The weekend had the lot, good weather, bad weather, a debut pole, handbags in the gravel, crashes and most importantly the kind of racing that Dorna could only dream of. The Assen round of BSB was the first of the showdown rounds. Make sure if you missed it, you catch the highlights on TV later this week. Here are the full results from the BSB press office.
Eyes down for the showdown
Race one:
1: Josh Waters (Tyco Suzuki)
2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Buildbase BMW) +0.184s
3: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +23.904s
4: James Ellison (Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Kawasaki) +24.637s
5: Christian Iddon (Alstare Bimota Junior Team) +29.741s
6: Dan Linfoot (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +37.273s
1: Josh Waters (Tyco Suzuki)
2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Buildbase BMW) +0.184s
3: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +23.904s
4: James Ellison (Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Kawasaki) +24.637s
5: Christian Iddon (Alstare Bimota Junior Team) +29.741s
6: Dan Linfoot (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +37.273s
Race two:
1: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Buildbase BMW) +0.152s
3: Tommy Bridewell (Milwaukee Yamaha) +0.460s
4: Dan Linfoot (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +4.170s
5: John Hopkins (Tyco Suzuki) +8.759s
6: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +12.203s
1: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Buildbase BMW) +0.152s
3: Tommy Bridewell (Milwaukee Yamaha) +0.460s
4: Dan Linfoot (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +4.170s
5: John Hopkins (Tyco Suzuki) +8.759s
6: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +12.203s
Christian Iddon grabbed a stunning pole on the WSB Bimota reject.
Championship standings:
1: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 587
2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Buildbase BMW) 575
3: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha) 536
4: Tommy Bridewell (Milwaukee Yamaha) 531
5: Dan Linfoot (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) 524
6: Chris Walker (Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Kawasaki) 505
1: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 587
2: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Buildbase BMW) 575
3: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha) 536
4: Tommy Bridewell (Milwaukee Yamaha) 531
5: Dan Linfoot (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) 524
6: Chris Walker (Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Kawasaki) 505
Report
Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne bounced back from a high-speed first race crash to snatch a dramatic last corner victory over his arch rival Ryuichi Kiyonari as the “War for four” MCE Insurance British Superbike crowns intensified in the first Showdown round at Assen.
Byrne who hadn’t won a race since Knockhill in June, had fought hard to close in on Kiyonari throughout the weekend. In the second race the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider made a decisive move through the final chicane on the last lap and won the dash to the line by 0.152s as the triple title-winners continued their fight for the crown.
“I’m over the moon. It has been a long time since I won a race though it was almost cruel to take it like that,” said Byrne as he enjoyed his 58th victory in the series. “I had looked at a way past Kiyo but it was going to be a bit of a gamble as on the last lap we were really close.
“My speed through the previous corner was a bit faster than his, and then I was along the side of his bike. I thought my bike had better stick and grip, or I am going to launch myself over the top to the moon. Luckily for me it held and I took the win in that one, making up for the first race when I threw it up the road. I had even decided that third place then was better than a crash!”
The opening race, run in wet conditions, brought early misery for Title Fighter Josh Brookes. The Milwaukee Yamaha rider failed to exit the pitlane before it closed for the sighting lap, which demoted him down the order to start from the back row of the grid. His disappointment was compounded further by a crash on the opening lap and he was then excluded for re-joining the race after falling.
“My speed through the previous corner was a bit faster than his, and then I was along the side of his bike. I thought my bike had better stick and grip, or I am going to launch myself over the top to the moon. Luckily for me it held and I took the win in that one, making up for the first race when I threw it up the road. I had even decided that third place then was better than a crash!”
The opening race, run in wet conditions, brought early misery for Title Fighter Josh Brookes. The Milwaukee Yamaha rider failed to exit the pitlane before it closed for the sighting lap, which demoted him down the order to start from the back row of the grid. His disappointment was compounded further by a crash on the opening lap and he was then excluded for re-joining the race after falling.
Byrne had forged clear but it was Josh Waters, aboard the Tyco Suzuki, who was closing in and then taking the lead just into the second half of the race. Kiyonari moved second, but Byrne tumbled into the gravel and out of third place, handing the final podium position to his team-mate Stuart Easton.
Byrne rescued the situation with his second race victory, though his lead was halved to 12 points ahead of Kiyonari. Brookes suffered a DNF in race two with a clutch problem that dropped him to third in the overall standings with his team-mate Tommy Bridewell closing to within five points after a return to the podium with a third place finish.
Byrne rescued the situation with his second race victory, though his lead was halved to 12 points ahead of Kiyonari. Brookes suffered a DNF in race two with a clutch problem that dropped him to third in the overall standings with his team-mate Tommy Bridewell closing to within five points after a return to the podium with a third place finish.
John Hopkins set the fastest time in fee practice, but struggled to convert it into anything over the weekend.
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