World Supersport

Kawasaki has dominated the start of this year’s World Supersport championship with wins by Kenan Sofuoglu in Australia and Fabien Foret at Imola. The 39 year-old Frenchman is also the current championship leader, but in the Netherlands the bike to beat may be the Honda, which has won nine of the last ten races on this track. That record will surely be going through the mind of Australian Broc Parkes, one of the favorites for the title but who has to overcome the handicap of a poor start to the season: third place at home and a DNF at Imola, where however he smashed the lap record in post-race testing. Parkes is currently on 16 points in the table, which is headed by Foret (Kawasaki Intermoto Step) on 45 points. Another potential Honda winner is the 22-year-old British rider Sam Lowes (Bogdanka PTR Honda) on 31 points, while it remains to be seen how fit Kawasaki DeltaFin Lorenzini rider Kenan Sofouglu is after his troubles at Imola. The Triumph brand is represented by the all-Italian Power Team by Suriano and the experienced Vittorio Iannuzzo, who is currently lying in an encouraging sixth place on 18 points.

Points (after 2 of 13 rounds): 1. Foret 45; 2. Lowes 31; 3. Sofuoglu 25; 4. Quarmby 25; 5. Iannuzzo 18; 6. Parkes 16; etc. Manufacturers: 1. Kawasaki 50; 2. Honda 36; 3. Triumph 19; 4. Yamaha 15.

Superstock 1000

The two Superstock classes reserved for the champions of tomorrow are also now well underway. The first round of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup for under-26 riders was won by BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet’s French rider Sylvain Barrier, but the brand-new Ducati 1199 Panigale was immediately competitive in the hands of the rapidly emerging Eddi La Marra (Barni Racing Team Italia), who was third at Imola. Sandwiched in between was another promising young Frenchman, Loris Baz (Kawasaki MRS), the 18-year-old former European Superstock 600 champion who is eventually hoping to make the leap up into Superbike.

Points (after 1 of 10 rounds): 1. Barrier 25; 2. Baz 20; 3. La Marra 16; 4. Reiterberger 13; 5. Staring 11; 6. Massei 10; etc. Manufacturers: 1. BMW 25; 2. Kawasaki 20; 3. Ducati 16; 4. Honda 10; 5. Aprilia 5.

Superstock 600

In the European Championship reserved for riders under 22 years of age the man to beat is the 18 year-old Italian Riccardo Russo (Yamaha Team Italia FMI) who dominated the scene at Imola. Russo is also leading the Italian series with two wins from two races. In the Netherlands his main rival will surely be Michael van der Mark who is favourite on his home track and with his Dutch-based EAB Ten Kate Junior Team Honda CBR600R. Spain’s Nacho Calero Perez (Yamaha Team Trasimeno) also looks a good bet for the win, following his runner-up finish in Italy.

Points (after 1 of 10 rounds): 1. Russo 25; 2. Calero Perez 20; 3. Van der Mark 16; Morrentino 13; 5. Egea 11; 6. Chesaux 10; etc.

KTM European Junior Cup

Assen will also see the start of the second edition of the European Junior Cup, this year a one-make championship using KTM machines, set up between the prestigious Austrian manufacturer and WSB promoter Infront Motor Sports. The series has been devised for 14 to 19 year-olds and offers a good opportunity for them to test their ability in eight European rounds accompanying World Superbike. The best riders will have a chance to move into Superstock and eventually on to the world championship. The entry list is made up of 24 permanent riders from 14 different countries. They will be in the care of a prestigious ‘coach’: New Zealander Simon Crafar, an ex-star of World Superbike. All the youngsters will race on identical race-spec KTM 690 Duke bikes, provided by the Austrian manufacturer.