Assen (the Netherlands), Sunday 27 April 2014 – Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team) has taken victory in the first race of the day at a drying Assen circuit in the Netherlands. The 2013 WSBK runner up has climbed on the top step of the podium for the fifth time in his career, the second one this year after the win he scored at Phillip Island in Race 2.
The race was classified dry and as the lights went out it was Guintoli who took the hole-shot with Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike Team) and the Kawasaki Racing Team duo of Loris Baz and Tom Sykes giving chase.
A red flag in the closing laps as Sykes was closing in on the leading Aprilia riders meant the result would stand with Rea finishing 3rd.
Baz took 4th with Toni Elias (Red Devils Roma Aprilia) and Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) eventually classified 5th and 6th respectively a great race long battle.
NiccolòCanepa (Althea Racing Ducati) finished a superb 10th position to end the race as the highest EVO category rider.
Christian Iddon (Team Bimota Alstare), Eugene Laverty (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team) and Fabien Foret (Mahi Team India Kawasaki) all fell but should be able to take part in race two.
Results: 1. Guintoli (Aprilia) 16 Laps/72.672 km in 25’56.636 average 168.067 kph; 2. Sykes (Kawasaki) 1.259; 3. Rea (Honda) 4.116; 4. Baz (Kawasaki) 4.459; 5. Elias (Aprilia) 23.728; 6. Melandri (Aprilia) 25.478; 7. Davies (Ducati) 26.533; 8. Haslam (Honda) 26.696; 9. Lowes (Suzuki) 27.971; 10. Canepa (Ducati) 33.479; 11. Scassa (Kawasaki) 40.689; 12. Salom (Kawasaki) 40.803; 13. Camier (BMW) 41.086; 14. Corti (MV Agusta) 41.410; 15. Guarnoni (Kawasaki) 41.977; 16. Morais (Kawasaki) 1’08.454; 17. Andreozzi (Kawasaki) 1’19.067; 18. Bos (Honda) 1’19.076; 19. May (EBR) 1’29.475; 20. Toth (BMW) 1 Lap; RT. Fabrizio (Kawasaki); RT. Laverty (Suzuki); RT. Yates (EBR); RT. Sebestyen (BMW); RT. Giugliano (Ducati); NS. Foret(Kawasaki); SH. Badovini (Bimota) 35.101; SH. Iddon (Bimota).
