WorldSBK Assen Superpole Results | Rea on pole, Razgatlioglu second despite fall

Jonathan Rea maintains his 100% record of pole positions for the 2021 WorldSBK season at Assen as Toprak Razgatlioglu recovers to second despite fall

Jonathan Rea - Kawasaki Racing Team, WorldSBK, 2021, Assen
Jonathan Rea - Kawasaki Racing Team, WorldSBK, 2021, Assen

Jonathan Rea maintained his stronghold on Superpole for Round 5 of the 2021 WorldSBK Championship at Assen, the Ulsterman making it five pole positions from five attempts in the Netherlands.

An eventful session that saw Rea’s route to the top of the timesheets eased by crucial errors from his key rivals, his 1m 33.842secs effort on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR was the only lap to crack the 1m 34secs barrier.

Making it his 32nd career pole position, his 100% qualifying record for 2021 also marks his best ever Superpole streak.

It sets him up nicely for this afternoon’s first race, as he looks to apply pressure to championship leader Toprak Razgatlioglu, who comes into the weekend with a slender two point advantage over Rea.

The Turk gets underway from second position but only after a remarkable effort by both rider an team to repair his Yamaha following an off at the Geert Timmer chicane early in the session. Losing the front-end and skating into the gravel trap, the Pata Crescent squad was able to turn his bike around in time for him to get back out in the final minutes and snatch a spot on the front row.

Rea and Razgatlioglu will be joined at the peak of the grid by practice pace setter Scott Redding, who has back-up from his Aruba.it Ducati team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi from a threatening fourth place.

Alex Lowes gets underway from fifth position ahead of the surprise of the session Jonas Folger, the German finding chunks of time to haul his MGM Bonovo BMW M 1000 RR up into the top ten for the first time this season as he out-qualified both factory bikes.

Similarly, Andrea Locatelli produced his best qualifying performance of the season in seventh, ahead of top Honda rider Leon Haslam, home hope Michael van der Mark and Alvaro Bautista, the Spaniard unable to find the form that had him up in third on the timesheets come the end of Friday.

In addition to Razgatlioglu, Garrett Gerloff was another faller after getting it wrong on the kerbs at Turn 2, but unlike his Yamaha counterpart he couldn’t get going again. 

He starts at the back of the grid in 21st place, where he is joined on the back row by Tom Sykes, who was slowed by a mechanical problem on his BMW.

2021 WorldSBK Assen | Superpole Qualifying RESULTS

2021 WorldSBK Assen | Superpole Qualifying RESULTS | Round 5 / 13
PosRiderNat.WorldSBK TeamSuperbikeTiming
1Jonathan ReaGBRKawasaki Racing TeamKawasakI ZX-10RR1m 33.842
2Toprak RazgatliogluTURPata Yamaha by BRIXXYamaha YZF-R11m 34.028
3Scott ReddingGBRAruba Racing DucatiDucati Panigale V4 R1m 34.053
4Michael Ruben RinaldiESPAruba Racing DucatiDucati Panigale V4 R1m 34.067
5Alex LowesGBRKawasaki Racing TeamKawasakI ZX-10RR1m 34.252
6Jonas FolgerGERBonovo MGM ActionBMW M1000RR1m 34.336
7Andrea LocatelliITAPata Yamaha by BRIXXYamaha YZF-R11m 34.375
8Leon HaslamGBRTeam HRC HondaHonda CBR1000RR-R1m 34.467
9Michael van der MarkNEDBMW Motorrad WorldSBKBMW M1000RR1m 34.786
10Alvaro BautistaESPTeam HRC HondaHonda CBR1000RR-R1m 34.791
11Tito RabatESPBarni Racing TeamDucati Panigale V4 R1m 34.944
12Axel BassaniITAMotocorsa RacingDucati Panigale V4 R1m 34.944
13Chaz DaviesGBRTeam GoElevenDucati Panigale V4 R1m 35.002
14Isaac VinalesESPOrelac Racing VerdNatura KawasakI ZX-10RR1m 35.251
15Lucas MahiasFRAKawasaki Puccetti RacingKawasakI ZX-10RR1m 35.335
16Leandro MercadoARGMIE RacingHonda CBR1000RR-R1m 35.558
17Andrea MantovaniITAVince64KawasakI ZX-10RR1m 36.059
18Kohta NozaneJPNGRT Yamaha WorldSBKYamaha YZF-R11m 36.076
19Loris CressonBELTPR Team Pedercini RacingKawasakI ZX-10RR1m 37.156
20Tom SykesGBRBMW Motorrad WorldSBKBMW M1000RRNo Time
21Garrett GerloffUSAGRT Yamaha WorldSBKYamaha YZF-R1No Time

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