Rea and Checa win at Assen

Added on Sunday, April 17th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments

Jonathan Rea and Carlos Checa shared the top step of the podium for round three of the World Superbike Championship this afternoon, after an eventful outing at the Assen circuit.

An action packed duet of races at the Netherlands based circuit gave Brit Rea his first victory of the 2011 season in the opening race, bringing his championship title hopes to life. Rea scored a double triumph at the same venue last year, and was keen to emulate his progress this time around.

A close race saw reigning WSB Champion Max Biaggi narrowly miss out on victory, finishing just 0.7 seconds behind Rea. Meanwhile, championship leader Checa continued his strong start to the year with a third place finish at the chequered flag.

After suffering a crash in Superpole yesterday, Marco Melandri fought his way up to fourth, whilst Michel Fabrizio battled to a fifth place finish. WSB veteran Troy Corser followed Fabrizio across the line in sixth, to make it sixth different bikes in the top six positions.

Seventh place went the way of Eugene Laverty, as Ruben Xaus fought his way through to eighth place. WSB newcomer Ayrton Badovini and Mark Aitchison rounded out the top ten. A number of incidents throughout the race lead to just 14 riders taking the chequered flag, which included Brits Leon Haslam and Tom Sykes. Haslam found his way back to twelfth place after a crash in the early stages.

Continuing his familiar form of winning at every round, Checa managed to hang onto his championship lead after winning race two. A chaotic second race saw a delayed start cause mayhem for the schedule, whilst the riders each kept a cool head.

Checa had a real fight on his hands throughout, as Biaggi made it his mission to try and steal honours from the Spaniard. As the final laps came into play, Biaggi temporarily found a way passed, however Checa was able to retake the lead shortly afterwards.

Rea and Melandri enjoyed a fierce tussle for the final podium spot, with Rea grasping the advantage when it mattered. Leon Camier was able to make his mark this time out, crossing the finish line a strong fourth place, ahead of his name sake Leon Haslam.

Eugene Laverty progressed on his race one finishing position by crossing the line sixth, with Fabrizio within touching distance. Noriyuki Haga enjoyed a stronger performance to take the chequered flag in eighth, whilst Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli completed the top ten. There were only two retirements this time out, with Corser and Melandri falling foul to problems.

The next WSB outing is over the weekend of 7-8th May, at the infamous Monza circuit in Italy.

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