For the final time this weekend, the FIM Supersport World Championship went racing at the TT Circuit Assen in a race which will be remembered for a long time. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) took the race win at his home race and the home race for the Ten Kate team. The #28 became the first Dutch winner at Assen in 10 years and the fourth Dutch winner in WorldSSP.

HOME HERO: van Straalen wins ahead of Huertas

After finishing fourth in Race 1, van Straalen put on an incredible display to win after pitting for wet tyres on lap two. The #28 made his way into second in the closing stages of the race to pass to take the lead with four laps remaining. Van Straalen finished ahead of Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team), claimed his fourth podium in the WorldSSP class, finding the pace to steal second from Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team), who was the first rider to pit on the first lap and ends Sunday with his 11^th podium.

STRATEGY: pit stops were key in Race 2

Rain fell throughout the warm-up lap, with the entire grid on slick tyres. Leading into turn one was Huertas, who ran wide as the rain began to pour down in a tense start to the race. Eight riders pitted at the end of the first lap, with Tuuli entering the pitlane first. Race leader Huertas then decided to pit on lap two and was followed by another eight riders, with each rider needing to spend at least a 76-second intervention time in the pitlane. Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) led the race in the early stages after deciding to stay out on slick tyres. John McPhee (WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM-Triumph) was another rider who stayed on slicks, eventually crashing out of the race.

There was over 20 seconds difference per lap between the slick and rain tyre runners with still 14 laps remaining. Edwards was passed by Kaito Toba (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda), who claimed the lead before Lorenzo Baldassarri (Orelac Racing Verdnatura) took the lead. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) pitted on lap five, dropping the #62 to 25^th position – outside the points. Things soon went from bad to worse for Manzi, receiving an 11.82s penalty for not completing the 76-second intervention time. With 10 laps remaining, the battle for second place was tense, with Tuuli soon finding his way through Huertas and Toba. Van Straalen, however, was on a charge as he made his way into second before stealing the lead.

HOT PACE: Tuuli unable to respond to Huertas

On the last lap of the race, all eyes were on Dutch rider van Straalen and the riders in second and third, with Huertas finding his through on Tuuli. The #66 could not respond to Huertas’ pace, with the Spaniard stretching the gap to over half a second at the line. With a strong pace on the last lap, van Straalen was able to take his maiden victory and become a home hero.

UNEXPECTED: some unexpected results for riders inside the top 10

Nicolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) finished in fourth, just 1.223s away from a podium after making a mistake on the final lap of the race. Rounding out the top five was Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), who showed consistent pace throughout the entire race, finishing ahead of Baldassarri. However, Baldassarri was disqualified after the race due to a technical infringement. This promoted Toba to sixth, ahead of Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) in seventh. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) ended the race in eighth, finishing ahead of Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), who was promoted to ninth. Twan Smits (Team Apreco) was promoted inside the top 10 after Baldassarri’s disqualification.

The top six from WorldSSP Race 2, full results here:

1. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing)

2. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) +1.352s

3. Niki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) 2.944s

4. Niccolo Antonelli (Ecosantagata Althea Racing Team) 4.167s

5. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +10.872s

6. Kaito Toba (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) +19.361

Fastest lap: Bahattin Sofuoglu, MV Agusta – 1’45.814s

Championship standings:

1. Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 86 points

2. Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) 85

3. Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) 84

4. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 83

5. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 55

6. Federico Caricasulo (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) 54

Misano is up next! Don’t miss any action from the classic venue using the WorldSBK VideoPass!