Double victory in Assen for Scott
The opening round of the title-deciding Showdown took place at the TT Circuit in Assen today and saw Scott Redding take a brilliant double victory for the Be Wiser Ducati team to take over the lead in the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
Having taken pole position aboard the factory-supported Be Wiser Ducati Panigale V4 R by lapping inside the existing lap record, the former MotoGP rider continued his sensational form into race day and, after winning the first race ahead of team-mate Josh Brookes, the Gloucestershire ace took his ninth win of the season in race two as Brookes finished fourth.
Today again saw perfect conditions all around the 2.82-mile Dutch circuit whereby Redding made a perfect start to take the lead at the beginning of the first 18-lap race and never looked back. Lapping consistently quicker than the rest of the field, he extended his lead and eventually took his eighth win of the season by a commanding 4.9 seconds. Brookes, meanwhile, dropped back to fourth initially but had a race long battle and ultimately came out on top to claim second place and give the team their fourth 1-2 of the season.
Scott, who scored a MotoGP podium at Assen back in 2016, started the second race from the middle of the front row and although he found himself back in fourth at one stage, he moved into the lead at half race distance. With the clear track in front of him, he soon began to edge away and in the final third of the race, he was lapping almost half a second quicker than his rivals before sweeping to another comprehensive double to add to those successes at Donington Park and Snetterton earlier in the season.
The double victory for Redding means he has taken over the lead in the title race, 14 points clear of Brookes with two rounds and five races remaining.
Scott Redding:
“It’s been a great weekend and with not having to learn the circuit I was able to get off to a good start and maintain that all the way through. Knowing the track really helped but I still had to show my strength especially as people expected me to win after having a good gap over the other riders during practice. It also meant I could concentrate on bike set-up and although I was still having a few problems with the front in the first race, I got a good start and just did my own thing. I kept a good rhythm lap after lap and got the job done. The second race was a bit tricky in the early laps and I made the break earlier than I would have liked but I was more than happy to take the win again.”
