Crash in turn 1 at the second race of the Superbike World Championship in Assen: Kawasaki rider Alex Lowes kicks former teammate Jonathan Rea out of the race
Record-breaking world champion Jonathan Rea is having no luck at the moment. After disappointing WSBK weekends on Phillip Island and in Barcelona, Rea also failed to make it onto the podium at the Superbike World Championship in Assen. The Yamaha newcomer goes into the seven-week break until the Misano race in 15th place in the World Championship
At the second main race in Assen (race report), Rea crashed through no fault of his own. Former Kawasaki teammate Alex Lowes made a mistake in turn 1 and cleared Rea. Lowes, who finished P3 in the sprint on Sunday morning, was on a race to catch up in the second race, which came to an end on lap ten.
“After three or four laps, I realized that I was pretty fast. I made up positions and felt comfortable. It was the other way around for Johnny. His start was good, but then he fell back,” said Lowes, describing the situation before the accident.
With the Kawasaki, Lowes did not have many opportunities to overtake Rea. “Our bike is running well, but it’s not easy to overtake other riders on it. That’s not an excuse, but the acceleration is not optimal,” explained the Briton.
“I came out of the last corner with a lot of momentum. I braked late and tried to overtake him,” reports Lowes. “Turn 1 was our best overtaking opportunity. But it’s easy to overshoot and then get overtaken again. I tried to stay close to the apex of the corner under braking to prevent a counterattack. Then I lost the front. “
“It was a simple crash. I slid into him. It’s a shame because it was a good chance for a solid result,” said Lowes, mourning a possible podium and annoyed at having brought Rea down: “I’m sorry for him. I’ve already gone to see him and apologized. He showed understanding. “
CRASHH between EX-TEAMMATES Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes at TURN 1DutchWorldSBK pic. twitter.com/9KUjW5vrjW
– WorldSBK (@WorldSBK) April 21, 2024
Why Jonathan Rea did not react angrily to Alex Lowes
Before the retirement, Jonathan Rea was riding his laps in eighth position. A podium was unrealistic anyway. We asked Rea how he experienced the scene. “I was already braking quite late. He had just overtaken me. There was no contact, the maneuver was clean. But he was pretty much on the limit and crashed at the apex of the corner. His bike slid into me and I was out,” said Rea, describing the incident.
Rea is not angry. “I’ve done the same thing to him in the past. Now we can put that behind us. I hope that we can now get out of each other’s way without touching,” said the six-time champion.
“It’s a shame for him too, because he’s fighting for the championship. But I couldn’t use the zero either,” explained Rea, who is currently going through tough times. “I got a kick when I was already on the ground. But I’m not angry. Things like that can happen in racing. We met at Parc Ferme and he humbly apologized. “
Jonathan Rea continues to wait for the breakthrough with Yamaha
The hoped-for breakthrough also failed to materialize in Assen. Apart from pole, which Rea clinched in the wet, the podium was always out of reach. “It was a difficult weekend. The potential was there, but on Saturday the conditions were against us and on Sunday I made the wrong tire choice,” said an annoyed Rea.
In the sprint, the Yamaha newcomer rode on the SCQ tire. But in the final phase the grip deteriorated considerably. Rea is annoyed that he did not opt for the harder tire option in the sprint. “The tire was completely at the end,” he remarks.
For the final race, Rea made a more conservative tire choice and opted for the hard rear tire option from Pirelli. “I rode the SC0 tire in the main race, but our bike works better with the tire that generates more grip on the flank. I found it difficult to hold my own in the group,” admits Rea.
In the past, the Yamaha R1 worked well at Assen. And Rea was also very successful with Kawasaki at the TT Circuit. However, the combination of the R1 and Rea does not yet harmonize perfectly
“It was fun to ride the R1 at Assen, but the circuit is completely different. In some corners I ride in different gears. That’s why I had to learn it,” explains Rea, who is confident thanks to the podium of brand colleague Remy Gardner and the performance of teammate Andrea Locatelli.
“Locatelli and Remy did a good job in the second race. I still have to find that last little bit to be competitive. I’m sure that we’ll then be in the mix,” said the record-breaking champion with a fighting spirit.
