Racing incident or rider error? Make your own judgement on WorldSBK Assen clash

A new angle showing the collision between Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea during the second WorldSBK race at Assen has given a clearer viewpoint as to the circumstances that led to the controversial tangle.

The two title contenders were circulating out front on lap six with Razgatlioglu leading from pole position when the Turk ran wide out of Turn 1 before pulling it back onto the racing line.

However, the opened door had invited Rea to cut up the inside and with both arriving on the racing line at the same time, the Yamaha and Kawasaki became entangled, pulling both to the ground.

While the international television feed didn’t show the incident from an external viewpoint - with the only footage of the moment being gleaned from on-board cameras - a fan-filmed video from the stands between Turns 1 and 2 shows the clash in full.

We’ll delegate to you as to whether you think Rea or Razgatlioglu were responsible, or whether it was simply a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ racing incident, but it is evident Razgatlioglu was sat up as he accelerated in recovery from the minor error, while Rea was still at lean angle.

The riders themselves, meanwhile, blamed one another for triggering the accident, which leaves Rea some 15 points behind Alvaro Bautista, while defending champion Razgatlioglu faces a 45 point deficit.

Moreover, the angle reveals just how close Bautista was to getting caught up in the melee, the Spaniard thanking his slick reflexes to get on the anchors without clipping either of the pirouetting bikes just ahead.