World Superbike 2008 – Round Four – Assen
Superbike Race Two
Troy Bayliss again scored the holeshot and lead the field through turn one ahead of Xaus, Haga and Corser with a trio of Suzuki men looming large behind the two Yamaha pilots.
Noriyuki Haga move up to second place on lap two. The next lap saw Neukirchner dust up Xaus and Corser in one outrageous but tidy move to promote himself into third place.
Carlos Checa took some time to work up a head of steam. It took him seven laps to work his way up to sixth place ahead of Corser who in comparison had lost ground as the race progressed. Four laps later Checa was up to fifth after dispensing with Yukio Kagayama. Up front Bayliss had managed to pull a few bike lengths over Haga who in turn had a couple of lengths on Neukirchner and Xaus.
As the race entered its second half Haga closed right back onto the tail of Bayliss despite the Australian’s best efforts to get away. The two were engaged in a cat and mouse game that was set to run all the way to the flag. The final spot on the podium would be a three-way tussle with Xaus, Neukirchner and Checa the protagonists. The Honda man steadily closed on that pair as the race wore on and had worked his way into a position where from he could mount an assault on Neukirchner for fourth before then setting his sights on Xaus for that final spot on the rostrum.
Checa got Neukirchner with two laps and a corner to run. Xaus had a few bike lengths on his fellow Spaniard as they started the penultimate lap but it took less than half a lap for Checa to close to within striking distance. At the front of the field Haga stepped up his efforts to get the better of Bayliss to set up an exciting final lap.
Bayliss held on to the line despite a spirited challenge by Haga. Checa got the better of Xaus for third place on the final lap with an aggressive inside move. If the Honda man could have got a decent start he could well have made the challenge for the win a three-way affair.
Another perfect weekend for Bayliss. Pole and two wins and he leaves the Netherlands with a massive 70 point advantage over Checa. Bayliss’ swansong year could be shaping up to be one of the biggest championship whitewashes in the history of the Superbike World Championship.
| Race 2 Results | Championship Standings |
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