World Superbike
Leon Haslam bounced back from a disappointing eleventh place in race one to take the runner-up spot in the second motorcycle race at Assen.
His main SBK rivals, Max Biaggi (Aprilia) and Noriyuki Haga (Ducati) were unable to fully capitalize on the situation and Haslam was able to notch up another two points in his lead over Biaggi.
Eleventh place in the first race was a result of a loss of air pressure in his front tyre and that meant the Suzuki Alstare man couldn’t push hard at all, but he made up for that with a terrific performance in race 2, one of the best in World Superbike history, in which he held on to second behind Jonathan Rea after plenty of close contact involving elbows and handlebars with Troy Corser and James Toseland.
Leon Haslam says: "It was very, very hard," said Haslam, "but I am happy because I have extended my lead in the series. In race one I had a problem with the front end and was struggling in 16th after five laps. I wasn’t sure if it was a brake problem, but when the bike was checked over after the race, the team discovered that air had escaped from the front tyre. It was a real struggle to keep going especially when I was with a couple of other riders, but I was determined to bring the bike home one way or another."
"The team changed the front discs and pads (in case they were part of the problem) for race two and I was able to do a normal race. It was a fantastic race, with plenty of close contact. Elbows were everywhere and we were close enough to touch each other’s handlebars. It was very hard, but fair, and we all enjoyed it a lot. It must have been great for the fans and of course, having both podiums filled by Brits was also great."
