Superbike: Guintoli comes close to scoring a double in Assen

Only a mistake in the early stages of Race 2 prevented Sylvain Guintoli from achieving a sensational double which now seemed within reach, after the victory in the first heat.

The Dutch round returns a leading Aprilia to the world championship, especially with the RSV4 number 50.

In Race 1 the French driver, who started in front of everyone, took off at a pace that was unsustainable for all his pursuers, building his advantage during the first laps, with a record lap (1'36.440) set already on the third lap, on a partially damp track with slick tyres, when everyone else struggled to find the right pace.
In the finale he managed Tom Sykes' furious return without taking too many risks: the red flags, four laps from the end due to a breakage, deprived the public of an exciting duel for first position and gave Guintoli the victory.



Race 2 started under the best auspices, with Guintoli once again starting in front of everyone, but too much rain, and the warning from the driver himself, led the Race Direction to stop the race.
After more than an hour the second heat restarted, reduced to 10 laps, and on a treacherous track, despite a less than perfect start, Guintoli had managed to put the leader Rea in his sights in just a few corners, but at the last chicane a loss of grip made it slip.
However, having returned to the race in 18th place, Guintoli picked up the pace again and with a spectacular comeback finished in ninth place.
 


Greater difficulties for Marco Melandri, sixth in both heats: the rider from Ravenna, very disappointed after Race 1 also with his personal performance, showed more determination in Race 2, before a "long" excluded him from the fight for the podium.

“It's really a shame about Race 2, despite a less than perfect start I was recovering without difficulty. The crash on the second lap didn't happen due to a particular mistake, simply with the track being so wet it doesn't take much" - he said Sylvain Guintoli– “Despite the blow to my back and damage to the footrest and handlebars, I rode fast, this makes me angry because it's clear that I could have won Race 2 too. In Race1, however, I took some risks in the first laps to try to gain ground, a dangerous tactic but one that worked in the end. Before the race was stopped I was monitoring the return of Tom Sykes, trying to manage the lead. I have to thank the whole team and the guys at Aprilia Racing, because they did an incredible job and today, even with low temperatures, my RSV4 worked great. The demonstration that everyone's commitment pays off."