Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

World Superbike Race Two Results From Assen:

1. Chris Vermeulen, Honda CBR1000RR, 16 laps, 33:31.968
2. James Toseland, Ducati 999F04, -0.037 second
3. Noriyuki Haga, Ducati 999RS, -0.117 second
4. Pierfrancesco Chili, Ducati 998RS, -3.905 seconds
5. Regis Laconi, Ducati 999F04, -6.580 seconds
6. Leon Haslam, Ducati 999RS, -18.173 seconds
7. Troy Corser, Foggy Petronas FP1
8. Marco Borciani, Ducati 999RS
9. Ivan Clementi, Kawasaki ZX-10R
10. Chris Walker, Foggy Petronas FP1
11. Giovanni Bussei, Ducati 998RS
12. Piergiorgio Bontempi, Suzuki GSX-R1000
13. Warwick Nowland, Suzuki GSX-R1000
14. Sergio Fuertes, Suzuki GSX-R1000
15. Robert Menzen, Suzuki GSX-R1000

18. Steve Martin, Ducati 999RS, -1 lap, DNF

20. Garry McCoy, Ducati 999RS, -11 laps, DNF


World Superbike Championship Point Standings (After 18 of 22 races):

1. Toseland, 255 points
2. Vermeulen, 252 points
3. Laconi, 245 points
4. Haga, 241 points
5. Chili, 213 points
6. McCoy, 163 points
7. Martin, 144 points
8. Haslam, 140 points
9. Corser, 127 points
10. Borciani, 114 points


More, from a press release issued by Foggy Petronas Racing:

Foggy’s deflated Assen aspirations

Foggy PETRONAS Racing endured a deflating ninth round of the Superbike World Championship at Assen, the Netherlands.

Riders Troy Corser and Chris Walker were forced to settle for best finishes of seventh and tenth respectively around the fast-flowing curves of the circuit known as `the Cathedral of Speed’ and.

Troy was ninth in the first race, but found greater consistency in the second race to claim seventh spot. Chris was also able to move up two places following his 12th position in the opening race after switching to a softer tyre.

James Toseland, the new championship leader, was a clear winner of the opening 16-lap battle but lost out to Chris Vermeulen by just three hundredths of a second in a thrilling second race. But the gap between that leading pack and his two riders left team owner Carl Fogarty in reflective mood.

Carl said: “Maybe our expectations were a little too high for this weekend coming off the back of our results at Brands. We are still missing that little bit extra and that little bit makes a big difference at fast circuits like Assen and Silverstone, where we have struggled. It’s now a case of bridging that gap and we are confident that it will be closed next year. If we can get the best possible set-ups at the next two circuits then I can confident that we can run in the top six again.”

Troy said: “I think that seventh was about as high as I could have hoped to finish today. I might have been able to run with Leon Haslam in the second race but he was able to open a gap in the first few laps. The tyre was more consistent in the second race and wasn’t backing in as much. But in the first race I was losing a bit at nearly every corner and had to push the front too hard. I made a mistake and lost contact with the group in front of me in the first race and when I caught them back up they were pulling away enough out of the slower corners that I couldn’t quite get close enough to get a draft and pass them.”

Chris said: “I rode really well in the second race but didn’t get the mega start I needed and found myself behind McCoy’s bike, which was chucking oil out from the first lap. Steve Martin was waving his arms to try and tell the marshals at the end of the first lap and I can’t believe that nobody saw it. I had to rip my tear-off off because it was covered in oil. So the pack that was behind him didn’t dare push too hard until he eventually pulled over on the sixth lap. After that, every time I passed someone they came straight back past me on the straight but I was doing lap times consistently about a second faster than the first race. There was a group of four dicing for ninth but Martin and Nannelli went down on the last lap when they ran wide and touched. That allowed me and Borciani through but I was angry not to pass Borciani because he has now gone into tenth in the championship. The first race was just one of those boring lonely races. I just had no grip going into the corners and if I push that little bit I was going sideways, so the others pulled away. I changed the rear tyre for the second race and it worked a lot better. But the back end was still coming round more than the riders I was dicing with, and that was costing me time. It’s annoying because we seemed to have solved the problem at Brands. I think tenth was a realistic position considering the form we have been showing this weekend.”

The results strengthened PETRONAS’ hold on third place in the manufacturer standings to 67 points.

