The Grid

1. Troy Bayliss AUS Xerox Ducati 1m38.428s
2. Noriyuki Haga JPN Yamaha Italia 1m38.546s
3. Ruben Xaus ESP Sterilgarda Ducati 1m38.587s
4. Troy Corser AUS Yamaha Italia 1m38.761s
5. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki 1m38.840s
6. Carlos Checa ESP Hannspree TK Honda 1m38.864s
7. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki 1m39.029s
8. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Ducati 1m39.058s
9. Fonsi Nieto ESP Alstare Suzuki 1m39.189s
10. Makoto Tamada JPN PSG-1 Kawasaki 1m39.307s
11. Regis Laconi FRA PSG-1 Kawasaki 1m39.613s
12. Michel Fabrizio ITA Xerox Ducati 1m39.859s
13. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Hannspree TK Honda 1m40.000s
14. David Checa ESP Ipone GMT94 Yamaha 1m40.189s
15. Gregorio Lavilla ESP Vent-Axia VK Honda 1m40.377s
16. Lorenzo Lanzi ITA Team RG Ducati 1m40.786s
17. Shinichi Nakatomi JPN YZF Yamaha 1m40.657s
18. Max Biaggi ITA Sterilgarda Ducati 1m40.673s
19. Karl Muggeridge AUS Team DF Honda 1m40.695s
20. Ayrton Badovini ITA Pedercini Kawasaki 1m40.714s
21. Kenan Sofuoglu TUR Hannspree TK Honda 1m40.741s
22. Roberto Rolfo ITA Hannspree Althea Honda 1m40.869s
23. Sebastien Gimbert FRA Ipone GMT94 Yamaha 1m40.906s
24. Russell Holland AUS DF Bertocchi Honda 1m41.633s
25. Arie Vos NED Fabricom NCT Ducati 1m41.662s
26. Shuheil Aoyama JPN Alto Evolution Honda 1m42.203s
27. Luca Morelli ITA Alto Evolution Honda 1m43.030s
28. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA Pedercini Kawasaki 1m43.312s
29. Loic Napoleone FRA Grillini PBR Yamaha 1m43.414s


Well Haga and Bayliss at the front at Assen is usually a good recipe for fun.

Good to see Neukirchner is that far up the grid after the incident with Checa at Valencia

Results

Race 1

1. Troy Bayliss AUS Xerox Ducati 36m50.907s
2. Carlos Checa ESP Hannspree TK Honda +2.132s
3. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki +2.179s
4. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki +10.919s
5. Troy Corser AUS Yamaha Italia +11.051s
6. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Ducati +11.979s
7. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Hannspree TK Honda +15.184s
8. Makoto Tamada JPN PSG-1 Kawasaki +18.395s
9. Gregorio Lavilla ESP Vent-Axia VK Honda +18.364s
10. Max Biaggi ITA Sterilgarda Ducati +20.699s
11. Regis Laconi FRA PSG-1 Kawasaki +25.759s
12. Kenan Sofuoglu TUR Hannspree TK Honda +26.064s
13. Ayrton Badovini ITA Pedercini Kawasaki +35.582s
14. Karl Muggeridge AUS Team DF Honda +36.266s
15. Shinichi Nakatomi JPN YZF Yamaha +37.215s
16. Ruben Xaus ESP Sterilgarda Ducati +37.286s
17. Sebastien Gimbert FRA Ipone GMT94 Yamaha +39.037s
18. Russel Holland AUS DF Bertocchi Honda +45.162s

It was a pretty close race until about halfway when Yukio Kagayama who had been leading had a serious bobble and got mugged by 3 other riders. Bayliss was chased by Neukirchner who couldn't keep up when Bayliss started hammering in fast laps. Checa passed him for 2nd towards the end, though cleanly this time.

Xaus and Haga had an odd crash together which with Haga's title hopes already buried poured concrete over it.

Race 2

1. Troy Bayliss AUS Xerox Ducati 36m46.238s
2. Noriyuki Haga JPN Yamaha Italia +0.082s
3. Carlos Checa ESP Hannspree TK Honda +6.336s
4. Ruben Xaus ESP Sterilgarda Ducati +7.575s
5. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki +8.011s
6. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki +13.999s
7. Gregorio Lavilla ESP Vent-Axia VK Honda +15.215s
8. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Ducati +16.376s
9. Makoto Tamada JPN PSG-1 Kawasaki +17.269s
10. Troy Corser AUS Yamaha Italia +18.380s
11. Fonsi Nieto ESP Alstare Suzuki +18.926s
12. Max Biaggi ITA Sterilgarda Ducati +21.452s
13. Karl Muggeridge AUS DF Racing Honda +23.794s
14. Roberto Rolfo ITA Hannspree Althea Honda +29.847s
15. Shinichi Nakatomi JPN YZF Yamaha +30.252s
16. Regis Laconi FRA PSG-1 Kawasaki +31.249s
17. Sebastien Gimbert FRA Ipone GMT94 Yamaha +31.328s
18. Ayrton Badovini ITA Pedercini Kawasaki +39.814s
19. Kenan Sofuoglu TUR Hannspree TK Honda +49.956s
20. Russell Holland AUS DF Bertocchi Honda +51.554s
21. Shuhei Aoyama JPN Alto Evolution Honda +51.642s
22. Loic Napoleone FRA Grillini PBR Yamaha +62.682s
23. Arie Vos NED Fabricom MCT Ducati +62.729s

Race 2 was more like it. Haga pressed Bayliss for most of the race, occasionally drifting backwards but always managing to close the gap. He nearly took Bayliss on the line but didn't have enough drive out of the chicane.

Behind him Checa won a race long fight with Xaus on the last lap.


Bayliss is now in a commanding position for the title, well even more so with a large lead:

1.Bayliss 178
2.Checa 108
3.Corser 89
4.Nieto 85
5.Xaus 81

He's certainly been helped by his rivals inablity to stay upright or avoid hitting each other. Barring accidents and other mishaps Bayliss has more or less won the title.

I should make special mention of the Supersport race which qualifies as race of the year so far. It was won by 0.014 seconds after a race which sometimes saw as many as 12 bikes in the lead group. The video is on the WSB website

Link.

Yawn, 1200 twins are killing WSB. And i am a Bayliss fan as well. I jsut cant watch it, its too dull. Much Much better last season.

Wouldn't say it's 1200 twins, more that Bayliss is the only consistant show in town at the moment. With Haga throwing himself off it's been really easy for Baylisstic to build up a lead.

I think the Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki are all capable of winning races, their riders just aren't doing the business.

Er, so a 1200 won both races. In one case by little more than a fag paper. Other than that most of the places went to Japanese fours. Everyone moaned about the 1000 vs 750 formula, yet even when the fours were allowed 1000cc Ducati usually held their own.

Bayliss has won all but one race so far this season. So he is dominating. And it is the bike.

That theory requires Ducati's to fill out the top positions. They don't always.