Eugene Laverty’s victory at Assen wiped the slate clean after the two disapppointing DNF’s at Aragon.
The Aprilia rider didn’t believe he could stick with Tom Sykes, but a few minor tweaks to his RSV4 between the two races helped him, and using the Kawasaki rider as barrier against the wind for almost the entire race he was able to overtake Sykes with just a few laps to go and take his second victory of the season after Phillip Island.
“The little time we had with a dry track created a few problems in Race 1.
In fact, before the second race we made some changes to the RSV4, which we usually don’t do because of how risky that is.
Actually the changes they made worked really well.
I had the right feeling even though I didn’t think I would be stay up with Sykes.
But in the end I was able to keep up with his pace.
In fact, his wash actually helped me out since there were some strong gusts of wind on the track.
Four laps from the end I overtook Tom, even pulling away a few metres, but then the wind kept me from being too precise so he was able to cling back onto me.
Winning today was important.
We back in the fight for the championship and we were able to leave the troubles from Aragón behind us”, commented Laverty.
With a third and sixth place in today’s Assen round Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli extended his lead in the standings.
He arrived at Assen with a 22 point advantage and left with 28, and both riders are helping keep Aprilia in the lead in manufacturers standings In the first race the French rider was able to take his fifth consecutive podium, but race two saw him drop to fifth in the finale due to a lack of front end feeling, preferring to play it safe and take home precious points.
“It’s too bad about the end of Race2.
I enjoy a fight in the last laps but this time I just wasn’t able to do it.
In Race 1, on the other hand, Rea and I put on a good show and in the end Jonny got the best of me but I had fun.
In the second race Tom and my team mate Laverty really had an unbeatable pace.
Let’s just say that the second race didn’t go great, but I was able to increase my lead in the championship, widening the gap in front of my closest rivals, and that’s important, especially considering the fact that the next round is Monza, a circuit where Aprilia has always been a strong player,” said Guintoli.