23/04/2018

SBK ASSEN: AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MOTORCYCLING, NOLANGROUP RIDERS TAKE THE STAGE!

The weather at times could be considered favourable, acceptable temperatures and track with fair levels of grip are what characterized the Dutch weekend.

In the Superbike, we achieved a podium with Chaz Davies although we were unfortunate to not get any more high places. Both Melandri and Rinaldi struggling with minor issues on the bike, but they feel that the solution is in sight. Meanwhile in Superstock 1000 the first race of the season saw the German Markus Reiterberger, win with unquestionable dominance. As for the Supersport, so much misfortune for Caricasulo, slipped in a spectacular way.

Returning to the Superbike, the addition of Michael Ruben Rinaldi alongside Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri on the Ducati Aruba Racing team. Means we have a trio of riders in their Nolan Group helmets, which of their replicas do you like best? Tell us through our social channels.

The next big date in the calendar? 13th May at Imola, in the Italian Round. Take your bike and come to visit us at the racetrack!


SUPERBIKE


CHAZ DAVIES RACE1: 3rd

"Race 1 was a tough fight, from the first until the last lap. I'm really happy with this result, considering that we struggled a bit both during free-practice and Superpole. Once I managed to come back through the field, I was just following Rea and stayed with him when he picked up the pace. Then, VdMark passed me and in the final laps we were struggling with grip so nobody was in a position to attack and we all basically kept our positions. It's been a learning process during the race, and I want to put it all into good use for tomorrow in Race 2."


MARCO MELANDRI RACE1: 6th

"Despite a good performance yesterday and during Superpole, unfortunately I faced another difficult race. On Friday our stability issues are never so apparent, but they often get worse as the weekend progresses, and we still need to find a way to eliminate them. In these conditions I have to ride more physically and I waste energies, and also I need to ease off the throttle here and there. Today we couldn't do more. We're all working really hard but we need a big change to fight for top positions again."


TATI MERCADO RACE1: 8th

"It was a difficult but beautiful race, I started well and I started pushing immediately, the team improved the braking sensation and it was very different, my rear tire

he was at the limit in the last five or six laps, especially in the straight, but I was determined not to lose my position. I feel that we have learned a lot about motion and that understanding grows every time I leave, I would like to thank the team for all their hard work and also Kawasaki for all their help. The result was very good. "


CHAZ DAVIES RACE2: 5th

"Looking at the bright side, we did not lose many points in the championship, but today's race was more complicated, we changed the set-up but in the early stages I was not 100% grip level and I had vibrations on the end We still have to figure out what caused it, but from then on I just tried to close the race, we struggled a little bit more than expected here, but the base is good and we just need to be more responsive. well in the last few years, so I hope for better results there ".


MARCO MELANDRI RACE2: 7th

"I gave everything I had out there, fighting as if the win was on the line, but unfortunately we rode another difficult race and we fought once again against the same issue that has been penalizing us lately. Our potential is much higher, but I look ahead with positivity because both the team and Ducati are working really hard to improve. Next week's test will be very important. I think the solution is within reach, and I hope to be able to fight for podiums and wins as soon as possible."


MICHAEL RUBEN RINALDI RACE2: 12th

"I thought we could do better. We worked hard for the second half of the race, but unfortunately at the start I found an issue, which hindered my performance. It's a pity, because our potential is getting bigger, but this is racing. I look forward to Imola, a track that I really like, to keep improving."


STOCK 1000:


MARKUS REITERBERGER: 1st

“The weekend was perfect. We had a good pace from the beginning. In the third free practice we have already beat the lap record from 2017. We definitely did not expect that. Although we were already really fast, my team was able to go one better. Everyone of my crew did a flawless job during the weekend. However, I did a small mistake with my tactics during the qualifying, because at first I stalled the engine in a rush. Some competitors passed me, I got stuck in traffic and was unable to make the most out of the new set of tires. But in the end – Pole Position is Pole Position. During the race I was able to fullfill our tactics and put a gap between Tamburini already in the first lap. I managed to extend the gap even up to five seconds until the end."


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