Race two results, Superbike World Championship, round 9, Assen: 1 Vermeulen; 2 Toseland +0.037; 3 Haga +0.117; 4 Chili +3.905; 5 Laconi +6.580; 6 Haslam +18.173; 7 Corser +23.096; 8 Borciani +33.271; 9 Clementi +33.516; 10 Walker +33.815; 11 Bussei +36.358; 12 Bontempi +36.818; 13 Nowland +46.401; 14 Fuertes + 1:14.282; 15 Menzen +1:32.984; 16 Praia +1:49.752

Race one results: 1 Toseland; 2 Chili +2.138; 3 Laconi +2.450; 4 Haga +2.566; 5 Vermeulen +9.044; 6 Haslam +15.885; 7 Martin +16.838; 8 McCoy +16.988; 9 Borciani +18.191; 10 Corser +19.358; 11 Nannelli +30.934; 12 Walker +40.919; 13 Bontempi +51.079; 14 Nowland +52.457; 15 Fuertes +1:03.638; 16 Menzen +1:47.636

Rider standings: 1 Toseland 255; 2 Vermeulen 252; 3 Laconi 245; 4 Haga 241; 5 Chili 213; 6 McCoy 163; 7 Martin 144; 8 Haslam 140; 9 Corser 127; 10 Borciani 114; 11 Walker 112


More, from a press release issued by FG Sport Group:

TOSELAND AND VERMEULEN EXCHANGE ASSEN WINS

GAME OF TWO HALVES: It was a split result once more at Assen, as race one and two proved to be very different contests at the end of their 16-laps. In the opener James Toseland (Ducati Fila 999F004) secured his second race win of the season, holding off Pierfrancesco Chili (PSG-1 Ducati 998). In the second race, Toseland had to concede the win but only after a phenomenal last lap, with Toseland and eventual winner Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) exchanging the lead with great frequency.

RACE ONE: A virtual start-to-finish victory for James Toseland (Ducati Fila 999F04) was an outstanding result for the young Englishman, putting some of his recent concerns behind him. A tight fight immediately behind, between Pierfrancesco Chili, Regis Laconi and Noriyuki Haga, finished in that order, after an excellent battle of high speed chess. Chris Vermeulen’s early push fell away as his rear suspension set-up failed to match his pre-race prospects.

RACE TWO: A quite outstanding fight between the two youngest championship challengers went to Vermeulen, who had made changes to his set-up. He attacked Toseland, the front-runner for much of the race once more, and they exchanged the lead three times on the last lap, with Vermeulen just holding on to his lead by 0.037 seconds. Haga was third overall, 0.117 seconds down; in one of the closest ever SBK finishes.

THE FIGHT CONTINUES: With all the changes of fortune at the front in the Assen races, the championship fight is still desperately tight, with two rounds and four races still to go. 14 points now cover Toseland, Vermeulen, Laconi and Haga, while Pierfrancesco Chili’s second and fourth places at Assen put him 42 points behind Toseland. In a bizarre weekend for the leading championship places, Toseland entered the round in fourth place, and now leads with 255 points. Vermeulen remains a close second, on a new total of 252, while pre-race leader Laconi is now third, with 245 points. Noriyuki Haga, who looked capable of another of his stalk-and pounce wins, failed in this objective in either race, and is now fourth, on 241. The wins totals in SBK 2004 are now Laconi and Haga with five apiece, Vermeulen with four, Toseland two, with Chili and Garry McCoy taking a single each.

LEON ROARS: Leon Haslam could not quite stick with the leaders at Assen, but he took his Renegade Ducati Koji 999RS machine to an excellent brace of sixth places. He stuck with the leading bunch for a period in each race, and his 20 points in total keep him in eighth place overall.

MCCOY KEEPS IT REAL: Garry McCoy (Xerox SC Ducati 999RS) had an up and down Assen, taking a battling eighth place in race one but suffering a technical problem in race two. He looked like the rider who won a race at Phillip Island earlier in the year, as he rampaged through the middle order in race one.

DIFFERENT STROKES: A high point of seventh for Troy Corser was the best result for the Foggy Petronas team, on their updated and uprated FP-1 three cylinder machines. The 900 triples were a little outgunned at Assen, with Corser riding well in a lonely race two but Chris Walker not getting into contention.

