2011 Hannspree World SuperBike Championship Round 3, Assen, Holland, April 17th Race Report

  REA AND CHECA SHARE THE SPOILS AT AN ACTION PACKED ASSEN

Infront of 75,000 fans Castrol Honda rider Johnathan Rea took his first win of the season at the third round of the 2011 World Superbike Championship at Assen in Holland. Rea who done the double last year rewarded the Dutch fans a win in race one over world champion Alitalia Aprilia's Max Biaggi and championship points leader Althea Ducati's Carlos Checa. In race two it was Checa who would take the win after a race long battle with Biaggi with Johnathan Rea in third. After taking his ninth win of his World Superbike career, Carlos has extended his lead of the championship to 132 points with Biaggi in second on 89 points. In the World Supersport race Britain's Chaz Davies took his maiden win for the Yamaha ParkinGo Team after an action packed race which was red flagged due to a crash involving Davies's team-mate Luca Scassa and reigning British Supersport champion Sam Lowes who was later diagnosed with a broken collarbone.

Race One. Castrol Honda rider Johnathan Rea overcame the early battles at Assen to record his and Honda's first win of the 2011 season, beating Alitalia Aprilia's Max Biaggi by 0.7 seconds and championship leader Althea Ducati's Carlos Checa by 3.5 seconds. Yamaha World Superbike Team rider Marco Melandri overcome a slow start to claw his way to fourth, just ahead of fellow countryman Alstare Suzuki's Michel Fabrizio and BMW Motorrad's Troy Corser. Ireland's Eugene Laverty who made a great start was eventually shuffled back to seventh with Castrol Honda's Ruben Xaus eighth. Rounding out the top ten was BMW Motor Italia's Ayrton Badovini and Pedercini Kawasaki's Mark Aitchison.

Race Two. Althea Ducati rider Carlos Checa extended his lead in the championship to 132 points after a thrilling race with world champion Max Biaggi, which saw the Spaniard snatch the lead on the penultimate lap to record his ninth win of his career with Johnath Rea in third. Alitalia Aprilia rider Leon Camier took a well deserved fourth after having to retire in race one due to an engine failure. There was a three way battle for sixth between Eugene Laverty, Michel Fabrizio and PATA Aprilia's Noriyuki Haga but Rookie Laverty held his nerve to keep the two more experianced riders at bay. After taking each other out in the first race Effenbert-Liberty Racing Ducati duo Jakub Smrz and Sylvain Guintoli had another epic battle to finish ninth and tenth.

SUPERSPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

British rider Chaz Davies took his maiden win for the Yamaha ParkinGo Team in the World Supersport class after heading up a 16-lap race that was restarted twice after red flag incidents. Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's veteran rider Fabien Foret who was some seven seconds back to second, with third place closely contested but was eventually taken by Kawasaki Motocard.com Broc Parkes with Bejan Racing Robbin Harms in fourth. After crashing out in the race Davie's team-mate Luca Scassa still leads the championship on 50 points with Broc Parkes in second on 47, and Chaz Davies on 45 in third.