A heated Sunday on the Assen track for the Aprilia Alitalia Racing Team. After an extremely close Superpole the five time world champion Max Biaggi took two second places which move him into second place in the overall standings.
The Corsair battled with Rea in Race 1, using his RSV4 to its fullest in the first part of the race after starting from the sixth box on the grid. The script was the same for the second race with Carlos Checa playing Rea’s part in the battle for first place.
In the third last lap of Race 2, after a series of fast laps, Max successfully attacked the Spanish rider only to suffer the response which confirmed the final result.
Leon Camier, on the other hand, had to start Race 1 from the pit due to problems with the bike shutting off just a few seconds before the start. A mechanical problem then forced him to leave the track in a race which, at that point, was already compromised. The good pace he had demonstrated during warm-up came out in Race 2 where the young Englishman fought his way back to fifth place. Melandri’s crash then opened the way for a well deserved fourth place. He also held the fast lap of the race.
“We reaped the maximum – immediately comments Max Biaggi – especially considering what we went through on Saturday. Unfortunately we had to make a forced choice of tyres with our RSV4. I would not have been able to use the softer tyres that Checa chose. When I overtook him in Race 2 I pushed to the limit, but I just didn’t have the grip to hold onto first place. The advantage of the two cylinders in being able to use softer tyres is important on a track like this one, besides the fact that I had a technical problem for the last 5 or 6 laps in Race 2. In any case I have to thank my Team. After the crash and at the end of Race 1 the work they did allowed me to use the first bike which I liked a lot better. I’m happy with second place. We still need to make up a lot of points, but we won’t let up. Monza could be an important race from this point of view”.
Leon Camier has a debt to collect from luck after this race: “This is the classic weekend where anything that can go wrong does! Some problems with the tyres, two breakdowns, the bike switching off and, above all, my two mistakes in Superpole ruined what could have been an important race. In any case I’m happy with the fourth place in Race 2 where I was also able to make the fast lap. I knew I had a good pace, I showed that in practice and warm-up. I’m leaving Assen convinced that I can do well if I keep improving and luck stays on my side!”.
