Three weeks after the Barcelona round, the Superbike returns to the track for the third round of the season. The scene of the renewed challenge to the world championship is the historic Assen Circuit, where Nicolò Bulega arrives as championship leader. However, the Ducati rookie will have to deal with tough opponents, who have already given him a hard time previously.
Bulega arrives with a 12-point advantage over his direct pursuer and teammate Alvaro Bautista, but it will be important to consider his physical form. In fact, the Italian underwent arm surgery immediately after Barcelona to resolve compartment syndrome and will put himself to the test in the complicated Assen. The first of the opponents is precisely the neighbor in the garage, who in the home race signed his first victory of the season, when everyone already gave him up for defeat.
The two Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders will have to watch their backs from Alex Lowes, who at the moment appears to be in great form astride a Kawasaki which is struggling to suit Axel Bassani. The Briton is third in the championship and precedes an extraordinary Toprak Razgatlioglu, who led BMW to success in Barcelona, showing a great feeling with the M 1000 RR and proving wrong those who had criticized the choice to race for the German brand.
Andrea Iannone will seek redemption, forced to retire in the previous round and determined to further demonstrate his talent on the Goeleven team's Ducati. The driver from Vasto loses an opponent in the race for the title of best independent, because Danilo Petrucci will not be in Assen this weekend. The protagonist of a bad accident during motocross training, the rider from Terni underwent surgery on his jaw, which was fractured in the impact along with his collarbone. He will have to undergo another shoulder operation, so Barni fields Nicholas Spinelli in the Dutch round.
Assen is the track on which he dominated, but this year he doesn't seem to be in a position to hope: Jonathan Rea is not feeling comfortable aboard the Yamaha and currently occupies 17th position in the championship, with only 8 points. The six-time world champion is unrecognizable on the R1 and from Holland he will try to turn his season around. It won't be easy, because the fight is intense even with the middle group riders, who will aim to get as close as possible to the top of the standings.
The Assen round will be broadcast entirely on Sky Sport MotoGP Pay-TV (channel 208) starting from free practice on Friday. As usual, TV8 will broadcast the long races live, while the Superpole Race can be followed on a deferred basis.
Sky Sport MotoGP TV times (channel 208)
Friday 19 April
10.20am-11.05am – WorldSBK FP1
11.20am-12.00pm – WorldSSP FP
3.00pm-3.45pm – WorldSBK FP2
16:00-16:40 – WorldSSP Superpole
Saturday 20 April
11:00-11:15 – WorldSBK Superpole
2.00pm WorldSBK Race 1
3.15pm – WorldSSP Race 2
Sunday 21 April
11:00 – WorldSBK Superpole Race
2.00pm – WorldSBK Race 2
3.15pm – WorldSBK Race 2
TV8 TV times
Saturday 20 April
2.00pm – WorldSBK Race 1
Sunday 21 April
1.00pm – Superpole Race (delayed)
2.00pm – WorldSBK Race 2
#SBK #Sky #TV8 #times #Assen
