Sensational in Race 1 at Assen: Spinelli wins on his Superbike debut | FP

The big surprise

Race 1 of the 2024 Assen Round goes down in history for one of the most unexpected and exciting outcomes ever: Nicholas Spinelli achieved his first Superbike victory on his debut in this category. The Abruzzo pilot, called by Barni team replacing the injured Danilo Petrucci, he guessed the right compound just before the start in a moment characterized by intermittent rain. After generating a gap of over 20 seconds on his direct pursuers, the Assen track progressively dried up to 7 laps to gowhen the Commissioners exposed the Red flag due to the oil lost from Locatelli's bike in turn 15. With two thirds of the race completed, Spinelli was thus declared the winner of Race 1 when his dream seemed destined to be ruined by the imminent overtaking of Razgatlioglu, with a memorable success for him, for the team and for the category.

Guessed intermediates and 'blessing' of the red flag

The decisive moment of the race takes place, in fact, even before the start: between the end of the Supersport 300 and the start of the Superbike, on Assen rain of varying intensity falls intermittently. A few minutes before the start the track dries out in some sectors, which is why most of the riders decide to start on slicks anyway. A choice that the debutant Spinelli does not take instead, who opt for the intermediate ones. The decision turns out to be more than correct, given that at the start he instantly recovers from 11th place and takes the lead of the race. Furthermore, in the following laps, while some drivers return to the pits to fit intermediate or wet tires (again making an incorrect choice), Spinelli considerably increases his advantage to over 20 seconds. Excellent start also for Iannone, who however ended the race prematurely on lap 4 with a fall after the fight for 2nd place with Razgatlioglu, Bassani, Bautista and Locatelli. While the two Italians slipped to the back as the laps passed, Bautista and Razgatliglu entered and ignited the challenge for second position, all while the track continued to dry. With 8 laps to go, when the gap becomes increasingly smaller and recovery now seems imminent, Razgatlioglu overtakes Bautista, launching himself in pursuit of Spinelli. However, in the next round, the twist occurs: the marshals display the red flag, thus interrupting the race. At first you don't understand the reasons, but with the development of at least 2/3 of the race the final ranking is confirmed, and Nicholas Spinelli thus wins on his debut due to the emotion of the driver and the happiness in the pits of the Bergamo team. The reasons for the suspension, as explained after the race by the Race Direction, are attributable to a failure of Locatelli's bike at turn 15, with oil spilling onto the track. A true sporting 'miracle' in favor of Spinelli, who will return tomorrow at 11:00 for the Superpole Race and at 14:00 for Race 2.

Assen 2024: Race 1, order of arrival