P1 – Jonathan Rea – @jonathanrea
Kawasaki Racing Team – @KRT_WorldSBK
“The front group was good, because it was four guys and some typical Assen racing. I put my head down with a few laps to go. I mean Chaz (Davies) did a great job at the start because it is really hard to lead here with the wind. When I hit the front it was hard. I’m so, so happy because I feel like we’ve been on the back foot now since Aragon and even the start of the season. So to score 25 points here is great. I want to thank all the Dutch fans because they give me a great reception when I come here every year. Thanks also to my team for the hard work and for keeping my spirits up, because honestly after Aragon we felt a bit deep in the sea and now we feel like our heads are above water.”
P2 – Chaz Davies – @chazdavies
Aruba.it Racing – Ducati – @ArubaRacing
“I finished the front tyre with about five laps to go. I was pushing and trying to manage it the best I could whilst I was leading and obviously Michael (van der Mark) hit the front, then Jonny (Rea) repassed him and I was prepared to get stuck in, but on the first corner of the last lap I tucked the front big time. I am so lucky to be standing here really, it just went and went and went, for what felt like a second and the bike gripped and then came back. At that point I just didn’t have a front tyre to attack in the last laps. But it’s 20 points and not so bad.”
P3 – Nicky Hayden @NickyHayden
Honda World Superbike Team – @HondaWSBK
“It was a really fun race. It was really going into the unknown, we just had a couple of laps in the dry in qualifying. It was pretty intense off the grid but I got a great start and I was able to hang there. The other guys were a bit quicker than me but I thought maybe I was going to have something left at the end. Then Michael (van der Mark) crashed and I thought, you know what I should just take this podium, get these points, put them on the board and learn from it and hopefully put up a better fight tomorrow.”
DNF – Michael van der Mark – @mickeyvdmark
Honda World Superbike Team – @HondaWSBK
“It was a really disappointing end of the day but it was a really exciting race. Superpole was the first time on track in dry conditions and for the race it was just a gamble for everybody! We had such a nice fight with Tom, Jonathan and Chaz. I knew I had good pace but I just couldn’t pass them for the lead. When I finally passed Jonathan I made a small mistake so he passed me back again. I knew I could have him in the last sector and I saw my chance to win the race but I had a little moment out of T2, hit the brake into T3 and then lost it. I’ve never felt so disappointed, but to come back after the race and hear everyone cheering for me is really motivating for tomorrow.”
DNF – Tom Sykes @TheRealTomSykes
Kawasaki Racing Team – @KRT_WorldSBK
“We were so fast in Superpole and I was just trying to settle into a rhythm at the start of the race. Chaz came past and was strong but there was a moment where I was trying to get to the front just to try something different but I never got that far. I made a small mistake, it was my own fault. Coming into the last chicane I just missed my initial backshift so I went into the corner a bit too fast and a bit too free on the engine so unfortunately with the track the way it is, it was quite dirty so I lost the front. I know what the bike was doing and I know where we need to improve, there’s the chance to also use a different selection of front and rear tyres so there’s a lot of information and we’ve got a small session in the morning if it’s dry to check. I think we’re prepared and we can still race tomorrow like nothing happened.”
