WorldSBK Assen R2 2 Results | Rea hat-trick as Razgatlioglu taken out by Gerloff

Jonathan Rea has multiplied his advantage at the head of the 2021 WorldSBK Championship standings after claiming his third win of the weekend in Assen, but the big story of the day was a controversial coming together between Yamaha pair Garrett Gerloff and Toprak Razgatlioglu, one that eliminated the latter title contender.

Having come into the Dutch WorldSBK weekend with a slender advantage over six-time champion Rea, Razgatlioglu would find himself on the back foot relative to his Kawasaki rival throughout the event.

However, after limiting the damage by finishing second and third to Rea’s victories in Race 1 and the Superpole Race, disaster would strike in Race 2 when an over-eager Gerloff speared up the inside of his Yamaha counterpart into the Turn 1 right-hander, making firm contact into the side of the R1.

Sending Razgatlioglu down into his first DNF of the season, the incident puts a huge dent in his title hopes and will raise more questions in Gerloff’s direction having already been involved in sloppy collisions this season with Rea in Aragon and Michael Ruben Rinaldi in Estoril.

Gerloff for his part in the incident was handed a long-lap penalty before crashing out altogether with 10 laps to go, the American - looking very distraught as he walked through the gravel trap - no doubt priming himself for a rubbing down by Yamaha this evening.

Nevertheless, there was still some reason to smile for Yamaha in the aftermath, after Andrea Locatelli emerged from the melee in the lead of a WorldSBK race for the first time. Though Locatelli’s WorldSBK initiation hasn’t sparkled so far this year, a fifth and fourth so far this weekend suggested the Italian had turned a corner.

However, Locatelli would still cause a stir by not only building on his early advantage but going on to hold firm out front for a full 11 laps before eventually being overtaken by Rea, who had clawed up from eighth on lap one to move ahead at the halfway stage and protect his lead to the end.

With his main rival out and three wins in the bag, Rea has turned a two point deficit into a 37 point advantage over the two days. Round 6 takes place at the newly-included Most circuit in the Czech Republic.

In second position, Scott Redding fought back from a modest start to bump ‘star of the show’ Locatelli down another place, the 2020 WorldSSP Champion nonetheless holding on for third and his first WorldSBK podium.

Chaz Davies ended his weekend on a high with a fighting ride to fourth from ninth on the grid, much like Alvaro Bautista who after crashes in races one and two, strung it together for a run to fifth in the final encounter.

Michael van der Mark bounced back from his Superpole Race tumble for sixth, ahead of Alex Lowes, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Axel Bassani and Leon Haslam.

Tom Sykes ran inside the top ten until he fell at the Geert TImmer chicane coming into the final lap. He crossed the line 15th, behind Tito Rabat, Kohta Nozane, Tati Mercado and Isaac Vinales.

2021 WorldSBK Assen | Race 2 RESULTS