Assen WSBK: Rea does the double in Holland!

Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea has kept up his astonishing consistency at the head of the World Superbike field, taking the double win at Assen this afternoon but, like race one, had to fend off a charging Chaz Davies for the top spot, increasing his championship lead to 50 points.

Rea had to contend with team-mate Tom Sykes in the early stages and unwanted attentions from both Leon Haslam and Michael Van Der Mark but hit the front with nine laps left to run, going under his team-mate at his favourite passing place, Ramshoek, and dragged Davies away with him.

As with race one, Rea then slowly turned up the wick and Davies just couldn’t find a way past the ZX-10R. The Welshman was clear enough to be away from the battle for third between Leon Haslam and local rider Michael Van Der Mark.

The Pata Honda man showed his confidence and pace for the race, looking for passes at Ramshoek at every opportunity, and was was quick enough to hassle the more experienced men ahead of him, but he just didn’t have enough to go with Rea and Davies.

As the laps clicked down, Haslam and Van Der Mark were all over each other but Haslam looked to again be in trouble with his rear tyre with four laps to go. Van Der Mark went past him at Ramshoek on the final lap but Haslam was not done, looking into the Geert Timmer chicane.

Haslam ran a little wide on the entry and ended up going across the gravel, giving Van Der Mark his second podium of the weekend, to the delight of the orange-bedecked Dutch fans.

Sykes finished a lonely fifth place, six seconds behind his race-winning team-mate and was being caught by Haslam’s Red Devils Aprilia team-mate Jordi Torres, but the Huddersfield man had just enough of a buffer.

Reigning champion Sylvain Guintoli ended in seventh place, with Xavi Fores next along. Alex Lowes continued to struggle with his engine braking, running off the track at turn one on lap five but he re-grouped to finish in ninth, one place ahead of Leon Camier.

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