The top three riders going into the fourth round of the World Superbike Championships at Assen, were Leon Haslam, Max Biaggi, and Carlos Checa. But none of the season leaders were able to step onto the podium at the end of the first qualifying session. Instead, it was Jakub Smrz and his Ducati who took top honors.Smrz, who has been relatively quiet this WSBK season, edged out Jonathan Rea by .298 seconds for the top spot on the podium. Rea had led after the first free practice session, and looked to have a solid hold on the first qualifying round. But Smrz took a 1:36.041 lap around the Circuit Van Drenthe with about 5 minutes remaining left in the session to take the lead.
Troy Corser took third on his BMW, .just a tenth of a second ahead of the overall leader, Haslam. Cal Crutchlow followed in fifth place, but suffered two falls during the day. Carlos Checa and Leon Camier were the next fastest, with Checa’s teammate Shane Byrne coming in 8th. Fabrizio and Toseland round off the top ten.
Noriyuki Haga, who had his first win of the season at Valencia, finished in 14th, while Biaggi, who is second on the overall scoreboard, came in at 16th.
Chris Vermeulen, who made his return to the WSBK circuit today, after sitting out two rounds due to an injury, came in 20th at the end of the first qualifying session in Assen.
1 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 1'36.041
2 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 1'36.339
3 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 1'36.489
4 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'36.618
5 35 Crutchlow C. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'36.752
6 7 Checa C. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 1'36.805
7 2 Camier L. (GBR) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'37.064
8 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 1'37.081
9 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'37.165
10 52 Toseland J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 1'37.166
11 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'37.344
12 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'37.434
13 76 Neukirchner M. (GER) Honda CBR1000RR 1'37.453
14 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 1'37.462
15 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 1'37.506
16 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 1000 F. 1'37.580
17 50 Guintoli S. (FRA) Suzuki GSX-R1000 1'37.684
18 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 1'37.685
19 15 Baiocco M. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'38.795
20 77 Vermeulen C. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'39.079
21 95 Hayden R. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1'39.186
22 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Honda CBR1000RR 1'40.485
