Carlos Tatay completes a faultless weekend with a winning double after being fastest in practice and qualifying. We should see him in Grands Prix next year…
The 16-year-old Spaniard, however, was forced to fight to the finish line to win both races.
Qualifications:
At the end of the two free practice sessions and the single qualifying session, Carlos Tatay proved untouchable in Assen. The 16-year-old Spaniard led Free Practice 1 with an advantage of 0.694 seconds, FP2 with 0.382 and qualifying with 0.446.
« I am very happy with how today went” admitted Tatay. " I feel well prepared for tomorrow. Like at Mugello, I tried running alone and with other riders, but chasing a slipstream didn't suit me, so I was happier doing the laps on my own. The bike runs really well, it's perfect. We had no problem with the settings, the track seems to be the same as last year. I'm ready to fight up front. I think it will be difficult to escape, but we will see that tomorrow." he concluded with a broad smile.
If the French-speaking world was well represented by the Belgian Barry Baltus, 3rd, and Switzerland Jason Dupasquier, 4th, our French fell a little short of qualifying, Lorenzo Fellon, Clément Rougé and Gabin Planques performing a group shot at the 16th, 17th and 18th positions.
Race 1
It all came down to the final chicane on the last lap. Barry Baltus double Peter Acosta and attempts a risky overtake on the race leader, Carlos Tatay, before falling. Getting up thinking he was alone on the line, the latter lets him come back Pedro Acosta and only won by 11 thousandths of a second. Marcos Uriarte crossed the finish line in third position before being demoted to fourth following a penalty he obtained by cutting the chicane a few laps earlier. It is therefore Haruki Noguchi who joins the two protagonists of the race on the podium.
« It was a great race, very hard and hot " Explain Carlos Tatay. “ I tried to attack and run away like I did in Mugello, but I realized it wasn't possible. I accepted it and ran with the other guys without pushing too much and without taking any risks. In the end, I attacked again, but when Barry passed and slipped in front of me, I avoided him and managed to win ».
« It was a great race! » exclaims Peter Acosta. " I had made a plan for the last lap, to put myself in the right position for the chicane. But then, Barry Baltus passed me by and so I had to rethink my strategy. When I saw him fall, I gave everything I had until the checkered flag. The bike was very good but I think the brakes can be even better so we will review this for tomorrow ».
« I'm happy to finally be on the podium and to have had a better race than in Jerez and Mugello » is expressed Haruki Noguchi. " Earlier in the season I couldn't keep up with the others, but this time I was in the leading group and I'm very happy with that. Towards the end, Marcos Uriarte was moving a lot and we got stuck several times so we lost the leaders. »
Lorenzo Fellon ultimately proved to be the best French speaker, in 6th position.
Race 2
Again on pole and starting favorite after his victory in the first race, Carlos Tatay won the second, not without difficulty. In fact, the Spaniard finds himself at the head of a group of nine drivers, all aiming for victory after the fall of Peter Acosta who guided the group in the first laps. Following numerous muscular overtakings and the fall of Haruki Noguchi, Carlos Tatay signs his fourth success of the season. On the podium, david savior takes second place ahead of the Belgian Barry Baltus.
« My plan was still to try to leave, but when I realized I couldn't, I told myself I had to be smart, I had to slow down my pace a little and wait until the end of the race » explains the winner of the race Carlos Tatay. " I had contact with Haruki Noguchi et Max Cook which sidelined me and wasted a lot of time. But I managed to come back and in the last laps, get close enough to be in a good position and win the race. It's really great to win the race again, what a perfect weekend! ».
« The bike was very good today and the race was really tough Says david savior. “ All the drivers attacked very hard and aggressively. I managed to manage my race and that's a good thing. I really tried to win, but Barry Baltus et Carlos Tatay also made great efforts. When the wind picked up towards the end of the race it made things difficult in the final sector. It's great to be on the podium for the first time ».
« It wasn't a bad race, after yesterday's blank result. " States Barry Baltus. “ In Jerez and yesterday I lost too many points. The bike was good and I found myself in the lead for a lot of laps. I was leading on the last lap but Carlos Tatay et David Salvador overtook me. Not wanting to make the same mistake as yesterday, I saw fit to settle for third place ».
In the general classification, Carlos Tatay maintains its comfortable leadership position with 120 points. Behind him we find david savior, 67 points to his credit, then Yuki Kunii with 64 points.
