WSBK: Five things to take away from the 2021 Dutch Round

The Dutch Round might have been absent from the calendar in 2020, but this year’s edition provided enough drama to make up for that. At the paddock’s spectacular return to the TT Circuit Assen, the Cathedral of Speed, as per usual, delivered thrilling action

Further twists and turns in the championship fight saw Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) reclaim the lead while Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) has a substantial disadvantage to overcome – albeit of no fault of his own.

Lap 1 disaster, a rookie tasting champagne, the enigmatic nature of HRC and even more tyre talk, the 2021 Dutch Round was an explosive one.

Tipping point. Again.

The complexions of the title fight chronically fluctuate in 2021 and the Assen weekend was no exception. Rea went into the round in the unfamiliar position of chaser, two points adrift of Razgatlioglu. However, he leaves the Netherlands with a 37 points advantage.

Rea’s recapture of the championship lead was partly down to his own flawless performance. The Kawasaki rider withstood challenges from Razgatlioglu and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in Race 1 and the Superpole Race respectively before fighting his way back after a troubled start to Race 2.

If it was only for Rea’s remarkable hat-trick, the gap would now likely stand at around 20 points. However, Razgatlioglu’s efforts were spoiled on Sunday morning by a track limits sanction that dropped him from second to third.

Matters got worse in the afternoon when a misjudgement from Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) cost him dearly. A reckless T1 manoeuvre on the opening lap wiped Razgatlioglu out and left him with no points from Race 2.

What this yet again underlines is the unpredictability of the championship fight this year. Crucially, it also shows that the dynamics do not only come down to the protagonists Rea and Razgatlioglu. A number of riders can take points off them and play their part in the title decision – be that through racing performances or unfortunate errors.

The pendulum is firmly back in Rea’s corner and the Northern Irishman will be determined to keep it there. Razgatlioglu has to bounce back from a frustrating weekend, meaning both riders need solid performances and must avoid mistakes.

If there wasn’t enough intrigue to the upcoming Czech Round where the paddock heads to Most for the first time, the title crown hanging in the balance makes it ever more thrilling.

The real deal?

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK) completed a magnificent meeting at Assen that culminated in his first podium. The Italian started off with P5 in Race 2 and should have stood on the sprint race rostrum if it wasn’t for a track limits sanction.

But Locatelli’s time arrived in Race 2. He capitalised on the incident between Gerloff and Razgatlioglu at the lights to claim the top early on. The rookie led for half the race before eventually having to surrender to Rea and Scott Redding (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). As he took the chequered flag in third, he became the 125^th WorldSBK podium finisher.

To emphasise how remarkable that achievement is, the last time a WorldSSP champion stepped up to WorldSBK and bagged a podium in their debut season was six years ago. Back then, Michael van der Mark was third on a Honda, incidentally also at Assen.

The Yamaha garage profits from close collaboration between Razgatlioglu, Locatelli and their crew chiefs Phil Maron and Andrew Pitt. Across the Assen weekend, Pitt and Maron shared the workload between them to test different tyres and find solutions efficiently.

Besides the riders’ talent and race craft, the atmosphere at Yamaha offers them an ideal environment to thrive in. The steps made are promising and Pitt has no doubt that “we started to see the best of Loca today”.

I’m really happy to get the podium. I learned and improved every race. We are faster and now I’m at the front. We closed to the front all weekend and it’s very amazing. I’m so happy for my staff and my crew because we worked very well. We don’t make any mistakes and the bike is so amazing.

Andrea Locatelli

Enigma

The Team HRC bikes are currently the biggest enigma on the grid. Alvaro Bautista and Leon Haslam have recorded anything between top 6s, crashes and non-scores and presented a truly unpredictable quality across the rounds.

Bautista’s weekend started with a promising practice before it all went wrong with crashes in the first two race outings. But things improved significantly for the Spaniard who was competitive in Race 2 and secured his best 2021 finish in fifth.

Improvements on the electronics were key to the progress, particularly in regard to control on the gas. Bautista admitted that “maybe the step is not too big”, but assured that there are possibilities to gain more positions.

HRC have shown that they can deliver great results this season. However, they have also shown inconsistency across the races and it seems likely their performances will continue to fluctuate.

I just tried to be calm and was riding without a warning. It’s not the way to ride, but it’s the best I can do right now. I started to pass other riders. At the end, to finish in the top 5 is not so bad after the problems we’ve had.”

Alvaro Bautista

Mixed emotions

Ducati continued their trend of leaving race meeting with mixed emotions at Assen. Three podiums overall constituted a positive record, but there were points left to polish.

Redding beat Razgatlioglu and Locatelli in Race 1 and 2 respectively for runner-up finishes and added P5 in the sprint. However, the Brit lamented tyre struggles that kept him from fighting for better results. Although he found the setup for the final outing, once more it was “two races too late”.

Rinaldi responded to a crash on Saturday with Superpole Race P2, inherited through track limit sanctions for Razgatlioglu and Locatelli. Eighth in Race 2 was far below the Italian’s expectation and he criticised their late race pace in particular.

The Misano winner confessed that “our best at the moment is not good enough”. Rinaldi set consistency as the target going forward and for him to “improve as a rider”.

Chaz Davies (Team GoEleven) meanwhile rediscovered some form at Assen. After heavy struggles with a shoulder injury, the first two race outings had the Welshman back in the top 10. Davies went on to only just miss the podium in P4 and looks to finally have his mojo back.

Tyre talk

Tyres were once more on everyone’s lips at Assen as Pirelli introduced a second, development SCX tyre. While sporting the original rubber, the development SCX features a stiffer construction which, in theory, should provide better stability.

Tyre choices across the grid were thus varied, but only one rider got the decision spot on. Rea opted for a new, development combination in Race 1 and the Superpole Race, storming to victory in both. He switched to a standard SC0 tyre in the colder conditions on Sunday afternoon and again came out top.

In contrast, Rinaldi and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team) who ran the SCX evolution in Race 1 crashed out early. Redding on the standard compound struggled with tyre drop and managing the rubber cost him a chance to challenge Rea.

Tyre debates have become a reoccurring theme in 2021. Intermediate/slick/full wet decisions at Aragon and Donington Park or development options at Misano and Assen – the compound decision has developed a unique dynamic and played a significant part in proceedings so far.

I’ve used every slick rear tyre available to me this year – the SCX, the SCX evolution and also the SC0. I did a long run on Friday on the new front and felt quite comfortable. Pere [Riba] made a plan and we ended up with the only bike in Race 1 Parc Ferme with it and it’s a good feeling when you see that you do your homework and it pays off. The decision was clear-cut.

Jonathan Rea