PRIVATE PARTY: Steve Martin (DFX Ducati) was a strong seventh in race one, but a crash in race two ruined what was a promising day for the seasoned Aussie rider. His team-mate Marco Borciani scored a ninth and an eighth, with the last two riders in the top ten of race two being Ivan Clementi (Bertocchi Kawasaki ZX-10) and Petronas pilot Chris Walker.

SUPERSPORT: A race long display of coolness and sheer unassailable speed from championship leader Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) gave him the win, his fifth of an amazing WSS season. Chased by Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) Muggeridge had it all covered, even if the margin of eventual victory was only 0.157 seconds. Wild card rider Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Italia) secured an excellent podium despite a last corner clash with Kevin Curtain, who crashed out of contention. Muggeridge now leads by 38 points, his win and a lowly fifth place finish by his closest championship challenger Jurgen van den Goorbergh aiding his cause.

SUPERSTOCK. The European Superstock class ended its Assen weekend in mourning, after a fatal accident suffered by Italian rider Alessio Perilli. He crashed at the Ruskenhoek corner, rejoined the track and a following rider could not avoid the fallen rider. The foreshortened race itself was won by Lorenzo Alfonsi (Yamaha).


More, from a press release issued by Ten Kate Honda:

Assen: Vermeulen Takes Race Two Win

Chris Vermeulen (Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) ran out the winner of one of the best races Assen has ever seen, the second 16-lap contest of the day. Having suffered some set-up imperfections in race one, in which he finished fifth, his Ten Kate pitcrew altered the rear suspension of his machine and it allowed Vermeulen to take his fourth win of the season. He remains second in the championship, tailing new leader Toseland by only three points.

In race one James Toseland (Ducati) secured the win, from Pierfrancesco Chili (Ducati), Regis Laconi (Ducati) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati). In the second it was to be a classic last lap battle with Toseland, the two young riders easing past at every opportunity. Haga held a close watching brief in third.

In the championship Chris sits second, with Toseland on 255, Vermeulen on 252 and Laconi on 245. With Haga on 241, the championship fight is still a close one between the four top riders.

Vermeulen was delighted with his win, enjoying every second of race two. “I’m very happy now and the team has a good reason for celebration at their home event. We made some changes to the bike after race one. I could run at a much better pace and I knew it was going to be close when I looked back and saw Haga behind with James just in front of me. It was even more exciting on the bike than it was watching from trackside! When you get into a race like that and then win it it’s always very rewarding. I’m happy we won that one. All credit to the team, the bike was brilliant in race two. With 14 points between four riders and 100 points up for grabs, it could really still be anyone’s championship.”

Team Manager Ronald Ten Kate could not have hoped for a better outcome to race two. “The first race was quite difficult with Chris struggling to hang in there. Compliments to his crew who made some changes to the rear suspension, changes that allowed Chris to ride in a different way. He could attack almost anywhere, keeping tight lines and having good grip from the bike. I could see a lot of commitment from Chris and it was one of the best Superbike races I have ever seen. It was an incredible last lap from two young riders and our compliments go to James as well.”


More, from a press release issued by Troy Corser’s publicist:

SEVENTH AT ASSEN

Troy rounded off a hard weekend with a gritty seventh in the second of the two 16-lap races at Assen today in front of over seventy thousand sun-soaked fans. The seventh in race two followed a tenth in the first race and was probably as much as troy had expected before the weekend began. Assen’s fast and flowing nature was always going to be a bit of a problem for Troy’s Petronas FP1 – because of it’s lack of top speed and acceleration compared to the Ducatis and Honda – but he kept at it and rode for the best pair of finishes he could manage.

The first race featured a five -rider battle between the Ducatis of Toseland Chili, Laconi and Haga against Vermeulen on the Honda. Toseland ran out the winner – by just over two seconds – with Chili second and Laconi third. Race two featured the same five riders, but this time the pace was hotter and at the flag, Vermeulen had sneaked it by just three hundredths of a second. This time, Toseland had to be content with runner-up spot, with Haga third.

TROY Race 1: 10th, Race 2: 7th

Before we arrived here, we knew this was going to be one of our toughest weekends of the season. Our bike is a bit down on top end and acceleration compared to our rivals and that is a real disadvantage at Assen. I suppose seventh is about as much as I had hoped for before today – if we are going to be realistic. I might have been able to run with Leon (Haslam) in race two, but once he opened up a bit of a gap that was more or less it. The tyres were more consistent in the race two and they weren’t backing in as much. In the first race, we were losing a little bit at nearly every corner and I was having to push the front way to hard. I made a little mistake in race one and lost contact with the leaders and when I caught them up again they were able to pull away enough out of the slower corners that I couldn’t get a draught and pass them. I think the next round at Imola will be better for us.


