea holds the most wins at Assen of all current riders (7), while Alvaro Bautista is the last rider to win in WorldSBK at the Dutch circuit (2019).
