Superpole Qualifying was a successful outing for Bassani in the morning, as he proved to be fourth fastest overall. Lowes was ninth quickest, starting the opening race from the third row.

Bassani was eventually penalised for riding slowly on the racing line during Superpole Qualifying, meaning he had to start from seventh position, not his original fourth place grid spot.

The first Assen WorldSBK race, over 21 laps, unfolded with Lowes and Bassani riding just behind the leading few riders until Alex started to make progress and Axel was passed by some of his competitors as he struggled with his front end feel.

Lowes was to suddenly fall on lap eight, as he tried to keep pace with the leading group behind eventual race winner Nicolo Bulega. Alex had been as high as fifth in the race, after working his way forward from his starting position. He battled his way back into the points scoring positions after his fall and ended up 11th.

Bassani fought hard for what was looking like a potential top five finish but he would fall at T8 after touching another rider’s machine on the final lap. He was unable to restart and now looks forward to having two strong races on Sunday.
 
The final day of race action at Assen will see a ten-lap Superpole Race and then a second full-distance Race Two, which will complete the competitive action for the WorldSBK riders in the Netherlands.

Alex Lowes, stated: “We worked quite hard this weekend on race pace and we did a lot of laps in the practice sessions. I knew that tyre life was going to be difficult, so I wanted to get a good start to put myself in position to maybe use the experience we had gained in the last part of the race. I was pushing hard to fight with the guys in the top five or six positions. I made a mistake on the small left onto the straight. I was so focused on the exit and trying to stay with the riders in front I think I was a little bit fast. It is a shame but I picked the bike up and did my best to the end of the race. Even with some damage on the footpeg, the pace was quite strong.”

Axel Bassani, stated: “We had a really good Superpole and finished in P4 - but later we were given a penalty and started in P7. But, it had been my best qualifying since I joined this team, so I am happy about that. In Race One, from the beginning, I had a bad feeling with the front. I stayed consistent for 20 laps with the same pace and looked to arrive in P5. But afterwards I made a mistake I touched the rear of Xavi Vierge’s machine and went down. Now we look to tomorrow’s races.”