More, from a press release issued by Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks – Scuderia Caracchi:

Unlucky day for Team Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks today at Assen

Not happy day today at Assen for the Team Xerox Ducati Nortel Networks. Garry McCoy, after an unlucky eight position in Race-1, reached after a not guilty out in the grass during the first stage after the start, has been forced to stop in Race-2 for a broken clam in the lubricant circuit, a particular which costs just some cent of euro, losing the possibility to earn points important for the championship.

“It has been actually a wrong day.” – commented a disappointed Garry McCoy at the end of the day. “During Race-1 somebody send me in the grass just after the start and I rejoined the track with dirty tyres. Then looking to recover I ruined the tyres for the final laps. I was however in seventh position and I was catching Haslam in front of me, but just because the tyres during the final lap Martin did surprise me and I lose a position. During Race-2 I got a good start, but I broke a clam on an oil pipe and I’ve been forced to stop with a smoking engine.”

Disappointed Miguel Praia too, stopped during Race-1 for a trouble in the gearbox and out for a whisker of the points.

“Looking at what happened during the first race it’s a pity for the problem I had, for sure I could get some point at the end. At the start of Race-2 I remained bottled in the group, but at the end I finished just out of the points for one position. It has been a lacked occasion.” – said the young Portoguese rider.


More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

TOSELAND BACK ON FORM AT ASSEN WITH A WIN AND A SECOND PLACE – LACONI TAKES A THIRD AND A FIFTH

Assen (Netherlands), 5 September 2004: James Toseland (Ducati Fila) moved back on to the top of the points table with a win and a second place in front of 76,000 fans at a scorching Assen circuit in the Netherlands. Toseland’s 45-point haul came in a superb day of racing which saw the top 5 championship contenders battle every inch of the way in the two 16-lap races. Team-mate Regis Laconi finished on the podium with a third in race 1 followed by a fifth place in race 2, when the win went to Chris Vermeulen (Honda).

Toseland declared: “It was great racing today, elbow-bashing with Nori and so close with Chris. I hate great races and finishing second but 45 points out of this weekend is what we need to do if we want to win this championship. There are a lot of people knocking on the door but I’ve just got to ride like this every week until the end of the season.

“There are a lot of British fans who come to Assen and I didn’t want to let them down. Here it’s such a fast flowing circuit and difficult to pull away, I only got a two second gap in the first race and the other guys were battling behind and slowed themselves down, Then in race 2 I knew they were on my tail, I could hear them at every curve. Fair play to Chris, it was disappointing I finished second but it was good for the championship.”

“The second race was quite difficult” commented Laconi. “I didn’t start very well and then I felt immediately I had movement at the front of the bike when I entered the corner and it got worse and worse. That made me go wide all the time, I tried to do my best to follow but I decided that it was best to settle for fifth and take the points. It’s not the best thing, but it’s better than nothing.

“I am sure that the two last races will be good for me because I always have good results at Imola and Magny-Cours. I am confident now, the bike is good, we still have two day’s testing in Magny-Cours so all is not lost for the championship. This is a crazy season, very good for the fans but I’m not too worried about the points situation.”

Four riders, separated by 14 points, are still in with a chance of the title as World Superbike heads to Imola on 26 September and then Magny-Cours one week later for its exciting finale.

RACE 1: 1. Toseland (Ducati Fila); 2. Chili (PSG-1 Ducati); 3. Laconi (Ducati Fila); 4. Haga (Renegade Ducati); 5. Vermeulen (Honda); 6. Haslam (Renegade Ducati); etc. RACE 2 : 1. Vermeulen ; 2. Toseland ; 3. Haga ; 4. Chili ; 5. Laconi ; 6. Haslam; etc.

POINTS (after 9 of 11 rounds); (Riders) 1. Toseland 255; 2. Vermeulen 252; 3. Laconi 245; 4. Haga 241; 5. Chili 213; 6. McCoy 163; etc. (Manufacturers) 1. Ducati 430 (champions); 2. Honda 259; 3. Petronas 173 ; 4. Kawasaki 106 ; 5. Suzuki 84 ; 6. Yamaha 60.