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The Pirelli Dutch Round concluded on Sunday with a new MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship race winner, a new face on pole position and on the rostrum, and big implications in the title fight even at this early stage. Riders gave their thoughts on the events at the TT Circuit Assen, which we’ve gathered for you here…

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha): “I don’t remember how many second places I have, but I was missing winning, and we did it”

On his race win, Locatelli said: “I was trying to fight with Bulega, trying to stay there. It wasn’t easy. He did really well. At the beginning of the race, I was pushing, but the confidence with the wind was not so good. I tried to get the feeling from the bike lap by lap. Overall, we’ve made a good step on the bike. In the past, this has been a good track for us, and also Portimao. This year, everything we’ve tried to improve and understand is working really well. We need to take this victory. We can say it’s not 100% a real victory [because of Bulega’s DNF], but I was there; I was P2 with no mistakes and no technical problems. I would’ve been happy with second as it was the real position at this point. I can’t control what happens to the others, I can only control myself and what happens to my bike. Everyone’s working so hard, especially Yamaha. I can say this is the second family, but in reality, I spend more time with them! I don’t remember how many second places I have, but I was missing winning, and we did it.”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “I dominated but I didn’t bring home a lot, they give the points after the chequered flag and not for being fast”

A Sunday to forget for Bulega after two DNFs. He stated: “It’s difficult because I was very good, I had a good race with a lot of overtakes. With two laps to go, the bike stopped for the second time. Obviously, I’m not happy, but I don’t know what to say. I didn’t ask but I feel like the problem is the same, but I don’t know if that’s true. When I put the gear in on the straight, the bike switched off. I dominated but I didn’t bring home a lot, they give the points after the chequered flag and not for being fast. I’ll go home with confidence that I’m really strong and have a good package, but we lost too much. I wasn’t thinking about Toprak, I was just thinking about overtaking everybody and trying to win because I knew I was very fast on Saturday and at the start of Race 2, I had a good feeling.”

Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team): “I was thinking I needed to get a good start, not be in the spray and obviously just forgot to brake at Turn 1!”

First pole and podium for Lowes at Assen, who said: “I was thinking that I needed to get a good start, not be in the spray because even though it dried up, there was a bit of spray, and obviously just forgot to brake at Turn 1! I pulled the brake, locked it about three times and thought, ‘Oh no!’. Went back a bit and then came through. I felt good in the full rain and when it was drying up. The last two laps were hard work. I nearly hit the back of Alvaro at Turn 8, that would’ve been not good after Saturday! A bit of pressure off to get the first podium in WorldSBK. This year, it’s slowly been getting better, for loads of reasons. It’s the best I’ve felt on the bike, and everything was happening in front of me and a bit calmer. I think the way I rode at Portimao, with some things, was a little bit off but I was still in that group with Petrucci and Loka. I think there’s three things. I’m fully fit, which I wasn’t last year at the end. The bike is a lot closer to the factory one now in terms of parts; it could’ve been last year, but we used a different exhaust and a few different bits of bobs. I changed my crew chief and the atmosphere in the garage, the way of working, maybe a different direction with the bike.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “We’ll never give up and try to improve, but this weekend, nothing changed”

P8 on Sunday for Razgatlioglu, who reviewed the day: “I had blisters on the right side of the rear tyre. I was very surprised. We used the SC0 tyre in Race 2, thinking about the end of the race, but it also didn’t work with the BMW. I did my best with P8. We used the SC0 tyre, but it didn’t give me the advantage. I was thinking that the SC0 tyre would be better at the end of the race. The SCX tyre didn’t work at this track, it wasn’t easy to finish Race 1; I was lucky to finish in P4. This weekend, Nicolo was very strong, if he didn’t have any technical problem, he’d win Race 2, I think. This is the best position I could get because the bike isn’t working. We’ll never give up and try to improve, but this weekend, nothing changed.”

Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team): “I saved the Superpole Race in the wet… I was riding around sideways everywhere!”

Back on the rostrum after a year, Gardner said: “I had a good start and good starting position, I saved the Superpole Race in the wet which I rode my absolute balls off in, to be honest; I was riding around sideways everywhere, I thought I was on flat track! We made a setting change for the front because after six laps in Race 1, we chewed the right side of the front tyre. We made a setting change to chill on the front a little bit which paid off. Maybe not as sharp but I had a much more stable front for the whole race. The bike accompanies me here, it’s a fast-flowing track with lots of corners you can attack with the front end. That’s a strong point of the Yamaha and there’s not really stopping corners, there’s only one. Loka’s riding the bike amazingly, his style really suits this bike. can still learn from Loka but also the guys can give me something I need technically to make another step, because honestly, if I had what I needed, I think I could be really fast. It’s been really tough for me in the last 10 races. I didn’t really feel competitive from Magny-Cours last year, that was the last race where I felt strong on the bike. We struggled a lot and it’s not been easy.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati): “In Race 2, the result, to be realistic, I could finish third without the problem for Nicolo”

Bautista took P2 in Race 2, with the #19 saying: “The Superpole Race was difficult with the conditions and, especially after Saturday’s crash, it was important to finish the races. I understood the situation on Sunday morning, and I was quite happy because the feeling wasn’t too bad. I was able to fight for a podium. In Race 2, the result, to be realistic, I could finish third without the problem for Nicolo. The feeling wasn’t really good. I don’t know whether it was the track conditions or the wind or whatever, but the feeling was more difficult. We made a change on the setup to see if we could improve the feeling on a colder track, but the combination between the conditions and the setup didn’t help me to have the confidence I had on Saturday. We have to keep that feeling that in a normal situation, we’re fast and closing the gap.”

Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team): “Toprak is Toprak. He’s like Marc Marquez, even when the bike isn’t working, he can do something more!”

A first top-five of 2025 for Bassani, who also battled Razgatligolu during the race: “After Race 1, when I made a big mistake on the last laps where I wanted to finish P5 because I recovered a lot of time and then made a mistake, maybe it was better to accept a P6 or P7 because it was a good result for the team. The feeling with the bike improved a lot; on Saturday, in the first 10 laps, my feeling with the bike was horrible. I was faster than Toprak. I saw that he was in trouble, when he was applying throttle, he was losing the front. It was difficult to overtake him as he’s always braking really hard, and on the straight he’s much faster than me. When he made a little mistake at Turn 8 or 9, I overtook him, but it was not easy. He’s one of the worst guys to overtake! I always say that, at the moment, Toprak is the best rider on the track. The BMW isn’t the same as last year, it has some problems, but Toprak is Toprak. He’s like Marc Marquez, even when the bike isn’t working, he can do something more!”

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