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WSS: Pitt wins Assen thriller.
Sunday, 27th April 2008
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In front of the Hannspree Ten Kate team's home Dutch crowd, Pitt and team-mate Jonathan Rea won a thrilling Supersport race.
This was one of those races people will remember for a long time, and rightly so, it was a belter!
Countless lead changes and different race leaders, a track that lends itself to bold and aggressive riding and the top six, yes SIX covered by less than half a second over the finishing line.
To add extra interest for UK fans there were a couple of hard charging British riders in the lead battle as Rea was joined in the melee by Craig Jones, and there aren't many who ride harder than the tail sliding Parkalgar Honda man.
It was experience that showed in the end though as Pitt, a former Supersport champion and MotoGP rider, just managed to edge across the Assen finishing line ahead of Rea.
Both Ten Kate riders had been perhaps the most consistent front runners throughout the race, but were joined by at times 10 other potential race winners as the pack chased each other round the sweeps of the historic Dutch venue.
Championship leader Joan Lascorz emphasised his sheer class by riding with the two Ten Kate riders for most of the race, and like Pitt was particularly strong in to the vital last chicane, scene of so many dog fights over the years in motorcycle races at Assen.
Lascorz led for a while, but did not have the speed to get away as Rea and Pitt, who must have passed each other for the lead five or six times during the race, held sway up front.
Jones looked the most aggressive in the field but his forcefulness was also his undoing and the Englishman, though capable of making some truly awesome passing moves, often ran wide and allowed rivals to re-pass him again.
It would be impossible to run through all of the moves in the race as there were so many, but as the final laps came round Rea had managed to get in front. Last years BSB runner up was very strong in the fast sweeping bends in the last chicane and had passed many riders there.
Pitt and Lascorz were right with the Irishman into the chicane but as Pitt dived up the inside, Rea rolled off the brakes again and tried to lean on the Aussie.
Pitt managed to get a straighter exit to the corner and as the pack of six riders nailed their throttles out of the bend Pitt just had the extra momentum to beat the hard trying youngster by literally half a wheel!
Lascorz established himself as clear championship leader and made some very hard moves. The Spaniard finished third and on this form is going to be very hard to beat.
As for the rest well you could pick three from 10 riders to be fourth to sixth. Broc Parkes, Josh Brookes, Jones, Barry Veneman on home ground, they were all in there.
But making inroads in the latter stages was that old stager Fabien Foret, the Frenchman just managed to pip his injured team mate Broc Parkes to the line as they held off Brookes on the colourful Stiggy Honda.
Jones made some big errors late in the race and seemed to be suffering from grip problems, eventually dropping to ninth, no reflection on his pace really, and Chris Walker finished 12th, but get this, only 4 seconds behind the winner!
It was that kind of race, a true credit to all riders involved and to Pitt who showed that experience and determination counts for everything. A very worthy winner, the Aussie certainly earnt his corn today.
1. Andrew Pitt AUS Hannspree TK Honda 36m10.751s
2. Jonathan Rea GBR Hannspree TK Honda +0.014s
3. Joan Lascorz ESP Glaner Honda +0.150s
4. Fabien Foret FRA Team Yamaha +0.201s
5. Broc Parkes AUS Team Yamaha +0.283s
6. Josh Brookes AUS Hannspree Stiggy Honda +0.447s
7. Barry Veneman NED RES Hoegee Suzuki +2.050s
8. Gianluca Vizziello ITA Althea Honda +2.346s
9. Craig Jones GBR Parkalgar Honda +2.714s
10. Matthieu Lagrive FRA Intermoto Honda +3.073s
11. Mark Aitchison AUS Triumph Italia +4.070s
12. Chris Walker GBR Gil Kawasaki +4.863s
13. Robbin Harms DEN Hannspree Stiggy Honda +5.088s
14. Ivan Clementi ITA Triumph Italia +16.644s
15. Ilario Dionisi ITA SC Triumph +21.630s |
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