WSB: Rea fastest after first day in Holland

WorldSBK Championship leader Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) secured the fastest lap of day one at Assen with a 1’35.383, displacing his own team-mate Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) from his previous position of supremacy after the morning session.

Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) timed his run to near perfection to go second, putting Sykes third in the end of day timesheets.

Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) used his four-cylinder machine to it maximum in among the factory bikes to be fourth before entering Saturday’s Superpole 2 battle.

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Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia), in his comeback ride after injury, piled in with a fifth place after one fast flying lap.

Despite finding some bad luck earlier in the season Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) scored sixth place after the first two hours on track. Camier’s MV made it five different machines inside the top six places. 

Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) lost time in the third sector of each lap, but still ended up seventh overall, ahead of local hero (with a half orange paintjob on his R1 for his home round) Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team). 

Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) had two crashes on day one, but ended up ninth all the same.

Multiple 2017 podium man Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) took the final place inside the top ten, which makes him the last rider to have qualified for Saturday’s Superpole 2 contest directly. 

First year Superbike rider Randy Krummenacher (Puccetti Racing Kawasaki) slid into 11^th, and privateer Ducati runner Xavi Fores (Barni Racing Ducati) was 12^th. Honda’s woes continued, with Stefan Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 13^th and Nicky Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 14^th.

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